Small Steps: The Year I Got Polio by Peg Kehret has an impressive list of awards–1997 ALA Notable Book for Children, a 1997 Top 10 Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers, and many others. It rightly deserves its accolades. A non-fiction book, it is a first-hand account of the author’s experience of being stricken with polio at the age of 12. Kehret’s straightforward and simple account of events is captivating; she includes just the right amount of details to attain authenticity and connect with the reader. Her recollections of her emotions and feelings keep the book from being sterile and merely a documentary. It inspires the reflection “What if…” on several fronts.
The edition I reviewed was an anniversary edition with an epilogue and a section titled “More about Polio”. Both were fascinating and educational, shedding light and perspective on the impact of a disease whose eradication most of the modern world has come to take for granted. Read a slice of history and count the blessings you have in your own life. This book is written for a young audience, but has enough appeal that both young adults and adults will enjoy it, learn from it, and think on it long after the cover is closed.
This book was sent to Compass Book Ratings for review by Albert Whitman & Co.
Content Analysis:
Profanity/Lanuguage: None
Violence/Gore: None
Sex/Nudity: None
Mature Subject Matter:
Polio, physical handicaps, death, socioeconomic hardships
Alcohol / Drug Use:
None
