An inclusive, educational story with big emotions and a big heart
Stew and his classmates keep getting new teachers. One of the students, Bullock, even worries that it’s because people think they’re “trash” due to their disabilities. Why else would they be on their fourth teacher of the year?
When Mr. Murant walks through the door, everything starts to change. He’s a big man, “built like John Henry,” who instills in them the vast importance of self-confidence. A former pro football player, he tells them he believes in them to do anything they set their mind to, even if they don’t believe in themselves now. And it all starts from within them.
Mr. Murant turns out to be the best teacher any of them could have ever asked for. They form straight lines, learn new words, discover the truths of the water cycle, and beyond. And he leads by example. See, Mr. Murant has his own disease: Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). He took a nasty hit to his head in the pros, and sometimes he forgets the names and birthdays of those closest to him. But with a heart like his, he knows he can be the best teacher these kids have ever had—and in the end, he succeeds in doing just that.
Line ‘Em Up is a moving picture book for misunderstood kids with disabilities and learning disorders. It’s all about overcoming what feels like an insurmountable obstacle, believing in yourself, and seeing how high you can fly. It’s inspirational, motivational, and even educational. Kids will learn most about CTE, but there’s also the opportunity for them to discover topics that could interest them in the future, like jazz, phases of the moon, and the salt mines in Siberia.
However, the story can feel disjointed at times too. We don’t learn the narrator’s name for nine pages; the rhyme scheme slips in and out so the read-aloud can feel clunky; and the educational achievements come at markedly different levels—from celebrating basic skills, like walking a straight line on the way to lunch and tying your shoes, to more advanced topics like, finding perimeter and area in math and spelling words like “metamorphosis.”
It ends on a heartbreaking note. These kids who continue to get left in the classroom are left yet again, but this time not by anything the teacher chooses. In the end, the kids are left with only the memory of a role model, but at least they have what he’s taught them to take them into the future.
Line ‘Em Up is an emotional roller coaster ride of a picture book. These kids need a caring, thoughtful adult like Mr. Murant so badly, and little readers will experience that bliss of finding him right along with them—but in the end, the realities of living with diseases can still win in the end.
Kids with disabilities, disorders, and diseases will meet a powerful positive figure in Line ‘Em Up and take with them the belief that they can make the impossible possible. If they can handle a gut-punch near the end, they’ll be deeply moved by this one.
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