Sense of Play: Author's Note
Sense of Play: Author's Note
April 21, 2023
Joy and Chip wake early for a full day of play. Inside, outside. Riding bikes, reading books. Taking turns, sharing treats. And no day is complete without creating an adventure with their imaginations.
Chip is Blind. Joy has sight. Their day is filled with so much more than play.
In her new picture book Sense of Play, author Dana Meachen Rau describes a simple, joyful day between siblings celebrating the senses beyond sight—the sounds, smells, tastes, and textures that make playing together so much fun. This sweet story represents the importance of inclusion and touches on the universal experience of a younger sibling’s desire to be like their older sibling.
Read Dana’s Author’s Note below to learn more about her personal connection to the story Sense of Play.
Author's Note
My brother, Derek, and I were constant playmates as kids. He was an early riser and often woke me up through our shared bedroom wall so our day of play could begin as soon as possible.
I have sight, and my brother is Blind. Play for us was an all-senses experience. Outside, we felt the rumble of asphalt as we raced bikes down our quiet street. Our jungle gym screeched at its joints as we swung. In the garden, we knew the tomato plants by their smell.
Inside, we devoured stories. Some we played on his record player, some he read to me in Braille, and some I read to him in print. We also had a large scratch-and-sniff book collection. Tinkertoys were our favorite building toys, and we constructed elaborate cities from them. We also liked the beeps and buzzes of electronic games. His tape recorder was always present, recording sound effects that we’d play back over and over again.
But the best games were when we transformed our bedrooms into anything we could imagine. We didn’t need to see the ship or cave or enchanted forest. We could make them real just by wanting them to be.
Like most siblings, we not only played, but we argued and got jealous. We also comforted and helped each other when one of us needed it.
Everyone plays in their own way. I wrote this story to share the fun of my childhood—memorable not just because of how Derek and I played, but also because of how much I loved playing with my dear brother.
Preview Sense of Play