I was not especially familiar with this protest, so I was fascinated to learn more. It's empowering on two levels. We have the obvious empowerment of disabled people. Just as valuable, we see the specific empowerment of children. Jennifer sees something wrong in the world and makes her voice heard, even when the people around her tell her that she's too young. An important book for every kid.

Jennifer Keelan-Chaffins was only six when she joined the movement to fight for her rights as someone with disabilities. She had cerebral palsy and used a wheelchair. She was unable to do a lot of things like take herself to school because she could not get down the curb. She protests throughout North America to make things accessible for all. I was not familiar with "The Capital Crawl" where many people with disabilities/in wheelchairs crawled up the steps to the Capital building in Washington DC, to demand disability rights. Because of Jennifer and others who joined her, they shed a light on how bad things really were and the American with Disabilities Act was finally passed. We forget, or perhaps don't realize, that the American with Disabilities Act has only been around since the 1990s, and that before then, there were no requirements to make buildings accessible to those with disabilities. This is a great nonfiction book to show that anyone, no matter how old, can make a difference if you put your mind to it. The back of the book has more information for older readers and actual photographs of Jennifer during the capital crawl. A book that should be in all libraries; school, classroom and family.

Netgalley ARC review -
Share this important story! Here is another example of a child doing something to help many others in our country. Jennifer Keelan- Chaffins protested and pushed Congress to approve the Americans with Disabilities Act. Born with cerebral palsy, she learned the hard way that the world was not built for people like her. She and her family took their fight all the way to Washington, D.C. This inspirational story would be a great picture-book tie-in for classes covering Sharon Draper's Out of My Mind or a differing abilities unit. Thank you, Annette Bay Pimentel for sharing Jennifer's story with the world.

While this book is written with simple words, the impact is real. I had never heard of the Capitol Crawl but I definitely see the benefits that came with passing the ADA and the impact that this specific protest had on the government to make some necessary changes. This book takes a nuanced situation and makes it engaging and understandable for even young children - I am excited to read this to my students in the library! In addition to learning about the passing of the ADA, students will learn that they can accomplish big things despite their age or whatever "setbacks" society might place on them.

Thank you Sourcebooks & NetGalley for the chance to read an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

An all-around excellent book. The writing is impactful, and at a level many children will be able to understand easily. The illustrations are clear and well done. I look forward to sharing this book with many children.

I requested and received an advanced reading copy of this book from NetGalley.

I had never heard of the Capitol Crawl or Jennifer Keelans and I find it appalling that people with disabilities are still, to this day, fighting for the basic rights that I (as a non-disabled person) am entitled to every day. This book does a great job of bringing to light the battle that is fought daily by disabled persons.

I hope this book creates enough buzz to help further the American Disabilities Act and improve the lives of disabled persons in America.

#AllTheWayToTheTop #NetGalley

I received an electronic ARC from SOURCEBOOKS Jabberwocky through NetGalley.
Pimentel tells Jennifer Keelan-Chaffins's story. Jennifer was born with cerebral palsy and lived at a time before the ADA was in place. She was the youngest member of the protests and marches for equal rights for those with disabilities. Her most known protest is the Capitol Crawl when she crawled up the US Capitol steps to protest in person for the ADA. The media covered her entire climb and helped turn public opinion and garner votes for the legislation.
The illustrations bring the characters and setting to life for elementary level readers. Facial expressions tell the story without reading a single word. Pimentel wrote simple to follow text and shared the emotions behind this battle.
Further informative text, timeline and bibliography included at the end of the book.
Looking forward to reading this with our classes.

This is a true story of a little girl who fought for equal rights for Americans with disabilities. It comes out in March 2020. This book made me sad that this ever had to be a fight. That people were treated this way. That’s not acceptable. I’m grateful for their hard work and persistence

This book is incredible. The story told is incredibly important and it's one that, as an adult, I had never heard. I think having the story presented as an amazing picture book with beautiful illustrations will help young children learn about disabilities. It's also a great story about how young people can make a difference in their world. There is also more detailed information before and after the story to supplement presentation and discussion of this work. I plan to recommend that my library purchases this. I'm so excited to see something like this published!

Jennifer Keelan-Chaffins was six when she joined the movement to fight for her rights as someone with disabilities. We forget, as time goes on, that the American with Disabilities Act has only been around since the 1990s, and that before then, there were no requirements to make buildings accessable to those with disabilities.

<img src="https://g2comm.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/all-the-way-to-the-top.png" alt="" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-5545" />

<img src="https://g2comm.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/all-the-way-tothe-top2.png" alt="" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-5544" />

The story focuses on Jennifer's fight, and the Capital Crawl, where people who were wheel chair bound, crawled up the steps to the Capital building in Washington DC, to demand disability rights. Because of her crawl, as well as the others, the light was turned on to how bad conditions were, and the bill was finally passed.

Good picture book to introduce the story, and in the later pages, show Jennifer from 1990, as she crawled up the steps.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

This is a wonderful true story on how the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed. It is not overly wordy and remains engaging. It shows Jennifer’s troubles and the discrimination that those with disabilities have faced. A wonderful story with beautiful illustrations.

I received a free digital ARC through NetGalley. This is a necessary purchase for teaching inclusion.