Age Level (3 – 5 years)
Kate is upset at first, when her grandma (Bubbie) gets a motorised scooter. She worries that Bubbie might be different riding in a scooter? Will she be able to be the same lively, fun-loving person she used to be? Even though Kate is nervous about their first outing, she is soon reassured when she realises the scooter is a huge help to Bubbie and begins to see it as a good friend rather than an enemy. Bonnie Sherr Klein said she didn’t see enough picture books featuring disability, so she wrote one.
I love how this picture book has a strong ‘can-do’ message surrounding mobility and living with disability. The author (an award winning filmmaker, feminist, and disability activist) herself suffered a catastrophic brainstem stroke in 1987, and published a memoir called Slow Dance: A Story of Stroke, Love and Disability. She lives in BC with her husband Michael, and moves through the world on Gladys, her motorised scooter. Her daughter is Canadian journalist and author Naomi Klein, well known for her activism and books including No Logo and The Shock Doctrine.
The book is graced with joyous illustrations by Élisabeth Eudes-Pascal. The lively pictures help to tell the story as well, by being full of energy and movement. The illustrator has been creating art since she was three years old when she first saw her mother draw. She lives with her husband in Montreal, where she helps intellectually challenged people of all ages draw and paint. Like Bubbie on her scooter, she also cycles around town, on her bike.
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