Final Book Review #1: "Where's Chimpy?"

"Where's Chimpy" by Berniece Rabe, is a children's book that has a main character as a girl who has Down Syndrome. The book opens with a brief explanation of what Down Syndrome is from the National Down Syndrome Congress (this could be good for a discussion on what the disabilty is before the book is read to a class). I really enjoyed this book, overall. I love that the author got her inspiration for this book from looking outside of her window to see her neighbor playing with his daughter who has Down Syndrome. Berniece said, "I must do a story about Misty and her daddy-a story other children with Down Syndrome can identify with. I want her to have the lead role, not the secondary role usually allocated to children with this handicap" (found in the appendex of "Where's Chimpy"). Misty's role is just that in this story. With realistic photographs of Misty and her father, this book really comes to life and portrays Misty as a "normal" child. There is no mention of Misty having a disability in this book, yet plenty of examples of how Misty lives out her daily life as a normal child. I like that this book doesn't mention or concentrate on the fact that Misty has a disabillity. This book makes Misty relatable to other children that may be reading the book, which I feel is a positive aspect for this text. The book is about Misty's father tucking Misty into bed when Misty realizes that her favorite stuffed animal, Chimpy, is missing. Misty can't go to bed without her favorite monkey stuffed animal so her dad and her re-trace Misty's daily activities to try and find the stuffed monkey. What's humorous is that when Misty goes back to all of the places she was earlier that day, she ends up finding other toys that she thought were lost. For example, she went back to her sandbox to look for Chimpy but found her ditch digger toy. There are also pictures that flashback to Misty playing at these places with other children that don't have any disabilities. I think this also shows a positive message of acceptance when we see Misty and the other children playing together; this could be a positive message for young readers to see in this text, as well. Another interesting aspect to this story is that the reader is only introduced to Misty and her father. Does this mean that Misty lives with a single dad? I feel that this could also be another way to incorporate this text as a diverse piece of literature. At the end of the book, Misty finally finds Chimpy in the bathroom when she remembers that she left him in there when she took her bath. Misty can finally fall asleep now that she has her favorite stuffed animal and dad can finally tuck her in. Overall, I feel that this book denotes a positive representation of a child with Down Syndrome and would use it in my classroom library in the future.



Rabe, Berniece. Where's Chimpy?. Niles, IL: Albert Whitman & Company , 1988.