![]() Closing images of two adults with Down syndrome kissing act as a powerful affirmation. “Kids with Down syndrome are an endangered species,” his penultimate line declares, the words fraught with both his son’s preciousness and Down syndrome’s correlation with abortion. Despite the simple language, Gusti’s message of acceptance seems particularly, earnestly, addressed to parents. Parents and siblings of disabled children will find a spectrum of emotions reflected in Gusti, and Gusti’s wife and older son show how family members can support one another. In simple text and a collage of sketches, comics, photos, handwritten notes, and even a picture book within the book, Gusti candidly depicts the ups and downs of life with Mallko. The greatest.” And Mallko brims with orneriness-and ordinariness-as he pesters his parents, draws with his dad, and rocks out to the Red Hot Chili Peppers. When his second son, Mallko, was born with Down syndrome, Gusti confesses, “I DID NOT ACCEPT HIM.” Fortunately, he gradually realizes that Mallko is “great. ![]() In a mixed-media account that won the BolognaRagazzi Award for Disability, Argentine illustrator Gusti ( Half of an Elephant, 2006) relates how he learned to embrace his son’s Down syndrome. ![]()
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