Elliot FInds a Home
Thumbs Up!, #1
Reeks: Thumbs Up!
Patti Petrone Miller ; Andrew L Miller
- The
- initial
- story,
- "Elliot
- Finds
- a
- Home,"
- introduces
- the
- pair,
- with
- Elliot
- starting
- out
- in
- a
- pet
- store,
- only
- to
- find
- that
- no
- one
- wishes
- to
- buy
- the
- puppy
- who
- is
- different
- and
- not
- normal.
- Because
- he
- can
- grasp
- objects
- with
- those
- adorable
- paws
- of
- his,
- he
- can
- open
- the
- latches
- on
- cages,
- open
- containers,
- grab
- things...
- making
- him
- more
- difficult
- to
- manage
- then
- a
- normal
- puppy.
- Eventually
- he
- is
- given
- away
- to
- an
- animal
- shelter,
- and
- the
- implication
- that
- he
- may
- be
- put
- down
- is
- unspoken,
- yet
- evident.
- The
- story
- then
- shifts
- to
- introduce
- ten-year-
- old
- Joseph,
- whose
- parents
- are
- frustrated
- and
- unhappy
- because
- their
- child
- has
- low
- functioning
- autism
- and
- does
- not
- even
- speak
- or
- interact
- with
- them.
- In
- a
- desperate
- gambit,
- Daddy
- decides
- to
- take
- Joseph
- to
- the
- animal
- shelter
- to
- see
- if
- a
- pet
- will
- help.
- When
- Joseph
- the
- special
- child
- sees
- the
- sad,
- scared,
- lonely
- little
- special
- dog,
- they
- recognize
- each
- other
- as
- kindred
- spirits
- and
- Joseph
- finally
- responds
- for
- the
- first
- time
- in
- ten
- years,
- and
- Elliot
- is
- adopted
- by
- two
- ecstatic
- parents
- who
- adore
- him
- for
- finally
- bringing
- their
- child
- out
- of
- his
- shell.The
- central
- theme
- of
- the
- series
- is
- about
- how
- being
- different
- doesn't
- make
- one
- superior
- or
- inferior.
- There
- are
- always
- tradeoffs.
- And
- that
- some
- things
- are
- universal.
- Every
- episode
- is
- told
- through
- the
- eyes
- of
- Elliot,
- but
- the
- stories
- center
- around
- his
- beloved
- human
- Joseph.
- We
- see
- Joseph
- through
- Elliot's
- eyes.
- Elliot
- is
- the
- narrator,
- the
- central
- point
- of
- view.
- And
- Elliot's
- condition,
- his
- opposable
- thumbs,
- are
- just
- like
- autism;
- a
- condition,
- not
- a
- defect.
- Elliot
- cannot
- run
- as
- quickly
- as
- a
- normal
- dog
- can,
- just
- as
- Joseph
- cannot
- grasp
- the
- nuances
- of
- social
- situations
- the
- way
- a
- normal
- child
- can.
- However,
- Elliot's
- unique
- paws
- allow
- him
- to
- perform
- acts
- that
- a
- normal
- dog
- never
- could,
- just
- as
- an
- autistic
- child's
- obsessive-compulsiveness
- and
- acute
- focus
- allow
- them
- to
- do
- things
- that
- a
- normal
- child
- cannot.Not
- only
- will
- viewers
- and
- readers
- come
- to
- understand
- the
- pain
- of
- being
- born
- different
- and
- unique,
- but
- they
- will
- also
- understand
- the
- pain
- of
- being
- a
- parent
- of
- someone
- different
- and
- unique.
- To
- look
- at
- one's
- child
- struggling
- and
- blame
- themselves.
- To
- ask
- if
- they
- did
- something
- wrong
- during
- the
- conception
- or
- pregnancy,
- to
- be
- so
- desperate
- for
- a
- way
- to
- make
- it
- all
- better.
- Joseph's
- parents
- love
- him
- very
- much,
- and
- Elliot's
- positive
- influence
- on
- him
- will
- bring
- them
- to
- tears
- of joy.
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