All Kinds of Friends, Even Green!

by Ellen B. Senisi

(2003 Skipping Stones Honor Award) In school, Moses, and the rest of his class are given the assignment of choosing a friend to write about. As he wonders which person to choose, he thinks of his circle of friends and what they share together. Some friends are kids like Jimmy, who says funny things, and Manuel, who races with Moses on the playground. Other friends are grown-ups like Mom and Dad, and teachers. Neighbors too, can be friends, like Kate, his teen-aged babysitter. Kate owns two really cute iguanas. One of the iguanas, Zaki, is missing toes. That's it! Moses will write about Zaki. After all, they really have something in common. Moses and Zaki both have special needs. Zaki, with her missing toes, must figure out new ways to move around and get to where she wants to go, which is exactly what Moses must do in his wheelchair! More than just a story about friendship, ALL KINDS OF FRIENDS, EVEN GREEN! looks at difference---such as being in a wheelchair or missing toes---in a unique way. With this beautifully photographed and engaging story, children discover that living with disability and facing its challenges can be seen as interesting, even positive. With an Afterword about disabilities, Moses, and iguanas, the story provides material for discussing inclusion at school and home.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Nonfiction

28 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2002

Reviews

[Alycia Goss · Rating 4 out of 5]

7 year old Moses is in a wheel chair. He is given as assignment to write a paper about a friend. He does it on his neighbors iguana because she is different like him and they both over come their disabilities

[Kayleigh Goodman · Rating 3 out of 5]

All Kinds of Friends, Even Green is a realistic fiction book that focuses on a little boy named Moses. Moses is a seven year old boy that was born with several different disabilities. He has spina bifida and sacral agenesis. He also was born with some of his organs missing and some of them in the wrong place. The author follows Moses around to learn about his everyday life. In school, Moses was given an assignment to write about a friend. He ends up writing about his neighbor’s pet iguana because it has some trouble walking as well. I am not sure if this story would be appealing to children only because the words are very simple and the pictures are actual photographs. I personally think that the illustrations are interesting because it actually shows Moses, but I know that children prefer “pretty pictures.” This is one of the only books I have found that actually shows diversity. Moses, his friend Jocelyn, and the iguana all are living with disabilities. The other great thing about this story is that readers know it is authentic because it follows a real person around. I think this book would be appropriate for PreK through 2nd grade because of the simplicity of it. Overall, I really liked how different this book was from others of its kind. It followed an actual person and it showed real pictures.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Moses is an exuberant seven year-old boy experiencing a bit of writer’s block on his “Friends” assignment. He has so many friends that he cannot choose which one to write about. Finally he decides to write about Zaki, an iguana with special needs. Zaki lost most of her toes to an infection, and iguanas need their toes in order to climb. Zaki must “figure out how to get where she wants to be in different ways” than other iguanas. “She’s like me,” Moses decides. Moses has several disabilities, including spina bifida. He uses a wheelchair, and like Zaki, he has to figure out how to get where he wants to be using different means.

All Kinds of Friends, Even Green, written and photographed by Ellen B. Senisi, shows both Moses and Zaki living active lives and interacting in all kinds of ways with their (human and reptile) friends. This is a bright, colorful book that truly shows that many children with physical disabilities learn to most things, just in a different way. The text is written on a background that looks like first grade writing strips – a perfect little extra touch. The iguanas (Zaki and her brother, Hashi) really underscore the messages – a friend is someone you have things in common with, and a disability is a challenge, not a limit. This is a great book for the beginning of kindergarten or first grade---this age group loves animals, loves to talk about friends, and they may be seeing students with disabilities for the first time. Moses and Zaki will help them feel comfortable around students in wheelchairs, and iguanas.

[Teri Weaver · Rating 5 out of 5]

Through a story about a real boy who has spina bifida, children can observe what his life is like. At school, Moses encounters a writing assignment that he struggles with. He thinks about what it is like to be a child with disabilities. The reader sees him interact with students and friends, and with another wheelchair-bound student. Through their discussions, the reader becomes aware of what people with disabilities face on a daily basis. Because his neighbor has an iguana with special needs, Moses comes to realize that he has admiration for the lizard with missing toes who “keeps trying and trying” to get what it wants. Being able to watch this child interact socially with people should help all students have a better understanding of what people with disabilities face. This book would serve as an excellent introduction to the difficulties that people with disabilities face “inside or outside” and whether they originated in the brain or body, or by accident or illness.

[Sandra Y. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a real story about a boy with Spina bifida, who is assigned a writing assignment at school, and struggles to complete it. The story takes you through Moses interacting with various individuals and some of his own personal struggles. The story itself was ok, but it would be a good tool for discussion the difficulties people with disabilities face. Recommended for second grade and up.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Moses, a 7-year-old boy in a wheelchair, has to write about a friend for an assignment. After a good hard think, Moses decides to write about Zaki, an iguana his babysitter owns. Zaki is missing several toes on her back feet, due to an illness when she was young. Like Moses, she has had to learn different ways to get around.

A cute story about friendships and living with disabilities.

[Nancy LiPetri · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great book for introducing children to their special needs peers. I read it with a 3-year-old and will read it with him again when he's in the K-4 years that can better understand all the valuable information about kids who use wheel chairs and different desks and such. The tie-in with the iguana in the story is clever and effective.

[Emily Kenyon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a good story of acceptance, great for teaching students that they can have friends of many kinds, shapes and colors. The story of this book is so cute and the pictures are great! I would have the students write about one of their own friends.