Sally Goes to School
A preface for adults

       This is a story with many authors. Children from around the world participated in its development. Children growing up with some type of medical problem--with some type of wrinkle in the fabric of their childhood. They wrote to me of their lives, and I have tried to incorporate much of what they shared in this story. Their notes to me provided snapshots of their humor and courage--their childishness and their wisdom. I hope that I have done them justice, and have conveyed with accuracy the reality that children with health concerns, whatever they be, are first of all children...

The story takes place in an elementary school third-grade classroom. I chose eight-year-olds because teasing seems to peak in the fourth grade, and I thought that some of it might be "nipped in the bud" if children learned to be more tolerant of differences before that time. I've tried to write the story for an audience of second through fifth grade children, with the hopes that other children and adults will not feel excluded by its characters or its language.

Hop on the bus if you'd like to to read the story!

Third grade children illustrated "Band-Aides..." with talent and much enthusiasm. There are three picures on each page, and I hope that you'll be patient while they come to life on your monitor. If you don't have the time, catch this small bus for an unillustrated version of the story, "BandAides and Blackboards"