Small Steps: The Year I Got Polio

Small Steps

Small Steps is my new absolute favorite book. It is the first interesting biography i've read ever, i could not put it down even when mom told me American Idol was on. You will just get lost in this world where you feel terribly sorry for Peg yet ready to know what happens next. My favorite chapter is the one where Peg's mom is so caring that even though it's against the rules she gets a chocolate milkshake for Peg after her surgery. She goes through a lot of angry nurses to give her this treat but if it will make her Peg happy she is willing to suffer. It is a sweet and emotional, funny also sad book and a great read.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

BE THANKFUL!!!!!

This book looks so boring but since I had no other books to read, I decided to check it out. Thank goodness I did!! Amazing, it makes you be sooo thankful for what you have and that they have shots for polio! I recommend this book to all ages! So please read it, it is heartwarming!

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

It really makes you think...

When i first read this book, it was for a school assignment, and it was the only book on the shelf that we could get extra credit on, since it was a nomiee. My first though was 'this could be depressing', but my teachers insisted on me reading it. As i read it, i got caught up in the story. It was one of those books that just pull you in so you can't put it down. She was such a strong person, i don't think i would have been able to surive that. The book showed great courage on the part of a 12 year old girl. I am soo glad i read it.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Best book ever!!!

This book is awesome!! I know you here that in every review, but seriously READ IT!!! It gives alot of info. about polio in fun ways! When my teacher 1st told me we were reading it I was like really an autobiography?? I wasn't that excited but we read it and I loved it !! Well bye

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

fantabulious!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Last year our class read a book called
Small Steps the Year I got Polio. Then I read it again! You really need to read this book. It's about a girl named Peggy she ends up getting polio. But not just one type, three types! She got sick one day in school turns she has polio! My favorite part in the book is when Peggy meets Tommy. Tommy is her first roommate Peggy gets .Do you think she'll survive? Will the polio ever go away? If you like to cry during a book, read this book. After every chapter you'll need a new tissue box!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Great book

Peg did a good job of retelling her story. Her writting makes the story fell so real.A really good read alloud!! =D

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

great book for every one

this is an awesome book for everyone to read from fast readers people who hate books or just have problems reading it is a good biography to read and i would recommend this book to anybody it is also a good book for a classroom required book

i am also a person who doesn't like reading much but i also couldn't put this book down that is how good it is

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Quick Read -- Great Book!

My 11 year old daughter read this for Book Club and also for school. She doesn't enjoy reading, but just couldn't put this down! All the girls in the Book Club loved it -- the best book they've read to date. Highly recommend this one, even if your child isn't a self-motivated reader. For an activity at Book Club, they tried driving around an obstacle course in a wheel chair. I can't wait to read it.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Megan

¿Now an iron lung loomed besides m bed, hoses hanging like gray tentacles¿a gray octopus read to swallow me any time.¿ (Kehret 30-31). This quote is from Small Steps: The Year I got Polio. This book is written by Peg Kehret. Ms. Kehret wrote this book because she had a really bad case of polio and lived through all of it. This book is a first hand book about what happened to her. Her friends and family wanted her to write a book about what had happened to her. Anyone who wants to know about or how it¿s like having polio should read this book. The book title is significance to the book because she as re-learning how to walk with walking sticks and on her own. I really didn¿t connect with anyone in the book; however I did watch a video on polio last year at skills. Anyone and everyone should read this book it¿s a really good story. I think that the ending was good; it leaves you thinking about other things. I would give this book at 4 because if someone didn¿t know medical words it might be hard for them to know what¿s going on in some parts of the book. I think over all the book is really good at keeping your attention through-out the book. The story was at the time right before the big polio break out. I think I did learn what it was like to have polio. In the book it talks about her roommates would sing at night and there is a part talking about how she had to move 75 marbles with her toes to make her muscles stronger. The kids were really young in this book and the nurse and doctors just try to keep the positive.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A touching first-hand account of the great suffering that polio inflicted

In our modern age of vaccinations, it seems inconceivable that in 1949, 42,033 cases of polio were diagnosed. It was a disease without a vaccine or antidote that meant excruciating pain, followed by extensive physical therapy assuming that the patient didn't die from complications. There are three main variants: spinal polio, which causes rapid paralysis of the arms and legs (generally asymmetrical), bulbar polio, which causes difficulty breathing and swallowing (and frequently requiring the use of iron lungs as breathing muscles and mechanisms are greatly weakened), and respiratory polio, a combination of the above two. Peg Kehret was twelve years old when she contracted respiratory polio; she was the only victim in her small Minnesota town that year.

Peg recounts her terrifying illness in a very matter-of-fact yet gripping narrative. Paralysis set in rapidly, and she had a fever of 102 for nearly a week as her muscles weakened, requiring her to use an oxygen tent. But Peg was lucky; once her fever breaks (aided by a contraband chocolate milkshake), her recovery is much more rapid than her fellow hospital and rehab roommates. Even though Peg is nearly a teenager, there are small poignant touches of the remnants of childhood; her brother Art sent her a teddy bear that had to be burned once she left the polio ward, and her mother recommended that she donate her old books and toys to the children's polio ward. Peg resists, recalling happy memories with her old books and toys, and is dismayed to find that her parents have redecorated her old room as a surprise.

