Addy can use her chair and imagination to go anywhere but it is more fun to have adventures with friends. Better yet, interacting with others in an inclusive classroom is the best! Suggestions at the end help educators to understand how to improve classrooms so that they can stir everyone's imagination.
The illustrations by Jomike Tejido are exceptionally delightful, with brilliant colors, and add to the imaginative fun.
Well suited for reading WITH someone of any age including ESL, and great for gifting to anyone aged 4-110, but especially to a school or your local public library!
I requested and received a free temporary uncorrected e-proof on Adobe Digital Editions from Teacher Created Materials | Free Spirit Publishing via NetGalley. Thank you!

This children’s book was so cute. There needs to be more books like this in Elementary schools. It shows great kindness and creativity amongst characters.

I originally picked up this book because it had my name on it, obviously. I was super excited to see a little girl with my exact name, spelling and all, and hopefully there are kids who pick up this book for the same reasons.

This was such a cute read and I absolutely loved everything about it. At the end of the book, Debi Novotny gives tips to build inclusivity in classrooms and tells the reader that the book is not about Addy's wheelchair, but about her friendship with other kids and the classroom she is in. It is a sweet story with incredible (like, seriously gorgeous) artwork and fun rhymes about Addy's adventures with her classmates.

Debi Novotny you are a personal hero of mine now. Thank you for this e-book!

I have a child on the spectrum, and we've been going through a unique battle with the local schools surrounding this. That is neither here nor there in regards to this story itself, but I wanted to give a little insight as to why this story meant so much to this reader.

Seeing a unique, beautiful and bold story meant to help show everyone that a child with disabilities is NOT the disability itself. They are whole children with their own desires, and a need for connection and acceptance. Communication, accommodations, and imaginations are all different and should be equally celebrated.

This story holds so much power and has such a strong message that parents and teachers everywhere should be sharing.

I think this is a positive story, even for children who do not use wheelchairs. The strongest part of this book is the section in the back for teachers and care providers on how to build an inclusive space and community.

I loved this book. I think it’s incredibly important to have books with disability representation from an asset perspective, not a deficit perspective. and this book did a great job of this, focusing on Addy’s imagination and play. This book is a fabulous example of inclusiveness.

The pictures are absolutely wonderful. They are bright, colorful and engaging.

I appreciated the fact that the author herself used a wheelchair and taught while using her wheelchair. It is important that the voices, experiences and perspectives of people with disabilities are centered when talking about disability. I also loved the extensive and well written pages at the end, sharing with teachers ways to make classrooms more inclusive and welcoming for all students.

This is a sweet book, easy to read and with simple rhymes to make it easier to follow by young readers. The story is fun and enjoyable, teaching about ableism and equality in a way that is not forced, which is something I, as a teacher, find very important in books about values.
The pictures are great, full of life and colourful detail, and they complement the story in such a way that even very young readers will enjoy "reading" it by themselves.

I'm not sure if this book just wasn't what I was expecting or if it was really just not good. I have a son in a wheelchair so I thought I'd be able to relate to the desire for inclusion. This book however, just was nonsensical. It didn't feel like it was about inclusion, and maybe it wasn't, but I'm not really sure of the point of it. The illustrations were very well done.

I cannot speak for wheel-chair users and I can only hope that this book does a decent job in representing a disabled child’s worries, experiences and dreams.
This is a well-illustrated, rhyming book with a nice rhythm and a important themes. My child does not have any friends who use wheel chairs and I am hoping that this book has allowed my child to be more inclusive, considerate of others and understand a disabled child’s POV at least a little bit. We discussed the character’s experiences and dreams after reading the book, and it seems to have helped my child be more compassionate.

I love any book that features a character with a disability. It’s disability pride month so the timing is perfect! Very cute.

This is a cute illustration book. I love the disability representation in the book. There’s so many good messages of inclusion and imagination. I’ll definitely buy this for my nieces bookshelf.

