We'll Paint the Octopus Red

I love love love this book! As the mother of a baby diagnosed at birth with down syndrome I was looking for a way to give a very basic explanation of down syndrome to our older children. When my son was born I had a 3 y/o daughter and a 6 y/o son and this was the perfect book for my 6 y/o. It talks about how there are so many things the older sister is going to be able to do with her baby brother when he is born like "roll a ball, read a book, riding in the van sharing snacks and sticking our tongues out at cars that go by, painting the octopus at the arts festival downtown" By the time they are done talking they "thought of at least a million things my new brother or sister could do with me." Then when the baby is born and her dad tells her he has down syndrome she worries that the her little brother won't be able to do all of the stuff they talked about so they go through each of the things and talk about how he can still do them he just might be a little slower and need a little more help. By the time they are done talking they "couldn't find one of those million things that Isaac wouldn't be able to do with me. If Isaac has this Down things, then what can't he do?" And the dad replies that there is probably nothing he couldn't do as long as they are patient and help him. The first time I read this with my kids I barely made it through without crying. It is such a sweet and simple story of a siblings love and the fact that even though her baby brother isn't what she expected she is still his big sister and will love him anyway. It still makes me tear up a little every time I read it. It may have been a little over my daughter's head ( My Friend Isabelle was much better for a 3 y/o) but I think it really helped my older son to understand what we had been talking about since his baby brother was born. It also has 10 question and answer paragraphs at the back of the book if you/your kids want to learn a little more about down syndrome. Others have complained about the illustrations and their inconsistencies but I honestly never noticed and my kids never mentioned anything either. If I ever have a friend, family member, or even brief acquaintance who has a child born with down syndrome I would buy this book for them in a heartbeat!

Six year old Emma isn't very happy about the idea of having a new brother or sister but when Emma and her dad start thinking of all the things that they can do with the new baby, Emma becomes excited at the prospect of being a big sister. When her dad comes home and tells Emma that her new brother, Isaac, has Down syndrome, Emma worries that he won't be able to do any of the fun things that she has imagined. As Emma and her dad think back over all the things they wanted to do with the new baby, they realize together that as long as they are patient and helped him when he needed it, there wasn't anything he couldn't do. This is a reassuring story for young children bewildered by Down syndrome and what it means for their relationship with their new sibling. This is truly a wonderful story. Your child will ask you why you are crying after you read it to them. Of all the books for this age group, this book is by far the best.

This book made me cry! I bought 2. 1 for us and 1 to donate to my son's school. My son is in 1st grade and recently included in general education. This book is great on helping the kids at school understand that just because he has Down Syndrome doesn't mean he can't do things with them. Children who have younger siblings will relate to it more. It also helps with my son's sister so she understands that her brother can play with her and still do things with her! What a great book!!!

I cried when I read this book. I felt like it was written for our family. My daughter is 5 and my son (who has Down sundrome) is 2. I bought the book as a way to open the conversation about his diagnosis. The amazing part? The little girl talks about going on safari in Africa with her brother. We actually did go on safari in Africa when my son was 7 months old & we'll be moing to Kenya next year. I had no idea this was in the book when I found it. It is a beautiful, thoughtful book for children who have siblings with Down syndrome.

I bought this book for my step son and his wife who are expecting a baby boy with Down Syndrome in December. They have two other boys and I wanted them to share this book with them. An encouraging book of hope and great expectations. I teach 1st grade and read this book to my students every year to remind them that everyone is different but all loved the same.

We bought this story because our 5 year old daughter is a little jealous of the time we spend with our 17 month old daughtter who has DS. I read it to both of them and they really enjoyed it; nice colors, good story, good connection. However, the five year old never asks me to read it to her. Though she doesn't mind if I volunteer to read it, it is just never HER pick. Nice sotry though and good integration of two siblings. Helps the older sibling understand a little more about why their sibling has DS, where it comes from, and other good questions.

This book is written from the perspective of a young girl whose parents are expecting a baby boy with Down syndrome. I use this book every year during disability awareness week at my school. It is colorful, easy for kids to relate to, and has discussion questions at the end which are helpful. Highly recommended!

So adorable. A great way to explain to siblings that a new little brother or sister will be able to do all of the things they imagined, just on a different timeline. Beautiful.

I bought this book in part for my daughter (7 yrs). She knows that her younger brother (5 yrs) was born with Down Syndrome. She can identify the physical characteristic of a person with Down Syndrome but she didn't really know what it meant. I took advantage of World Down Syndrome Day and asked her Grade 2 teacher if she could read it to the class. Being in a class with her peers helped her understand better. The same with my son's SK class. All the teachers loved this book.

A book for everyone who wants to learn something new, about children and life in general. Equally good read for you and your child. A book which everyone should read, no matter what your age is.

Great story to start to talk about DS to children and has questions and answers at the back of book to help explain what DS is.

Brilliant book to explain to siblings and children about Down’s syndrome

Lovely book . X