The Gym Day Winner is a fiction book that discusses the fun of gym class while also touching on the topic of bullying. I didn't enjoy this book because of its overall message. The book is a Kindergarten/First grade level which means that it is very simply. Most of the words are cVc to help children learn sight words as well as word families. However this book touched on the topic of bullying in a way I didn't agree with. In the book a classmate named Sam is constantly failing at gym class, he trips during tumbling, he loses during the races etc. However, once Sam makes a shot in basketball he is suddenly everyones equal peer and friend. I didn't agree with the big idea that you have to be good at what everyone else is good at the fit in. This isn't a message I would want to spread to my students. I would most likely not have this book in my classroom.

I really enjoyed this short and informative story. It was about a girl who is bound to a wheelchair and wants to play basketball. All of her classmates and friends are very encouraging of her and want to see her succeed. This is a great tool for a classroom with disabled children. It allows children to see how not everyone is the same and just because someone may be different, doesn't mean they cannot be included. This author specifically illustrates the character's ability to do things that any normal child could be capable of doing. This is a great story to celebrate handicapped children. It is also an easy and informative read. It is very useful for younger, beginner readers that help comprehend stories by visualizing easy illustrations and simple, large text size. ( )