Day: May 21, 2023

My Review

What a fabulous story to encourage young children with regards to acceptance and building.

This story celebrates when Jana achieves an accomplishment and how her friends not only help her celebrate but how she kindly pays this forward through sharing.

Full of positive language, with a few words per page at a good size and brilliant illustrations to help even the most reluctant reader want to keep reading.

A brilliant story that I really enjoyed and would make a fab addition to the reading curriculum to help children understand and accept different conditions from an early age.

Book Blurb

Jana has just learned how to put her socks on all by herself.

Jana also happens to have Down syndrome.
To celebrate her new skill, she gets loads of brightly coloured socks as a gift.

What happens when Jana shows them to everyone at school?

Join Jana on a fun-filled journey as she discovers what it means to be a true friend and the real value of kindness.

This is a heart-warming and beautifully illustrated book that celebrates friendship and inclusion. It encourages children to embrace the differences and similarities within us.

Author Sally Fetouh was inspired to write this touching story by her own daughter who has Down syndrome, feeling it was important for her and other children like her to be able to see themselves in literature. After reading a different story about a girl with Down syndrome to her daughter’s preschool class, Sally says, “The children were so engaged in the story and asked questions. They were very accepting and loving of their friend—my daughter. I left with a heart overflowing with emotion and that inspired me to write my story.”

Socks were deliberately chosen in this story to reference the extra chromosome in Down syndrome. Chromosomes are shaped like socks. Even though we all have chromosomes that make us who we are, we are still all remarkably unique.

Accompanying child activity and educational information sheets available on the author website: http://www.sallyfetouh.com.

Available to purchase here

Meet the Author

It was important to Sally that her daughter and other children like her were able to see themselves represented in literature. The idea came to Sally when she visited her daughter’s preschool to read a story about a girl with Down syndrome. The loving, accepting, and inquisitive responses from her daughter’s classmates inspired her to write a story reflecting these caring friendships.

Sally believes a great book is one that has impactful characters and a story that provides a new experience or perspective to the reader that stays with them long after the book is closed. She hopes that her young readers with disabilities or those who are different in some way will be able to relate to the main character and see a little bit of themselves, while also aiming for other readers to gain insight into the world of Down syndrome and the importance and impact of kindness and friendship.

When she isn’t writing thought provoking children’s books, Sally works as a lawyer and a
photographer. She enjoys being in nature, hiking, and horse riding. She lives with her family in Sydney, Australia.

Jana’s Brightly Coloured Socks is her debut picture book.

Social Media Links

Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/sallyfetouh/

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/profi
le.php?id=100089048475502

Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/sallyfetouh