Rosaleen Reviews: In Jesse's Shoes (book) by Beverly Lewis

This book, written at a roughly first- to second-grade level, deals with a sister who gets frustrated dealing with her brother Jesse, who is disabled. Below is a video of how Rosaleen, a five-year-old member of Living Hope Fellowship, felt about the book after having it read to her—she is still an early reader and not able to read it by herself. She does, however, enjoy flipping through and looking at the bright watercolor illustrations.


Since Rosaleen is still learning to read and cannot truly "write" a review, I recorded a video where she answered my questions about the book.

One additional note: Rosaleen’s friend Hunter is not mentally disabled, as Jesse is in this book. He does have Aspberger’s Syndrome (“highly functional” on the Autism Spectrum), and Rosaleen has learned to understand that he sees the world differently, and the two enjoy spending time together often.


I personally love this book. Beautifully illustrated, it also is well-written, articulate but easy to understand, and shows a definite familiarity and appreciation for disabled children. The story deals with a “normal” child’s frustrations in a way that is simple, but realistic, and overall was an enjoyable read for myself as well as Rosaleen. I would definitely recommend that parents purchase it for their children, grandparents for their grandchildren, and teachers for their classrooms.

Melissa McGinnis is the Children's Ministry Director for LHF. This book was received from Bethany House for review. The opinions expressed, however, are those of the reviewer and person posting.