MARCEL WITH A SPLASH

This import, translated from French, introduces a child with Down syndrome.

When Marcel is born, his mom’s unfazed by his webbed toes—Marcel’s a Pisces, after all. But when doctors notice Marcel’s “almond-shaped eyes,” the “single crease on his palm,” and more, he’s diagnosed with Down syndrome. Marcel’s parents, unsure how to feel, “bury those strange words at the bottom of the garden” and “leave them to grow in their own time.” Marcel grows, too. Some things are harder to learn, but he’s persistent. Though some kids in Marcel’s village exclude him, Anthony thinks he’s funny, and Melody understands him even though he doesn’t talk. And when Marcel meets Esther, a woman with Down syndrome who lives independently, she helps his parents put his diagnosis “in a vase with some pretty flowers.” Soon Marcel will start school with support—and, like any kid, will look forward to summer vacation. Sørensen, the mother of a child with Down syndrome, reassures kids and parents alike that people with this condition are multifaceted individuals, which her pale ink-and-colored pencil illustrations gently demonstrate. While the choice to bury and later display Marcel’s diagnosis aptly symbolizes his parents’ acceptance, the depiction of the “words” as chromosomes in the corresponding illustrations may confuse younger readers; Down syndrome is undefined in the text. But readers won’t need definitions to understand the most important thing: Marcel is “just like any kid who loves to be silly.” Characters have light skin.

Warm and welcoming.