American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults
Future Reflections Summer 2024 CREATIVE ENDEAVORS
Braille Boy
by ZuZu Sampson
Reviewed by Deborah Kent Stein
Braille Boy
by ZuZu Sampson
ResearchOnce, Rochester, NY, 2023
32 pages
Available in audio format from National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS.org) as DBC 30394
Available in print/Braille format from Seedlings Braille Books for Children and from Audio and Braille Literacy Enhancement (ABLE.org)
When ZuZu Sampson was in second grade, he struggled to master the Braille code. Letters such as d and f or e and i, which could easily be reversed, were endlessly confusing. Sometimes ZuZu imagined that a mischievous monster called Braille Alien was misleading him and causing him to make mistakes.
ZuZu wondered if anyone had ever written a story about a student struggling to learn Braille. He and his teacher searched and searched, but they couldn't find the story ZuZu wanted. Finally ZuZu decided to take the matter into his own hands. He wrote the story he wanted to read.
ZuZu's story, Braille Boy, recounts the adventures of a boy who resists the Braille Alien in order to rescue Braille for all Braille readers. ZuZu's family was so delighted with the book that they decided it should reach a wider audience. For two years they searched for a publisher, but to no avail. At last a small company called ResearchOnce agreed to take on the project. The publisher envisions Braille Boy as the first in a series of superhero books for young readers. ZuZu's second book, The Amazing Adventures of Braille Boy: Teamwork, is due to be published this summer.
The Braille Boy series seeks to instill values about civility, kindness, and being a good citizen. No matter what adversities he must face, Braille Boy, the superhero, always prevails.
"Don't think about what others might tell you about your story," ZuZu advises other young authors. "Your story is unique in its own way, and it's amazing!"