CLEO’S BOOK By Tracy Goninon-Pearse
This year, some children in Cleo's class didn't really know what Down syndrome was. They could see that Cleo was different, but didn't know how or why. I wanted something that could be shared with her new class at the start of next year and start a conversation about Down syndrome at an ageappropriate level. I made it up through vistaprint, so it would be durable and can be kept on the classroom bookshelf. I had done something similar a few years ago,
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(but it was just printed from the computer and stapled) and I found it was really well received by both the kids and their parents. Some parents who were initially wary to approach me about Cleo as they didn't know how to start the conversation, used the book as a tool to break the ice and start a conversation with me. By using positive language in the book and pointing out cool things she can do due to her Down syndrome, we point out it's not something bad or scary and lots of children are jealous she can do the splits!
