3/21- World Down Syndrome Day!

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3/21 is World Down Syndrome Day! It gets its date from the chromosomal cause of Down Syndrome, a third copy of chromosome number 21! We have a special family connection to Down Syndrome around here and we love books and movies featuring characters with Down Syndrome. Here's a list of some books and movies we have loved! 

📖 Different: A Great Thing to Be (picture book)... Sweet message about being proud of your differences because we're all different in all kinds of ways!  

📖 Good Morning, Sunshine!: The Joey Moss Story (secular, picture book)... This is better for older picture book readers and will bring great discussion about how undervalued people with Down Syndrome can be. Love the Joey Moss Story! 

📖 I am a Masterpiece (secular, picture book)... This delightful own voices book is written by a young lady with Down Syndrome. There's also an art storyline for those who are drawn to drawing and painting. 

📖 Life With Lily (Christian, middle grade)... I wasn't going to include this book because there is so little Down Syndrome featured or mentioned. Lily's adult aunt has Down Syndrome and lives with Lily's grandparents. It's rare to see Down Syndrome in middle grade novels, however, so I went ahead and added it. 

📖 The Lucky Few (Christian, nonfiction, memoir)... I was a big fan of this lovely memoir. Heather and her husband have adopted three children, two of whom have Down Syndrome, and their story is so powerful! 

📖 My Friend Isabelle (picture book)... This one s simple, sweet, and absolutely perfect for the youngest readers. 

📖 Out Into the Big, Wide Lake (Picture Book)... This one is focused on a child with Down Syndrome being underestimated and then proving her abilities. Loved it. 

📖 A Picture of Hope (Christian, historical fiction)... WWII France- a young journalist helps to rescue children, including a girl with Down Syndrome she has formed a fast bond with. 

📖 Tacos for Two (Christian, contemporary romance)... This You've Got Mail inspired story is very much focused on the romantic comedy, but the heroine's cousin with Down Syndrome is featured frequently. 

📖 A Thousand Tomorrows and its sequel, Just Beyond the Clouds (Christian, contemporary fiction)... Book one is a love story featuring a younger brother with Down Syndrome, Carl Joseph. Book two is focused specifically on Carl Joseph's story and his desire for more independence. 

📖 Unbound: The Life and Art of Judith Scott (picture book)... This one is more sad and is a great one to read with older children as you explore how far we've come in our treatment of people with Down Syndrome (and then discuss the direction we're heading). 

Movies: 

📺 The Homeschool Awakening- This documentary is about homeschool in general but one of the families interviewed shares that their daughter being held back because she has Down Syndrome was the primary reason they chose the homeschool route. 

📺 The Peanut Butter Falcon- This movie does contain curse words but oh, the story is so wonderful! A troubled young man embarks on a bonding adventure with a young man with Down Syndrome and then fights for his independence. 

📺 Touched by Grace- The production quality on this one isn't the best but the message is good and I plan to watch it with my kids as teenagers.