Book Review

The Angel Within - Helen and Suzie Wade

This is the true story of a mother raising her daughter with Down's syndrome. It begins in Canada when Suzie was about three months old and relates the feelings on discovering their daughter was not what they had expected. It continues to run through all the highs and lows as the family move back to England and Suzie grows into an adult. The majority of the book is set in a time when people with Down's syndrome were viewed unfavourably by society. Nevertheless many of the experiences of the early years are ones that a lot of parents nowadays still have.

This book is an excellent read, I first came across it by accident , when my daughter was about a month old. I bought it and read it from cover to cover the same day. Since then I have read it on several occasions and can still draw parallels with my own experiences of raising a child with Down's syndrome.

Highly Recommended

Johnny - A tribute to Love - Jill Luntz

Johnny died shortly before his 15th birthday in 1993, unusually this book begins with a chapter dealing with Johnny's death. The book then charts his life from the beginning, once again, relating the initial feelings of the family when they were given the news that Johnny had Down's syndrome, then continuing to celebrate his life and achievements.

A very easy to read book, once again many of Jills' experiences will be ones many parents can relate to. There are also a number of black and white photographs of Johnny at various stages throughout his life.

Highly Recommended

Where's Chimpy - Berniece Rabe

This is a book aimed at children either as a self reader or with mum & dad. The story is simple to read and has a large colour photograph of Misty on every page. The story begins at bedtime, Misty, the star of the book, cannot find her toy monkey and together with her dad they search everywhere for it until finally she finds him and happily goes to sleep.

Misty, the central character in the story has Down's syndrome, the book is especially suitable for children with Down's Syndrome and their siblings. Mums and dads will also enjoy the delightful photographs.

Recommended for children

Our Brother has Down's Syndrome - Shelley Cairo

This is another children's book, written by Jai Cairo's two sisters together with mum Shelley. The book starts with a very simplified explanation of the extra chromosome and is very similar to Where's Chimpy in that the main character has Down's Syndrome. His sisters explain what it was like having a younger brother with Down's syndrome and again there is at least one colour photograph on every page.

Recommended for children

The Man Who Loved Clowns - June Rae Wood

Unlike the other books reviewed, this novel is based on fictional characters. The main character (Delrita) is a young girl living in a small town in America with her parents and her uncle (Punky). Punky is in his thirties and has Down's syndrome. The book is very easy to read and concentrates on Delrita growing up both protective and at the same time embarrassed by her Uncle.

Recommended

DOWN SYNDROME the facts - Mark Selikowitz

The Second Edition of this popular book. It is a very informative but easy to read book. Aimed at the parent, it starts right from the beginning answering all the questions you have, dealing not just with the medical aspects but also with the feelings you may encounter. It then progresses through the development of the child covering everything you may encounter along the way. It is impossible to do this book justice in such a short space. My advice if you have a child with Down's syndrome is to get a copy of this book for your bookshelf.

Highly Recommended

Down's Syndrome - Dr Richard Newton

This is one of the OPTIMA positive health guides and was written in conjunction with The Down's Syndrome Association. It is a very informative book covering all aspects of Down's syndrome. However, it is by no means an easy read and had me reaching for the dictionary on more than one occasion. It is worth buying.