Debi Novotny wove a cute story in Addy’s Chair to Everywhere. Her style reminded me of Dr Seuss. The comparable title of his is the Green Eggs and Ham. Her pacing moves at a comfortable, easy to read speed. The story is told in a very nice sing song manner. I thoroughly enjoyed this introduction to Ms Novotony’s work.
Also Jomike Tejido did an amazing job with the illustrations. His illustrations are real portrayals of a kid in a wheelchair. The illustrator, Jomike Tejido, draws Addy with the cheerfulness that someone her age has, even in a wheelchair. I only felt like he missed the mark on a couple of pages. Again, This book serves a nice introduction to his work.
The theme Ms Novotny wrote into Addy’s is one of inclusion. As a person with a developmental disability, having been Addy, I feel she missed the mark. I had to look at the press kit for the book to even know that was Ms. Novotny’s theme. The fundamental problem was the setting of the book. The author sets the book in a kindergarten classroom. It gives a student a false sense of inclusion. Outside of the classroom, the world is just not inclusive. Inclusion is a paper dream. It is one thing for a teacher to push inclusion; it is another for it to happen naturally. I think the theme would have been clearer if the setting had been outside of the classroom without teachers to influence the character relationships.
I applaud Ms. Novotny for her use of a disabled character. Her time spent in a wheelchair recovering from cancer surgery inspired her to write this story. Unfortunately, it is called Own Voice writing for a reason. She does have experience in a world that is not inclusive. That experience came as an adult, causing her to lack a disabled child’s experience. It makes the viewpoint of Addy stiff and dreamy. There is a definite lack of disappointment in Addy when the other students exclude her. Kids naturally have a tendency to exclude that which is different. A wheelchair is a big difference to young children. They will either run and hide because of it or they will get really curious about it. There just was not a realism to Addy.
Jomike Tejido did an excellent job with the illustrations. The illustrations by Jomike Tejido were excellent for the entire story. The style was not my favorite style, however it was excellent. There is only one set of art panels that I feel he missed the mark with. That set is when the other kids reject Addy. His art showed a cheerful kid, whereas it is more realistic for Addy to be sad about being left out. Addy, in the artwork, felt two dimensional vs a three-dimensional character. There is so much opportunity to have Addy be three dimensional just in the artwork that I was disappointed. However I was really impressed with the artwork overall.
The publisher’s summary of the book states that, “Adventures await wherever friends are! This whimsical picture book celebrates children’s imagination and inclusive play.” This is so true. Addy’s Chair to Everywhere does show this, however, it lacks showing Addy outside of the classroom. It is a great story of children engaging in make believe play. In this I agree with another reviewer in that this does remind me somewhat of the Magic School Bus universe. One problem is that is not the only play a child with a disability can do. A more realistic scenario would have literally been anything else. I understand why this was the type of play the author chose. A better way to show this would have been Addy and a group playing with blocks or a board game. Instead, the book limits the “inclusive” play to make believe. This allows the stereotype of being limited in activity to prevail. This stereotype is false.
I know that my review makes it seem like the book Addy’s Chair to Everywhere is a terrible story. I actually enjoyed the book. I love the character of Addy. She is all kid. She has the joy of life. I am full of happiness from this book because it is a wheelie kid. That being said, I needed to point out both perspectives. I actually rate the book an eight out of ten. To me, it is a splendid book to read as a bed-time story to a child about to enter kindergarten or first grade. I wholly recommend this book to all families.

I loved this story and the disability representation. I will be purchasing this one for my classroom this fall!

Thanks to netgalley, the author and publisher for an E-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.

Addy’s Chair to Everywhere is a colorful, fun novel with a great message for kids. Chairs are everywhere, and Addy needs one to get around. She can do many things in her chair and go many places. Addy has just as big of an imagination as her friends and can play just the same, even with her chair. I loved the colorful illustrations in this novel. The author was able to show Addy’s disability and also show that she can play just like other kids. Overall, a great book! I would love to have this in my classroom.

This is the cutest book! There are not many children's books staring kids with differences like these out there and finding this book was a total score for me!

I read this to my 7 and 9-year-old boys and they loved it. I'm talking wide-eyed, fully into it LOVED IT! We are an inclusive, neurodivergent family and I make a point to embrace our differences, and look past others' differences, while welcoming curiosity. As we read Addy's Chair To Everywhere, we stopped to ask questions and discuss our thoughts. This book was so perfect for this.

The illustrations and colors in this book alone are beautiful. Addy's imagination is magical - perfect for my aged kids. This book would be great for all ages, and I'd say with its simple text it's best for kids kinder and under. I hope to see this book in elementary school classrooms and libraries everywhere! I'm going to put in a request at my local public library as soon as it's published :)

Thank you NetGalley, Publisher, and Author for sharing this advanced copy.

Addy's Chair to Everywhere is a super cute picture book about a girl who uses a wheelchair & the inclusive ways her friends play with her.

I appreciated the imaginative illustrations and that the wheelchair was incorporated even in the children's imagination. I appreciated the ending note that gave some ideas on creating more inclusive classrooms for children of all abilities & felt like it was well-worded.

Thanks to NetGalley, Debi Novotny, and Teacher Created Materials for the chance to read and review

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an arc of this book.

This was so cute!! It almost make me emotional because as a disabled person myself, who used to be a disabled kid, I wish it was this easy... Glad books like this are being made though so disabled kids can see themselves represented at an early age!

A heartwarming story about friendship, inclusion, dreams and acceptance. The text is short and punchy, giving the reader leeway to add to it if need be. The visuals are vivid and dreamy. Recommended!

A lovely story about a girl who is in a wheelchair and is afraid she won't make any friends but her big imagination draws the other kids to her and they befriend her and play together. Very sweet with a great message about inclusion with some great tips for adults on how to encourage inclusion when it comes to kids

I absolutely loved this book. It does a great job of showing that children who are wheelchair bound are still children who can have fun, especially with their friends. I also loved how the author showed that some might be intimidated or confused by the chair. I felt that it was realistic in setting expectations around the topic while also showing how to continue to make friends with others who are different.