Maybe Just Ask Me!

Maybe Just Ask Me is a story that is based on the author’s experience as a child. Mazie is going to her first day of school and she wears an eye patch and a headscarf. The other kids are all wondering why which is what Mazie was prepared for but instead of talking to her about it they all start rumors about it. They talk about how she might be a pirate or a dragon might’ve burned off her hair. Mazie doesn’t mind talking about her disability, but how can she get the other kids to just ask her about it?

What I Liked: This book opens by introducing you to Mazie and her first day at school. The illustrations of the children are creative and each of the children has distinct features that differentiate them from one another. The illustrations bring to life some of the imaginative stories that they are telling about why Mazie wears a headscarf or an eye patch. While these imaginative illustrations are beautiful and creative, you see the many ways that these stories impact Mazie as no one has approached her to ask about it. Through the illustrations you can see the distress on Mazie’s face and through her body language and the shift in this when she speaks up and gets a chance to tell her story. As Mazie speaks up and tells her story, you get to see exactly what happened to her and how she views her battle with cancer. Through this battle you get a glimpse at the time that Mazie spent in the hospital and how she viewed the cancer that she beat.

This book closes with an author’s note that provides you with the story behind Mazie and the author’s beliefs about why no one had asked her what had happened to her. She goes on to explain how this behavior might make people with disabilities feel invisible and how we should approach it with kindness and curiosity. After the author’s note, there are some suggestions of things to do to support others with disabilities which is a good starting point. It ends with a question for the audience about what we wish other people just asked about us which is a great discussion to have with children.

Final Verdict: Maybe Just Ask Me is an insightful story about a child with disabilities and how she would like others to interact with her. This book shows the importance of teaching children how to interact with people with disabilities and that their curiosity isn’t bad when approached with care. This book teaches adults that we shouldn’t teach children to look away from those with disabilities because of the impact that it has on those individuals.