We Want to Go to School!

August 1, 2021
Co-author Leffler, who has cerebral palsy, explains how children with disabilities won the right to attend public school. At age 3, Leffler entered public school, where--like "other kids with disabilities all around America"--she learned and played "side by side" with her friends. But, she learned, "it hadn't always been that way." In the early 1970s, public schools "said NO to millions of children who wanted to go to school"; disabled children were segregated in special schools, attended inferior classes, or simply stayed home. In an eye-opening double-page spread packed with racially diverse, cartoon-style children, a child notes, "There's about 1,000 kids on this page"--a fraction of the 8 million disabled children across the United States being denied an education. Drawing on the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education case banning racial school segregation, the determined parents of seven children with disabilities--all of whom present as kids of color--filed a class-action lawsuit: Mills v. Board of Education of the District of Columbia. Speech-balloon dialogue presents parents' pleas, school authorities' opposition, and lawyers' arguments. Finally, on Aug. 1,1972, Judge Joseph C. Waddy ruled that "children with disabilities must be given a free public education," spurring similar federal court cases. Illustrator and co-author Cocca-Leffler warmly depicts figures with an array of skin tones; some children are blind, and some use wheelchairs. Leffler presents White. An accessible introduction to a little-known but life-changing victory for disabled children. (note, timeline, authors' note, attorney's note, sources) (Informational picture book. 5-8)

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October 1, 2021

K-Gr 3-The coauthors tell the story of the fight for equal educational opportunities for children with disabilities. Born with cerebral palsy, Leffler went to public school and received an education, as well as the additional support she needed, such as physical, occupational, and speech therapy. She explains that this wasn't always the case for many others and documents the fight for the right of every child to receive an education. Prior to the early 1970s, children with disabilities were usually denied a public school education, or when allowed to attend school, the education was often inferior. That all changed after 1971, when the families of seven children with disabilities decided to file a class action lawsuit, known as Mills v. Board of Education in the District of Columbia. In 1972, the case was decided in favor of children with disabilities, benefiting eight million kids in the United States. The coauthors primarily focus on the story of the lawsuit, but they also include additional information about the status of disability education rights in the U.S. and a time line detailing other important cases in the fight for the rights of individuals with disabilities. The lively, colorful illustrations depict racially diverse children with different skin tones. Additionally, some children are blind or shown in wheelchairs. VERDICT Recommended for all libraries. This will appeal to all children, providing them with an understanding of the history of disability rights while simultaneously empowering them to continue advocating for the rights of all individuals.-Ragan O'Malley, Saint Ann's Sch., Brooklyn

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July 1, 2021
Coauthor Leffler (the adult daughter of Cocca-Leffler), who was born with cerebral palsy, describes how she loved attending public school. Sadly, "it hadn't always been that way" for kids with disabilities. In 1971, seven kids (each named in a tidily illustrated vignette portrait) were denied schooling until their families' outcries led to Mills v. Board of Education of the District of Columbia, which secured the right to public education for children with disabilities. The text describes events and facts gently while making a strong case for the ruling; the illustrations showcase people with disabilities on every spread. A wealth of appended contextual material, including a timeline and selected sources, enriches the historical account.

(Copyright 2021 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)