Description:The Nancy's Book Corner logo is shown, featuring a hanging sign tilted at an angle, surrounded by books.
Narrator: Nancy's Book Corner, a read aloud of children's books that introduce disabilities and celebrate differences.
Description: Nancy Trush is sitting down with a book in her hands. Next to her on the left is a bookshelf featuring various children's books and a potted plant. On her right is a small endtable covered in stuffed animals.
Nancy: Hi, welcome back to Nancy's Book Corner. I'm Nancy Trush, co-founder of Daniel's Music Foundation and Daniel's mom. As an early childhood educator, one of my favorite things to do is to share special books about differences with my students. The title of today's book is A Very Special Critter, written and illustrated by Gina and Mercer Mayer.
Nancy: A Very Special Critter is an amazing book that introduces us to Alex, a special critter with unique qualities and differences. Alex embarks on a fantastic adventure, teaching us that our differences make us special and strong. This heartwarming story helps us understand how important it is to celebrate what makes each of us unique.
Nancy: It's a fun journey that reminds us that being different is something to be proud of and that we all have our own special magic. Let's get started.
Nancy: "One day, my teacher said, "A new critter is coming to our class tomorrow." I was glad. I hoped the new critter would be someone really cool.
Description: A classroom full of different sorts of animals, led by their teacher, who is a cat.
Nancy: Then my teacher said, "Our new student is a very special critter. He can't walk. So he uses a wheelchair. I want you all to try very hard to make him feel at home." I was a little scared because I had never known anyone in a wheelchair before."
Nancy: Have you ever seen a wheelchair before? Maybe you know someone that uses a wheelchair, or maybe you use a wheelchair yourself.
Nancy: "I told my dad about it. He said, "Just because he's in a wheelchair doesn't mean he's any different than the rest of you. He probably just needs some special help once in a while." I thought that made sense. The next day, they brought the new student to our class. He looked scared.
Description: A rabbit using a wheelchair sits at the entrance of the room. His wheelchair is decorated with dinosaurs.
Nancy: But his wheelchair was really cool. It had stickers of dinosaurs and funny monsters all over it. My teacher said, "This is our new student. Alex, we are very happy to have you in our class." Then we all introduced ourselves.
Nancy: I was curious about Alex, so was everyone else. At recess, we all talked to Alex. Some critters asked him questions about his wheelchair. He didn't seem to mind.
Nancy: At first, everyone in the class thought Alex needed a lot of help. We were wrong. Wow. Alex can go really fast in his wheelchair.
Nancy: He can go almost anywhere he wants in his wheelchair. Once in a while, he needs a little push to get him over a bump. His wheelchair can't go up stairs, so he rolls it up a special ramp at school.
Nancy: His wheelchair has pouches to carry his books and things he needs for school. Sometimes he even carries my books for me. Sometimes Alex needs help reaching things way up high. Sometimes I do too.
Nancy: He plays games in the playground with the rest of us. When we play dodgeball, he always gets the most people out. And he's great at volleyball. He does have a little trouble with hide and seek though.
Nancy: Alex rides a special bus. It has a lift that takes his wheelchair up and down. We take turns helping him to the bus. Alex likes the same things my other friends like. He plays with race cars and dinosaurs and he loves super critter.
Description: Alex and little critter are sitting and playing with toys, including a super hero figure and a jet plane.
Nancy: For our Halloween party at school, Alex dressed up like a car. He had the best costume in the whole school." That's really cool. Alex transformed his wheelchair into a big red car for Halloween.
Nancy: "He's a good artist too. He won an art contest at school and our class got an ice cream party.
Description: Alex and his classmates are eating ice cream around Alex's painting of dinosaurs.
Nancy: Once in a while, something will come up that Alex needs help with. But it's no big deal. Sometimes I need him to help me too. That's what friends are for. We help each other when we need help.
Description: Little Critter is shown helping alex get a pencil from under a table, and Alex is helping Little Critter with his math assignment.
Nancy: My dad was right about Alex. Even though he's a special critter, he's just one of the gang."
Description: Alex and all his classmates are gathered together outside and smiling for a class photo.
Nancy: I hope you enjoyed A Very Special Critter, a book about friendship, understanding, and acceptance. I look forward to sharing another story with you again real soon. Goodbye.
Narrator: Thanks for Watching. To learn more, visit Danielsmusic.org, and subscribe to Daniel's Music Foundation on YouTube.