Big Brother Dustin by Alden R. Carter

Found on Google Images

Big Brother Dustin is the story of a young boy with Down Syndrome who is expecting the birth of his younger sister any day now. He is excited and is involved with the preparation of her birth. Everything from the naming of his sister to the decorating of her room Dustin has a hand in. He takes classes to learn how to be a good big brother and is involved in the anticipation of waiting on the day she is born. After she arrives, he comes up with the name their parents eventually use for the new baby, he helps her swing, eat, he entertains her, helps baby sit, and plays with her. He seems to be a large part of her everyday life.

I chose to include this text because it was described in the professional resource as an exemplary example of a portrayal of a character with a disability in children’s literature. Instead of illustrations there are photographs that depict Dustin going about his day and planning for the arrival of his sister; making the story even more relatable. It shows Dustin in a very realistic and positive role. In different instances throughout the text Dustin is put in the role of protector for his little sister or is shown caring for her everyday needs.

One of the most interesting things that I found from this text is that the term “Down Syndrome” is never used to describe Dustin. As a whole, this story is not much different from many other pieces of children’s literature. There is nothing about it, besides the physical appearance of Dustin, to suggest that he has a disability. There is never anything that he must overcome or struggle against in the text. I think the author did this to show that, like every one else, Dustin and people with disabilities are very capable of living their lives in a way that pleases them and that is largely independent.

I think that by having this book in a classroom, students would see a side of persons with disabilities that they may have never considered. Often, young students don’t know that a person with a disability is more similar to them than different because they aren’t always exposed to people who are different from them; their experiences mostly limited to their families and classrooms. I think that the author intended for the portrayal of Dustin to relate to students with disabilities and show them something to identify with in literature, but also to allow students who are not familiar with disability to see a positive image of Dustin.

Carter, Alden R. Big Brother Dustin. Toronto: General Publishing, 1997.