A Little Like Magic - Book 1
Updated: 6 days ago
Written and illustrated by Sarah Kurpiel
Published by Rocky Pond Books. Released October 14 2024.
Genre/Category: A contemporary realistic fiction picture book for Pre K-6th about disability or a difference
Targeted Age Group: 0-8 years old (American Library Association, 2025)
Plot Summary: For our young narrator, a change in routine is cold, it's scratchy, and it upsetting when it ends on a sour note. But with her mother's gentle encouragement, we learn sometimes giving new experiences a second chance can lead to something magical.
Why this book?: When choosing a books this project, I was honestly at a loss of where to start looking. So I do what we should in this situation and ask for help. I have friends with young children, so I knew they'd be more familiar with newer publications of children books. When I mentioned needing a book for the disability category, my friend Sara recommended she and her daughter liked called A Little Like Magic. (We will meet some of the other stories my friends recommended later.) When researching the book further, I learned A Little Like Magic won an award specifically recognizing disability representation in books, the Schneider Family Book Award (American Library Association, 2025). I never heard of this award before. Even before I read the first page the book taught me about something new. I was charmed by the gentleness of this story, and how it communicated disability challenges. It's clear, but subtle at the same time. It fills a specific niche in storytelling about disability, and does so in a beautiful way.
Evaluation:
Point of View: I was fascinated that this story featuring a disabled main character, but the disabilities weren't explicitly mentioned. The illustrations show us our protagonist in a wheelchair, but no one says the word wheelchair even once. She talks about her discomfort with change, certain articles of clothing, and losing a comfort toy, but never do we see the words "autism" or "anxiety disorder." To some, this may seem like a detraction from its literary quality or as disability representation; however I see it as a strength. A Little Like Magic is told in first-person perspective, so we're seeing the world through our young protagonist's eyes. A young child isn't going to think "because I have ADHD I can't focus on getting ready to go to the park even though I love the park." Instead their train of thought will follow their immediate priorities. It may sound like "I want to bring my Spider-Man toy to play at the park! Where did I put him? Oh I found him with my Legos. What if I build a tower for Spidey to swing from? I think I need more Legos. Let's check the playroom. Oh! My cars are here. Let's make them race!" Our main character in A Little Like Magic doesn't say "I have autism so wearing winter clothes bothers me sensorialy." She says "I don't like heavy coats or itchy hats or boots that don't let me bend my ankles." (Kurpiel, 2024, p. 2) In Children's Literature, Briefly, Young et. all (2020) discuss the importance of point-of-view in looking for quality literature. It's no small task to write any perspective or any character, but an adult writing from a child's perspective can be the most challenging task of all. It takes a lot of skill and humility to write from a child's point of view without being condescending. Kurpiel's simple and intentional language grounds the story. She talks to her audience in their language instead of talking at them as someone posing as a child.
Show, Don't Tell There are many books about disability that are very direct in talking about the disability head on. They'll mention autism, down syndrome, limb differences and more by name. Those stories are critical. If we refuse to call things by their proper name, it enforces a culture of keeping those things under wraps. Speaking in code doesn't erase what children observe. They'll see that their classmates are different, they'll know they themselves are different, but don't have the words to describe it. Stories with the right language gives them power over their experiences, and things become far less scary when they have a name. However, A Little Like Magic isn't that story. It relies heavily on showing rather than telling. It's a story about a disabled person's life experience, not about the disability itself. The difference is subtle, but very present. I see this as a beautiful way to tell the story. It's a great teaching tool for reading between the lines and analyzing images and text to get the full picture. It lays the groundwork for the skills needed for more advanced literary analysis. But like I mentioned before, I can see people who prefer everything clearly said seeing this as a negative point. In a book from my childhood Ian's Walk by Laurie Lears (illustrated by Karen Ritz) we see the world from our point of view character, Julie. At the start of the story Julie immediately tells us her brother Ian has autism (Lears, 1998, p. 1). This framing tells us why Ian behaves the way he does, but the story doesn't dehumanize him for it. Over the story, Julie learns to see the world through Ian's eyes and that leads to a stronger bond between the siblings. Ian's Walk and A Little Like Magic are both stories about disabled children, but tell them in different ways. It's not a matter of which way is better than the other. We need stories that use tell us the words we need, and we need the stories that let us figure things out.
Color: One of my favorite parts of A Little Like Magic is its use of color. There is a very clear color scheme in this book, leaning heavily on chilly blues, frosty teals, and icy off-whites. The color scheme emphasizes the winter setting.
My observation of the color scheme. Even the brightest colors stay quite muted. There's no summery neons or spring pastels or autumny earth tones. It's a richly colored book, but not vibrant. With the blue-heavy color scheme, it makes Kurpiel's use of contrasting colors really stand out. My favorite example of this is even though the world is cold and blue, the protagonist's mother stands out in her patterned coat and warm yellows. We see "mom" the way she sees her. Like a lighthouse, a beacon of comfort and stability.
Another fantastic moment of color in storytelling is when a burst of orange takes over the page in a moment of panic for our main character. Up until this point, white and blue were out background colors. So when the page suddenly gets taken over by such a warm color, it shocks us. The shade of orange isn't even particularly bright, but in the context of the story it flashes like a warning sign.
A bright moment of shock! The colors in this story seem so simple at first glance, but it always takes mastery to make things look simple. Kurpiel is a great example of being purposeful in telling a story the colors and not just the drawings and words.
A Little Like Magic would be a fantastic addition to a Preschool/Pre-K/Kindergarten classroom. It is a great story for disabled/special needs students and non-disabled/special needs students as well. The experiences in this story are universal for all children. (After all, disabled or not, what child hasn't been upset by losing a toy or being dragged along to an event they didn't want to go to?) I can see this story being used during seasonal rotations, like for a non-holiday themed winter showcase of stories. It would also be great for displays for disability pride month. Special thanks to my friend Sara Banks (and Gavia!) for this recommendation!
References:
Kurpiel, S. (2024). A Little Like Magic (S. Kurpiel, Illus.). Rocky Pond Books
American Library Association. (2025, January 27). 2025 Schneider Family Book Awards recipients named. https://www.ala.org/news/2025/01/2025-schneider-family-book-awards-recipients-named
Kurpiel, S. (2026). A Little Like Magic. Sarah Kurpiel. https://sarahkurpiel.com/a-little-like-magic
Young, T. A., Bryan, G., Jacobs, J. S., & Tunnell, M. O. (2020). Children's Literature, Briefly. Pearson.
Laurie, L. (1998). Ian's Walk (K. Ritz, Illus.). Albert Whitman & Company
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