Booktalks Quick and Simple

What if you had a friend who could only communicate in grunts and squeals? What if this friend had two legs, but they did not work, and had a body all twisted in a knot? And what if he needed help doing just about everything? Could you be a friend to him?
Petey Corbn had cerebral palsy. Misdiagnosed as a baby he was placed in institutions. Most people thought he could not understand or feel things, just because he could not communicate well. He did not have visitors, rarely went outside, and had few friends. But Petey did feel things and he did understand. And while much of his life was bleak, he was not.
When he was older, Petey met Trevor, a young boy with busy parents and no friends, who had just moved to town. Their chance encounter was the beginning of a special friendship. Find out what they learned from each other. Just which one of them really had trouble communicating, and who stood to benefit most from their friendship? (Gail A. King, grking@bellsouth.net, University of South Carolina)