Peg is an engaging narrator who brings a distant era to life through radio dramas such as The Lone Ranger and the simplicity of a time where books and friendships filled our hours instead of electronics. Her rehabilitation is tempered with humor and spirit; no self-pity here, only the desire to become the best she can be. The Sister Kenny method of polio treatment is described in detail, along with physical and occupational therapy exercises. Peg has a crush on Dr. Bevis, a handsome doctor who makes her feel special by painting her toenails when she's still in intensive care, and promises him that she'll return to walk for him. She makes friends with several other girls recovering from polio, including the bitter Alice, who's lived at the rehabilitation center for ten years after her parents couldn't care for her. The girls are brought together by their shared experiences as polio survivors, and Peg is apprehensive about rejoining her school and the outside world.

The novel is brought full-circle by the sad mention that Peg, along with her former roommates, suffers from post-polio syndrome; around 25% of childhood polio sufferers develop additional symptoms decades after the initial infection, including muscle weakness, fatigue, or paralysis. After working so hard to overcome polio, she's certainly not giving in now. There are also vintage photographs of the author and her roommates scattered throughout. A marvelous introduction to polio's debilitating effects and the power of positive thinking on recovery.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

******Outstanding*******

I thought that this book was awsome. I don't really like reading but this was different. A story of a girl my age fighting her own battles. I don't know if it was because the book was fiction or if it was just the words that drew me into this book. I hope one day to be as brave as Peg. I am looking forward to reading other books of hers.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Highly recommended!

Item arrived in wonderful condition. As this was a gift, this was greatly appreciated! Thank you!

Teacher's Pick and My Pick too!

My daughter's third grade teacher read this to the class over a period of a couple weeks this year. My daughter came home from school each day, and I have to admit, I couldn't wait to hear the next chapter of this story! It is told in a way that appeals to both children and adults. The class finished this book a month ago, but my daughter contines to refer to it on a daily basis, so much so, that she asked Santa for it...and of course, he brought it!

I recommend it!

My teacher suggested that I read this book. I looked at the cover and secretly thought I would hate it, but I took it anyway. It ended up being really good! I liked that she put pictures in the book as well-the characters looked nothing like I imagined! After reading this, I have decided I would want to read some of her other books. I don't know if this book is for everybody. Alot of my friends would probably hate it. It's more for people who like historical fiction or biographies. If you do, than this book is definitely for you!

This book has a great message for young readers.

Small Steps the Year I Got Polio by Peg Kehret is a true story about a girl who is diagnosed with polio when she is only twelve years old. Peg becomes the only child in her town with polio. She is brought to a hospital and quickly realizes she has become paralyzed from the neck down. Struggling to survive peg is put into isolation and she may not have her parents visit unless the are completely covered with protected clothing, for Polio is a highly contagious disease. As her condition improves she is moved out of isolation and is put into a new room with a roommate named Tommy, who is in an iron lung. Once the hospital she is in has done everything they can do for her, they move her to a new hospital which is more of a rehabilitation center. There she shares a room with four other girls with polio: Dorothy, Shirley, Renee, and Alice. Peg develops close relationships with these girls. At this new hospital Peg goes through physical therapy and gains back some feeling in her arms and legs, but she is still not as strong as she was before she was diagnosed. Soon after Peg is able to sit in a wheelchair and wheel herself around which gives her some freedom. A few months later Peg is given a pair of walking sticks and learns how to slowly walk. Eventually, Peg is released and is able to go back home only seven months after being diagnosed with polio. Small Steps the Year I Got Polio is a great book for readers of any age. Peg is inspiring to any people who have struggled with anything in their lives. She is a great role model especially for young people because she never gives up. Although there were times Peg struggled it is an uplifting story. It can make readers appreciate that they didn't have to go this too. Small Steps is similar to the series The Boxcar Children in that those books are also about over overcoming adversity. Even though none of the Boxcar Children have a life threatening disease, they overcome many hardships, from having no parents to not being able to live in a real house. The Boxcar Children never give up and they all car for each other, just how Peg's family and friends all care for her. This book would be an excellent required reading for grade schools because of the positive message it sends.

AN AWSOME BOOK

This book is about a girl named peg she gotfrom a dieases called polio. This book makes me realize how lucky w are without even knowing were all lucky we dont have polio in the united states.

Wonderful book!!!

When i was in 5th grade we were required to read this story by the end of the year. When i first heard of this story, I honestly wasnt very much looking forward to reading it. However, by the end of the year, I ending up reading the book seven times!!!!! It was just so addicting!! the book not only relates to how horrible polio was but it also allows younger children to learn more about there own nations history!! this book is FaNoMiNaL!!! -Kassondra D.

det da det

Can you move your legs? Well, you¿re lucky. In this book, Small Steps, the main character can¿t move her legs. It¿s about this girl who has three types of polio and she is so brave doing wheelies in her wheelchair and drinking chocolate milkshakes that could kill her. Peg is an inspiration to all sick people. I recommend this book for third and second graders. This book is determined, sad and exciting. I think that if you like sad and exciting books you will love this one for sure.

great book

Do you like sad books? If you do this is the book for you. This book is about a young girl that sadly has polio. Peg goes to a hospital where she meets three friends. Her hopes of victory go even farther. Peg is one brave girl. For example, she does wheelies in her wheelchair risks drinking a chocolate milkshake when she can¿t breath and believes that she can beat polio. This book is sad and exiting. It is a book for third graders and up.

A reviewer

This book is the best! It is sad in the beginning but in the end it becomes very heart warming! I read this book in less that a day! It showed me that what I have is very grateful. That just shows how must I love this book! Read it now!