Thanks to NetGalley and its author for providing me with an advanced copy of this book

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What a nice book. Sense of play is a brother's book where it tells us a story and imaginary world into those two brothers, through their childhood.

i liked it but not my wow.
3.5

What looks at first like a simple tale of siblings playing together kind of turns itself on its head when the lights get turned out inside the closet and he reads a story to her. Only then, unless we've read the blurb or reviews, do we find the boy is blind, and we realise just how much of the descriptive text has been about touch, smell and other senses. After that the rest of the day is carried out, energetically, cleverly, imaginatively. They test each other on recognising sounds and smells, but the sightlessness never gets in anyone's way. This is pleasant enough to read as entertainment (well, once, if not more) and of course has a very important lesson as well, so it's obvious for all – well, alright, most – to see the success it will have in plugging a gap on certain shelves.

Joy and Chip are typical siblings, only Joy has sight and Chip is Blind. This book follows a typical day for the siblings as they play, explore, and read in the dark. Chip is able to read his books in Braille in the dark for Joy and is really good at guessing the sound and the smell. Joy loves playing these games with him even if she isn't as good at them as Chip. One thing both siblings are great at doing together is playing pretend and dreaming up imaginary worlds. A cute book that shows kids that just because you can't see, doesn't mean that you are different than others.

I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Children of all abilities can play together. The illustrations were great. My 5 year old son loved the different sensory options and that they could explore together. My son is easy to have sensory overload, I think he related to this book quite easily. He liked both main characters because the sister (Joy) was so helpful.

We will recommend this book to his friends.

Thank you for a copy of this book. This review is my family's honest perspective of the book.

This is an a making children’s book that highlights the way in which children can enjoy themselves through sensory play. It’s truly a book about inclusion; that no matter the differences, all children can play together. The book follows siblings where one has sight and one has blindness.

I think this is a perfect book for an elementary classroom. The story and the illustrations can help students to understand that those with disabilities are just like everyone else and they too can enjoy the same activities, just in a little different way.

Sense of Play is a fun, sweet story about two siblings, one of whom has sight and one of whom is Blind. This book explores the ways play is multimodal and sensory, and the ways that children with and without disabilities can play and have meaningful connections with one another. I wish there was a little more emphasis on each sense discretely, and a little more emphasis on the different ways Chip and Joy experience play, but it was a solid read overall.

Thank you to Capstone and Netgalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the eARC. Sense of play is a great story about inclusion and how we can all play together no matter what abilities we have. This was a great example of senses play too. A great read for elementary school aged children and a great addition for any inclusion collections too. I like how the pictures throughout the book looked like they were different textures- a nice touch to the book for sure!

This book about a girl and her brother. They learn and play use their sense. Her brother ia blind. Its a warm heart story' and good to read with kiss to raise their disability awareness.

Hi, here is a review from China. Thanks so much for making and drawing this amazing book which made me laugh and get to know the world of this lovely siblings. Before reading this book I was worried it would be a sad and poignant story but it turned out to be warm and cute and gentle like wind. I love it!

This is such an amazing children’s book to help your children understand everything. It’s illustrated beautifully

Sense of Play by Dana Meachen Rau - 5/5

Sense of Play is a heartwarming story about siblings. Chip is blind and Joy has sight, which does not stop the excitement for these two siblings. I love that this book shows my children that there is more to life than seeing and that we have many other senses that have a huge impact in our daily lives.

Sense of Play is a great addition to your home library for the ages of 5 to 8 years old and will be available for purchase July 2023.

I really enjoyed reading this book. I thought the author does a very good job at storytelling. The story made me smile. I enjoyed the representation of a child with a different ability. As a teacher I am always looking for books that show that represent children with different abilities. I connected with the illustrations and thought they added to the story they let the story shine. It makes me want to read more about these characters.

That being said, I thought the illustrations were beautiful. They were beautifully colored and drawn. They brought the story clearly to life and children would have lots to see while a parent or teacher reads to them.

The message behind this book was wonderful. I love the relationship between the siblings and how their different, but shared experiences created a fun atmosphere for both kids. I love the diversity shown between having sight and being blind. It was cute & touching and enjoyed reading it.

Two siblings spend the day at play in this sweet story about one sibling with sight and another without. The author and illustrator show the importance of using all your senses when playing. This is perfect for showing how to be inclusive while at play.

What a sweet sibling story. I loved the disability representation in the book and the exploration of play through the senses. Looking forward to seeing this one in the library later this year too.

Thank you, Capstone, for the advance reading copy.

This book reminds me so much of my childhood days. My brother and I used to be my playmate growing up. We used to do everything together.

This book shows exactly that! And I am so glad I read this book. The writing is interesting and the illustrations are so beautiful.

Totally recommending this one!

This book is so heartwarming and endearing! I can absolutely feel the love the author has for her brother and their shared childhood memories. It's such a sweet story that shows a girl and her blind brother having fun just as sighted kids do. This is a great book for showing children that blind kids are normal kids like them and that they enjoy having fun too.