This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Free Book Program, which is open to all readers and is completely free. The author will provide you with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. You and the author will discuss what sites you will post your review to and what kind of copy of the book you would like to receive (eBook, PDF, Word, paperback, etc.). To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Review Exchange Program, which is open to all authors and is completely free. Simply put, you agree to provide an honest review an author's book in exchange for the author doing the same for you. What sites your reviews are posted on (B&N, Amazon, etc.) and whether you send digital (eBook, PDF, Word, etc.) or hard copies of your books to each other for review is up to you. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email, and be sure to describe your book or include a link to your Readers' Favorite review page or Amazon page.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Donation Program, which was created to help nonprofit and charitable organizations (schools, libraries, convalescent homes, soldier donation programs, etc.) by providing them with free books and to help authors garner more exposure for their work. This author is willing to donate free copies of their book in exchange for reviews (if circumstances allow) and the knowledge that their book is being read and enjoyed. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email. Be sure to tell the author who you are, what organization you are with, how many books you need, how they will be used, and the number of reviews, if any, you would be able to provide.
Reviewed by Jon Michael Miller for Readers' Favorite
Once There Was a Child by Darlene Pscheidell Kwarta is a heartbreaking yet inspiring account of Ms. Kwarta’s experience as a teacher of severely handicapped and abused children. She was motivated to enter this challenging profession, she says, by such works as The Miracle Worker, and Teacher, Teacher. She describes her experience years later as a place of peace and laughter, not the kind of place most people would imagine. She had a class of eight kids, age 16 or so, along with her fellow professionals and assistants, in particular, “the Big Guy,” the principal of the all-inclusive high school. But especially we meet the kids—Jackson, Autumn, Kat, Jazz, Jacob, among others. They are all deaf with added issues included, and with warmth and humor, she describes their daily school “catastrophes” as well as their outings to the woods and to local businesses.
As a lifelong teacher of mainline students, I observed the work of special-needs colleagues, and I so admired their caring and patience which are beautifully unveiled in Ms. Kwarta’s charming and delightful memoir of her experiences. She presents not only the kids (who automatically read maps, fear escalators, and know all about ancient Egypt) but their parents (not always good) and co-workers. She would substitute the adage “It takes a village” with “It takes a school,” her school having sadly broken up due to population issues. Once There Was a Child by Darlene Pscheidell Kwarta will inform you of a group of heroes working every day to help special needs children, and it will warm your heart.
