MY MISCHIEVOUS WHEELCHAIR

A youngster uses a wheelchair that has a mind of its own in David’s picture book.

Grace is a little girl with pale skin and brown hair who wears a heart-shaped pendant necklace. After she works hard on her schoolwork to be named student of the month, her wheelchair starts misbehaving. First, in class, the wheelchair starts speaking out of turn, asking Grace’s classmates and friends questions, and the teacher notices: “Grace, remember to raise your hand to talk. It’s not polite to disrupt the class.” The wheelchair also makes her late to the library, invades the teachers’ lounge, and throws paper airplanes in class. Later, it apologizes and says, “Everyone notices you and talks to you, but nobody notices me or interacts with me. That hurts my feelings.” So, Grace gets her friends involved in helping to decorate the wheelchair with streamers and paint. Solomiia’s full-page, full-color cartoon illustrations don’t always match the story in a meaningful way; for example, the first page shows an unnamed girl in front of a world map, while the text introduces Grace’s excitement about possibly becoming student of the month. The text itself is minimal, consisting of occasional brief descriptions amid dialogue. The story is entertaining throughout, however, and the relationship between Grace and her wheelchair is especially dynamic.

A diverting tale about an emotional wheelchair.