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I am Not a Label

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I Am Not a Label
By Cerrie Burnell, Illustrated by Lauren Baldo
Beverly, MA: Wide Eyed Editions, an imprint of The Quarto Group, 2020.


Not all disabilities are obvious and the taboo nature of talking about issues has been waning over the last few years. It is this wonderful area of open discussion that Cerrie Burnell writes about the experiences of some well-known people with disabilities and some that may surprise you. She features such famous people as artist Frida Kahlo, who was left with limited mobility from polio and a bike accident, and actor Peter Dinklage, who was born with achondroplasia which restricts his bone growth. Shedding light on not so obvious disabilities, Burnell also includes people like President Abraham Lincoln, who suffered from clinical depression, and rapper Lil Wayne who suffers from epilepsy.

Back matter that includes a glossary of terms and helpful websites allow readers to understand the many debilitating conditions that many people deal with. How wonderful for kids to grow up in a world that defies definitions and sheds the labels that have existed for so long!

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