By David-Elijah Nahmod
The children’s book Reese Has a Halloween Secret, written by Jo Meserve Mach and Vera Lynne Stroup-Rentier, with photographs by Mary Birdsell, is short and sweet — clocking in at just forty pages. The book tells the true story of Reese, a young boy with a disability who, with the help of his loving dad, creates a Halloween costume that includes his wheelchair.
Reese lives with a spinal cord injury caused by a cancerous tumor. He needs to use a wheelchair or a walker in order to get around.
Reese loves Halloween and he loves to build. As the story begins, Reese is excited about Halloween approaching. He decides that his costume should incorporate his wheelchair so he can participate in his school’s Halloween parade. His friends ask him what he’s going to be for the holiday, but Reese keeps it a secret. All will be revealed when the costume is ready.
Throughout most of the book, Reese and his dad work on the costume. Reese himself narrates the story, and there are photos on almost every page. The text is simple and to the point, making it easy for children ages 7-10 to read and follow along. The photos, which are in color, beautifully illustrate Reese and his father’s quiet determination to complete the costume. Their love for each other shines through.
Mach, the book’s publisher as well as co-author, spent 36 years as an occupational therapist. She is very passionate about sharing stories of children with disabilities.
Co-author Stroup-Rentier was a teacher who worked in the fields of early childhood and special education for 25 years. She has a Ph.D. in special education from the University of Kansas and currently works at the Kansas State Department of Education.
Birdsell is a freelance photographer and a former speech and Ttheater teacher.
Reese Has A Halloween Secret is published by Finding My Way Books, a company that shares the stories of children with disabilities. Mach spoke to us about what inspired the book.
“We were inspired by the realization that the Halloween holiday was becoming more and more popular so we wanted to make sure children with disabilities felt included,” she said.
According to Mach, it was photographer Birdsell who saw Reese and his father at a Comic Con she was attending. Reese was dressed as Captain America, and the wheels on his wheelchair were Captain America shields. Birdsell hoped to talk to them, but didn’t have a chance to. The following year, she attended Comic Con again and saw them.
“She told them about our books and they said they’d love to share their story,” Mach said. “They were very involved in the writing process, helping us to be as accurate as possible. They were happy with Reese’s book and bought many copies to share with family and friends.”
Mach reports that readers have enjoyed the book.
“I’ve had fun reading it to classrooms of kids who enjoyed following the clues with each chapter to guess what his costume will be,” she said.
Mach’s work as an occupational therapist has made her feel passionate about including people with disabilities and making Finding My Way titles accessible to everyone.
“We have been very intentional in the design of our books to welcome readers with disabilities,” she said. “The font is easy to read and large. The photographs help tell the story visually to help readers understand it. We have all our books in ebook format.”
Reese Has a Halloween Secret is a lovely book. It illustrates that any child, regardless of disability, can be part of the holiday fun.
The book is available in hardcover and paperback editions on Amazon (link to Amazon). The ebook edition is available in both English and Spanish on Kobo. (Link to English version and link to Spanish version)
For more information on Finding My Way Books, please visit their website at www.findingmywaybooks.com.