Cute little early-reader book from a series about an eight-year-old girl who is partly deaf- she can hear certain things with the aid of her cochlear implant. Throughout the book certain words and names are shown in ASL finger-spelling. Emma’s best friend likes roller-skating and Emma wants to skate, too. She has all the things she needs- new skates, a helmet, and all the protective gear. But she’s nervous about falling, afraid of getting hurt. She goes out with her friend to skate on the driveway. Izzy makes it look so easy. Emma feels very unsteady. She tries, but falls down- three times in a row. She isn’t hurt and doesn’t want to give up, but still feels very anxious. Izzy encourages her, skates alongside her with a steadying hand, and finally thinks to play music which helps Emma relax. Emma can hear the beat, and focusing on the music takes her mind off her fears. Soon she’s able to put one foot in front of the other without falling. At the end of the book she’s happily skating alongside her friend.
Great little story about trying again in spite of initial failure, and overcoming your fears. I like (of course) that wearing safety gear is emphasized- it keeps you from actually getting hurt! and how normal it is to fall, multiple times, when learning. And how great it is to skate to music. It’s true, if you think too much about what your feet are doing, you’re far more likely to fall. Not thinking about what you’re doing, but where you want to go, works better (at least, in my limited experience). Eye the goal.
Borrowed from the public library.
