Book Review: "Rolling Along: The Story of Taylor and His Wheelchair"

Riggio Heelan, Jamee. Rolling Along: The Story of Taylor and His Wheelchair. Atlanta: Peachtree Publishers, 2000.

Rolling Along: The Story of Taylor and His Wheelchair is a picture book put out by the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. It is the story of Taylor and his twin brother, Tyler. Taylor has cerebral palsy, and when he gets a wheelchair to replace his walker, he is allowed to experience physical freedom for the first time in his life. After some practice and hard work, Taylor is able to do things the rest of us take for granted, like going to the drinking fountain and playing sports with his brother.

Riggio Heelan paints Taylor as a “normal” little boy who does the same things his brother does. They “both like to eat chocolate ice cream, wrestle with each other, and watch the Chicago Bulls play basketball.” I think it is important that literature portray people with disabilities and people from various diverse groups as just another human being and not ‘different’ from everyone else. Riggio Heelan graduated from the University of Kansas with a degree in occupational therapy and works with children with disabilities through the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. While she is not an insider per se, her background gives her the knowledge to write this story to be realistic and factual. Also adding to the realism of the story is the fact that the illustrations are, for the most part, chalk drawings, but the hands and faces of the human characters are actual photographs. The fact that real people are being depicted will enforce for young readers that this is not just a made-up story. This sweet story teaches readers, in a non-forceful way, about the effects wheelchairs can have on people’s lives and what personal freedom and mobility can mean to a child with cerebral palsy, or any other physical disability.