cover image Emmanue's Dream: The True Story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah

Emmanue's Dream: The True Story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah

Laurie Ann Thompson, illus. by Sean Qualls. Random/Schwartz & Wade, $17.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-449-81744-5

Thompson (Be a Changemaker) presents a warm, matter-of-fact overview of the life of Emmanuel Ofofu Yeboah, born in Ghana in 1977: %E2%80%9CTwo bright eyes blinked in the light,/ two healthy lungs let out a powerful cry,/ two tiny fists opened and closed,/ but only one strong leg kicked.%E2%80%9D Even before Thompson arrives at Yeboah%E2%80%99s efforts to change attitudes about physical disabilities through a cross-Ghana bicycle ride (the subject of a 2005 documentary, Emmanuel%E2%80%99s Gift), his determination to be seen for who he is%E2%80%94and not just for his disability%E2%80%94is made crystal clear. As a child, he %E2%80%9Chopped to school and back,/ two miles each way,%E2%80%9D and at age 13 he traveled to Accra on his own to support his family after his mother fell ill. Working in a palette of creamy oranges, teals, and gray-blues, Qualls (The Case for Loving) provides solid visual and emotional scaffolding for the setbacks and triumphs Yeboah faced while demonstrating %E2%80%9Cthat being disabled does not mean/ being unable.%E2%80%9D Ages 4%E2%80%938. Author%E2%80%99s agent: Ammi-Joan Paquette, Erin Murphy Literary Agency. Illustrator%E2%80%99s agent: Rebecca Sherman, Writers House. (Jan.)