About the Book
A little girl called Juliette, who has Down's syndrome, talks about her unique characteristics, feelings, hopes and dreams in a rhyming and beautifully illustrated story that will delight and inspire young readers, encouraging them to discover their talents, reach for the stars and behave with more love and kindness. Juliette helps people to celebrate difference, cultivate a caring community and prevent bullying. Written by Esther Robinson and illustrated by Grainne Knox, 'A little bit EXTRAORDINARY' encourages empathy and understanding while highlighting the importance of integration in schools and communities. Heartfelt rhyming words and captivating pictures help readers understand Down's syndrome in an engaging way. The discussion ideas included after the story make it an excellent resource for every parent, preschool and primary school to engage in heartfelt discussions about differences, disabilities and talents. "This book should be in every primary school and preschool" is what every adult says about this inspirational book.
About the Author :
Esther Robinson is a freelance writer, editor, proofreader and typesetter. Her extensive career started in London over 20 years ago and brought her international success, taking her across the world and back. She has an older brother with an ultra-rare genetic condition called WAGR syndrome, which affects one in one million. Martin's challenges with bullying and not having integrated schooling are the original inspiration for her book 'A little bit EXTRAORDINARY' before she met Juliette, who has Down's syndrome. Esther is also a qualified and accredited Menopause Wellness Practitioner, holistic therapist and intuitive life coach at Regeneration Room Holistic Therapies where she helps people from all over the world improve and maintain their physical and mental well-being. Esther lives in Co. Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, with her husband, their two sons and their beloved dog. Visit: www.estherrobinson.co.uk
Review :
‘I enjoyed this book. The colours are so beautiful. Finally,
there’s something positive written about Down’s syndrome. The simple
explanation removes a lot of the fear surrounding Down’s syndrome.’A little
bit EXTRAORDINARY’ could have been about me, as I felt Juliette’s pain and
frustration when I was growing up. The quote I use in life is ‘Different is
Beautiful, not less’. Normal, normal is what you are.’ - Kate Grant, Northern Ireland’s first Fashion Model with Down’s syndrome.
‘My two copies of this lovely book ‘A little bit EXTRAORDINARY’ now given to both sets of grandchildren. It’s a beautiful expression of a little girl’s explanation of Down Syndrome. Informative, sensitive and highly recommended. Congratulations Esther Robinson!’ - Chrissie Astell, Best-selling author, spiritual educator and Angel Columnist for Spirit & Destiny magazine, North Essex, England
‘Your book is incredible. Lauren [Canadian children’s book author with Down’s syndrome] was so thrilled to receive it. It is so beautifully written and illustrated – KUDOS! Everything about your book just speaks to me as Lauren’s mum and everything we try to encourage her to do – like her interest in writing. I wish we had your book sooner! It’s lovely. Sending love, light and wishes for much success with this amazing book!’ - Caroline Davidson, Mum of children’s book author Lauren Dawn Davidson, Canada
‘A little bit EXTRAORDINARY is an excellent teaching
resource, which we used throughout the school during Anti-Bullying Week,
November 2020. The book beautifully illustrates and explains the celebration of
being unique. Feedback from pupils and staff has been very positive and the children
ask to hear the story again and again, which is always the real test of how
good a book is.’ - John, Primary school teaching principal, Co.
Fermanagh, UK
‘As a primary school teacher this book was a fabulous
learning resource to use in the classroom to illustrate differences between
children and highlights Down’s syndrome. It is so well written and the use of
the rhyming words makes it a really enjoyable read. The discussion topics after
reading this to my Year 5 class were fantastic. It develops empathy,
understanding and equality among children. The illustrations were very
colourful and intriguing for children and adults. I would highly recommend that
you purchase this book to read yourself or as a gift to children or adults.
Fabulous book by the author Esther Robinson.’ - Jenny Foy, Primary
school teacher, Co. Fermanagh, UK
‘A little bit EXTRAORDINARY to a group of very
special Fresh Little Minds this weekend and they loved it. This is exactly the
type of book that the world needs now. The messages are for the type of world
that we urgently need to nurture and this story provides adult and children
readers with a touching insight into the lives of EXTRAORDINARY people
everywhere, softly challenging perceptions and helping us see the potential and
greatness in everyone.’ - Aine Wallace, Director of Fresh Minds
Education, Co. Antrim, UK
‘A little bit EXTRAORDINARY’ is a book in which
Juliette, a young girl with Down’s syndrome shares her feelings, hopes and
dreams with her readers while highlighting the importance of inclusion in
schools and communities. Readers will learn about Down’s syndrome, its causes
and what makes children with Down’s syndrome special, yet the same as other
children. This beautifully illustrated book provides visual context for the
story, which is written in rhyme, e.g., “Please do not think I do not know
what to do. I want to chat and spend time with you." The book begins with a simple, but scientific, explanation
of the causes and traits of Down’s syndrome, e.g., “People are made of cells
that are very, very small. These cells decide if we will be short or tall.”
It is written in an accessible, engaging style, which explores the issues of
bullying, difference and exclusion while celebrating difference and kindness. In the final page of the book, the author includes 16
discussion ideas for parents and teachers to share with children. The
questions/ideas are designed as helpful prompts to open a discussion with
children on issues they may encounter, e.g., bullying, inclusion and
difference. These ideas can easily be used by teachers and parents to open
conversations around issues raised in the book. Guidance on how to use the
questions is provided by the author, Esther Robinson, a qualified, accredited
holistic therapist. Esther Robinson was inspired to write this book having seen
her brother experience years of exclusion from his peers as a result of a rare
medical condition. But it was meeting a young girl at her child’s school that
was the inspiration for Juliette, the narrator of A little bit
EXTRAORDINARY. This award-winning book is ideal shared reading for parents
and children, and for teachers and pupils in lower primary school classes.’ - Irish Learning Support Association, ILSA Newsletter,
Autumn 2020, page 23
‘I read the book ‘A little bit EXTRAORDINARY’ to the
children and they really enjoyed it. The story rhymed and encouraged them to
think of some of the behaviour that they could learn to be more understanding
of or more careful about. They enjoyed learning about some of the facts that
were brought up in the book and asked questions, for example, why some children
had thyroids that worked slowly. Although the book talks about Down’s syndrome,
many of the lessons in it are applicable to children in general and it really
encourages children to think of both equality in treatment as well as the
beauty in being a unique individual. The discussions that we had were very
interesting.’ - Vikki Griffiths, Nursery teacher, Mary P’s Ltd,
Gloucestershire, UK
‘Another great book I ordered for the kids, written by the
beautiful Esther called ‘A little bit EXTRAORDINARY’. A book that
celebrates differences, promotes love and kindness. It’s about a little girl
who has Down’s syndrome, called Juliette. She shares her feelings, hopes and
dreams that she has, just like everyone else. A lovely rhyming book that
children will love to read. I particularly loved the discussion ideas at the
end of the book, which are a great way to engage children and to answer any
questions they have.’ - Sabeena Javed, Secondary school teacher,
Cheshire, UK
‘As Christmas comes around, our Action for Children
Fostering Northern Ireland team have shared some of their recommendations for
children’s books that you might want to add to your collection this year! These
children’s books tackle a number of themes with beautiful illustrations. They
are great reads for children of all ages to help them understand their emotions
and to encourage empowerment and adventure.’ - Action for Children Fostering
Northern Ireland
