Rating: 
Summary: ALL CHILDREN ARE NOT ALIKE, BUT ALL CHILDREN ARE SPECIAL!
Review: This book is an excellent book aimed at helping young children understand that others may be different in one way or another, but each person is special in their own way. "What's Wrong with Timmy" is based on a boy who has special mental needs. As a counsellor, I dislike labeling people in a manner that implies one is "mentally disabled or challenged", etc. for we are all disabled and challenged at doing one thing or another in our lives. I know several individuals who have special physical and/or mental needs; however, those same people are highly gifted in areas that most of us could not begin to master to such a high degree (music, painting, sketching, etc.)In this book, a mother explains to her eight year old daughter, why a boy in the park looks and behaves in a manner that is different from other children. The words are well chosen and the beautiful writing style is filled with kindness, compassion and understanding. The book teaches children a valuable lesson that says it is okay to be different but we are all deserving of love, respect and acceptance. This book is highly recommended reading material and most deserving of a five star rating. If you have not read the author's previous book, "What's Heaven", which is written for children on the subject of death and losing someone close, this is also an excellent book with a beautiful message. Hats off to Maria Shriver for writing such sensitive and valuable books.
Rating: 
Summary: Timmy may be different, but that is not wrong
Review: This book is told from the point of view of a typical child looking at a special needs child. Though a young child might really ask what's wrong with someone, the question as the title implies that there is something wrong with Timmy. That people who are different are somehow "wrong" is not the best message to offer children to foster acceptance of differences. We can be different and differently abled without something being "wrong." A better choice is "All Kinds of Friends, Even Green" by Ellen Sinisi.
Rating: 
Summary: Sensitive Topic
Review: This book provides a good opening for parents to use in discussing a sensitive topic. It is definitely a read-to book, not one meant for independent reading by 4-8 year olds.
Now that special needs children are being mainstreamed into the regular classrooms teachers will also find the book a good springboard for class discussion.
The text does tend to be too "wordy". Better editing could have eliminated this problem.
Rating:
Summary: Good Story
Review: This book teaches other kids a lesson.The lesson is that people shouldnt make fun of kids that are different.I almost cryed when I read this book.My mom read it to me it was very good.My friend was spending the night then my mom called us in because she wanted to read this book to me.My mom was in tears when it was over.This book is good for your kids to read they will love this book so much they will want to read it over and over again.
Rating:
Summary: not specific
Review: this might be a good way of introducing handicaps to children, however the book has no minorities, and there are no specific handicaps explained. i found it hard to read with too much text and it wasn't very good explaining "what was wrong with timmy" i would chose something else to teach children about handicaps.
Rating:
Summary: Great job
Review: This remarkable book comes as a welcome and much needed addition to literature for young people about a kid with special needs. By helping us build a sense of connection with Timmy, Ms Shriver takes young readers an important first step towards realizing that their world (and ours!), especially our social world, can be expanded and enriched by our understanding of people with special needs. Giving a deeply personal, affecting, real and yet not over-idealized identity to Timmy and his life, we meet a human being, not a "type" or a "class" but a living, breathing boy with the same needs for love, security, connection and friendship that the rest of us experience. Wonderful job!
Rating:
Summary: What's Wrong with Timmy?
Review: Where did the author get her information? It is disturbing that such a popular book teaches outdated and unrefined language to described a child with learning disabilities. As a special ed teacher and counselor, I find it a setback to use language such as "retarded" in a book which attempts to aid children's learning about other challenged individuals. The fact that there are no credentials to back the author's writing is apparent.
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