Try explaining to a sighted child what it's like to be blind. How do they comprehend colors without their sense of sight? It's a bit tricky, isn't it? How do they read? That's a little easier to answer, but not necessarily easier to do at all. This innovative book uses a combination of embossed etchings and Braille to answer those questions, including a full braille alphabet at the end of the book.
What is red? "Red is sour like unripe strawberries and as sweet as watermelon. It hurts when he finds it on his scraped knee." You don't even need to close your eyes to visualize that statement, as the book is black. All black -- except for the white text, which is translated into braille above it. On the opposite page is a black embossed picture of a strawberry, begging you to run your hands over it and feel the smoothness of the leaves in contrast with the bumpiness of the fruit.
Learn More:
- Braille Bug is a site for children (grades 3-6) that teaches braille, including it's creation by Louis Braille and it's use by Helen Keller, and learning to recognize braille letters and numbers using puzzles and games. http://www.afb.org/BrailleBug/
- Alphabet Braille Blocks are colorful wooden blocks for all children with a raised letter to trace and the letter in braille as well. http://www.lssproducts.com/product/4112/childrens-products
- You've Got Braille: Arthur's friend Marina is blind, and she shares five fun facts about communication for the blind and a braille translator. http://pbskids.org/arthur/print/braille/index.html Also check out Arthur's Communication Adventure Lesson Plans at http://pbskids.org/arthur/parentsteachers/lesson/communication/index.html for teacher's guides, activity sheets, and online activities for 2nd-3rd graders. Recordings of the episodes are available for check-out at many public libraries or for viewing online at YouTube. Episodes to search for are "Prunella's Special Edition" and "Prunella Sees the Light".
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