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Review by Victor Volkman

Dorothy is Moving Mountains

By Dorothy Paad

Dorothy Paad is a remarkable young woman from the central U.P. that happens to have Cerebral Palsy. Notice I put her condition last because she is extremely accomplished and hardworking despite whatever life has thrown her way. Dorothy’s first book, Dance Your Dance, Sing Your Song, was a celebration of her early college years at Northern Michigan University and struggling as a Dance major. Although her books have been illustrated with funky, adorable cartoon animals to represent characters, the stories they tell are 100% human. These illustrations, by Matthew Forgrave, help lend a lightness which makes the books accessible to younger folks.

Paad’s second book in the series, Dorothy is Moving Mountains, is as equally biographical as the first. Specifically, it covers the period starting when her physical therapist asked about her favorite activities outside the house, and she answered with the melancholy reply, “Nothing. I feel lonely, but I don’t think I can do anything.” From here on out, you know that the author is being brutally honest about her feelings. Fortunately, her physical therapist suggests that Paad try “adaptive skiing” and then the real adventure of this U.P. Notable Book Award winning story begins.

I had no knowledge whatsoever of adaptive sports until I met Rick Ritter some 20 years ago. Ritter is a social worker who subsequently wrote Coping With Physical Loss and Disability – a book of self-reflective exercises for any adult who has suffered loss of function whether through cancer, accidents or other disorders, including paraplegia and quadriplegia. This book has an appendix with an extensive list of adaptive sports. After suffering a grievous knee injury in Army basic training, he thought his outdoor adventures were over. However, he was eventually introduced to “hand cycling,” a sport where bicycles are propelled by the arms instead of the legs, and he gained a new lease on life. In fact, he went on to compete in many meets and hand-cycled his way across Mongolia. Anyway, this is the first time I’ve seen adaptive sports applied to a children’s book, and the results are magical indeed.

Getting back to Paad’s story, her PT put her in touch with Bud and Denise Delano, proprietors of Moving Mountains Adaptive Program (www. movingmountainsap.org). These two adaptive specialists helped Dorothy master the adaptive ski sled, which looks something like a seat mounted on top of two downhill skis, complete with right-sized poles, that you can schuss your way down the mountain with. In practice, most or all adaptive skiers will be trailed by an assistant with two ropes that can be used for guidance, or as Paad put it: “She had two [ski instructors] for safety, one to teach and give directions and one to watch, to make sure no one gets hurt.”

The visceral honesty of Dorothy Paad’s stories is what makes them relatable to the universal human experience. For example, she does not shy away from the factors that gave her trepidation before taking the plunge (literally) into adaptive skiing. First, she must confront the fallout from years of bullying in high school which has destroyed her confidence, something that many readers will relate to. Next, she must face Sensory Processing Disorder, a condition which may affect balance, hearing and other brain activity, which could be overstimulated by a fast ski ride down the mountain. On the first day she has to overcome her fear of going too fast, falling over, or getting hurt. Like many young people, Paad is nervous meeting new adults – the ski instructors – for the first time. Last, but not least, Dorothy has a twinge of separation anxiety. As someone who is very attached to her mom and dad, going without them down the mountain was just one more stressor.

How will Paad do on her maiden voyage down the mountain? I wouldn’t dare spoil that for you, dear reader! Dorothy is Moving Mountains is, at its core, a reflection of how the human spirit can triumph over any disability, any circumstance and any disadvantage through courage, support and a willingness to be helped. I give Dorothy is Moving Mountains the highest recommendation for schools, libraries, families and anyone who needs a lift about rising above their own circumstances, whatever they may be. The only writer I’ve ever met who could be as truthful about disabilities in children’s books was the late Michelle Katyal (pen name “Jewel Kats”) with her book The Princess Panda Tea Party: A Cerebral Palsy Fairy Tale (2014). I’m happy to say Paad has picked up the torch for a new generation. Ask your librarian, local bookseller or visit DEPBooks.com to get into the Dorothy Paad series. I guarantee you will have a smile and maybe shed a tear.

MM

Victor R. Volkman is a graduate of Michigan Technological University (Class of ’86) and is the current president of the U.P. Publishers and Authors Association (UPPAA). He is senior editor at Modern History Press and publisher of the U.P. Reader

How to submit a book

Send Upper Peninsula-related book review suggestions to victor@LHPress.com. Books submitted for review can be sent to: MM Book Reviews, 5145 Pontiac Trail, Ann Arbor, MI 48105.