Book Review # 1

Russo, Marisabina. Alex Is My Friend. New York: Greenwillow Books, 1992.

Alex Is My Friend is a picture book about two young boys who meet when they are young and grow up together. When Alex turns six, Ben (the narrator of the story) notices that Alex is smaller than he is even though he is older. When Ben asks his mother about this, her response is "It is how he was born. He is still getting older, just like you, still going to school learning new things, still thinking like a big boy, but his body will grow very slowly," (Russo 14). Shortly after this, Alex has surgery on his back. Ben and his mother decide to visit Alex in the hospital after his surgery. At first, Ben is scared of all the metal equipment that Alex has to wear while he is in the hospital, but once Alex begins cracking jokes, he realizes that it is still his friend under all of the "alien"-like metal gear (24). Once Alex is out of the hospital, he and Ben play together just like they always did. Ben explains at the end that he doesn't care about all of their differences because "Alex is my friend" (30).
The end of this story about acceptance was great because it teaches the reader that no matter what your differences may be with someone, they can still be your best friend.

Marisabina Russo, the author of Alex Is My Friend, got the idea for her book from a friend her son had with a boy who had a developmental disorder similar to Alex. This book teaches about acceptance of individuals who may be different than the "average" person. It is difficult to decide whether Russo is an insider or an outsider in this situation. I think I would classify her as an insider because she is telling a similar story to what she has gone through in her past. Russo tells a very realistic and contemporary story in this cartoon-illustrated picture book, stressing the fact that being different “doesn’t really matter” when two people have formed a bond through friendship. The message of this beautiful story is that friendship has the power to overcome physical differences and it is essential to practice acceptance of all individuals. The situation is not romanticized in any way, but instead shows how two friends can maintain a friendship throughout any circumstances. I am a big fan of this book and will definitely consider using it in my classroom in the future.