Susan Laughs

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Susan laughs, she sings, she rides, she swings. Susan gets angry, she gets sad, she is good and she is bad. Susan is just like any other child, or is she? Turn the last page and all will be revealed.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

School Library Journal Review

PreS-Gr 1-Through simple rhyming phrases, readers learn about the many things that a young redheaded girl can do: "Susan trots,/Susan rows,/Susan paints,/Susan throws." With great color and movement, the pencil-and-crayon illustrations depict this spirited child in her everyday world. She rides a swing with her father, plays a trick on her grandma, and boils with anger when her cat scratches her face. Abundant details such as patterned wallpaper and funny portraits on walls add interest to each scene. By the end of the story, children will identify completely with Susan, who is "through and through-/just like me, just like you," even if she happens to use a wheelchair, as shown in the final illustration. Thus, the story focuses on her abilities rather than on the things by which she is limited. This book works for sharing one-on-one, for smaller storytimes, and for classroom use.-Linda M. Kenton, San Rafael Public Library, CA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Booklist Review

Ages 2^-5. Without being condescending or preachy, the words, pictures, and design of this very simple picture book show that a physically disabled child is "just like me, just like you." Only on the very last page do we discover that Susan uses a wheelchair. Before that, the simple, rhyming words and active crayon-and-pencil pictures show her in a succession of ordinary scenarios that every preschooler will recognize. Susan laughs. Susan sings. Susan's good. Susan's bad. She's mad. She's shy. She swims. She swings. She sulks. She's scared. The show and tell works. Children will enjoy seeing their common feelings and experiences. They'll be surprised by that wheelchair at the end; and then they'll accept their connection with the child who they've come to know is "just like me." --Hazel Rochman

Horn Book Review

With simple rhyming couplets and spunky pencil and crayon artwork, a little girl is shown participating in everyday activities and emotions. Not until the last spread is it revealed that she uses a wheelchair. While the basic just-like-me-and-you story line lacks originality, Susan's occasionally naughty behavior and consequent punishment is refreshing. From HORN BOOK Spring 2001, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.