New Children’s Book Celebrates All Abilities
New Children’s Book Celebrates All Abilities
Inspired by the Late Julie Mendell, Randolph Teacher to Share Cousin’s Story with ECS Students
Inspired by the late Julie Mendell, Amy Bedell is planning to share her cousin’s story with students of Ellicottville Elementary School next month.
Wednesday, March 8th is a special day for Randolph teacher Amy Bedell, for not only is this the day she’s sharing her brand new book with Ellicottville Elementary School students, but it is also the day she would be celebrating the 50th birthday of the book’s inspiration, Julie Ann Mendell, Bedell’s cousin. Julie, an individual with special needs, passed away in 2021 due to complications from Covid-19. A lifelong advocate of inclusion and acceptance, Mendell inspired everyone she met, and now her memory lives on through “She Will,” Bedell’s book that celebrates children of all abilities.
While technically cousins, Bedell and Julie grew up more like siblings. “We were all so close,” said Bedell of her cousins Julie, Chris, and Laura. “It’s so hard to put into words what that relationship meant. I didn’t even sit down and write this as a book. It actually started as notes on my phone. I wrote the whole thing the night Julie passed away. I was just devastated. Having to explain to your children that the most kindhearted person you ever met isn’t going to be here anymore was unimaginable.”
Initially, Bedell wrote the book for her and her family. “I didn’t know if I was going to publish it or just write it for my kids so they could have Julie forever. I showed it to my husband (Craig), and he really pushed me to pursue this.”
Bedell took the next step and put her story on paper. At the time, her twins were in kindergarten, so she read it to them and had them try to read it themselves. “It’s geared towards emerging readers; I wanted to write something simple that kids could understand and begin to read independently.” A year later, after raising the funds to self-publish, Bedell researched several different companies and found a publisher based in the United Kingdom that was a great fit. “I could do it all on my phone through an app,” said Bedell. “I found an illustrator that I liked and worked well with remotely.”
The book launched on Amazon.com in December and immediately rose to the top of the best seller list for special education literature.
The children’s book features many differently abled children and shares a message of inclusion and acceptance. “When you’re reading with your child or a child is reading, that moment of ‘That looks like me!’ or ‘I know a kid in a wheelchair! I need to wear headphones sometimes,’ is really important,” said Bedell, who has been a special education teacher at Randolph Central School for 15 years. “I wanted every child to be able to see themselves in print. I wanted my students and my own children to see that everyone should be able to look in a book and see themselves represented.”
Although Julie is not a character specifically named in the book, Bedell explained that the book is meant to open the discussion about inclusion, which was very important to Julie. “We are moving toward inclusion, but we’re not quite there yet,” said Bedell. “Julie went through that in her own education, where she was included and then she wasn’t. If everyone takes part in that discussion about inclusion, maybe one day we can all have a world where everyone belongs.”
Bedell is excited to share this book with Ellicottville students next week and looks forward to events scheduled at libraries in Ellington and Little Valley in the coming months. The book, which is available to order from Amazon.com, is drawing attention nationally, as she has been contacted by teachers and administrators from school districts in Florida and Massachusetts who want to buy the book for their schools.
“My hope is for the children who hear this story to always show kindness to others and compassion, whenever someone needs it,” said Bedell, whose book dedication honors Julie. To her readers, Bedell writes, “I encourage you to do at least one kind thing a day and when you do, please think of our Julie.”