Luda is excited to make friends in a new city! She can't wait to make silly faces and play outside. But when the other kids make fun of her wheelchair, Chairsy, Luda feels discouraged to play with them. Will she ever be able to make new friends?
My nine year old daughter really enjoyed this book. We loved how it showed Luda's artistic and girly attitude. My daughter identified with her and asked a lot of questions regarding the real Luda. I am glad it showed a picture of Luda on the back to show her.
Most importantly, however, this book touches on a very important disability inclusive type of conflict at the beginning, which is fitting in. Luda wants to make friends and not be "weird". I like how she clearly comes to the conclusion that they do not think she's weird just Chairsy. Chairsy is her wheelchair.(I name my mobility aids too so very relatable.) Luda allows the kids to have fun with Chairsy and learn about her. They all find out that being "weird" is the normal.
Ages 7 and up. Bright, comic book-inspired illustrations accompany this story of a girl who uses a wheelchair and her excitement about making new friends. Her excitement turns into anxiety, however, when the first group she encounters reacts to her wheelchair with suspicion and mocking. An important story about the widespread, very real problem of disabled children being excluded from the in-crowd at the age when fitting in becomes very important to primary school kids.