"Faustus" - a tactile picture book for blind children
The book with the imp Faustus can easily be made by yourself and doesn't cost much.
It comprises many elements for the child's concept formation as well as for motor exercises.
These remarks are taken from:
Peter Hanke, Gestaltungsmöglichkeiten für taktile Bilderbücher
Vorgestellt an einem taktilen Bilderbuch für blinde und sehbehinderte Kinder im Alter von 3 bis 6 Jahren - Darlegung des Konzepts unter wahrnehmungsphysiologischen, pädagogischen, technischen und entwicklungspsychologischen Aspekten, Marburg 2006.
The following book is an example for early intervention tactile picture-books. It can easily be copied. Furthermore it wants to encourage you to develop and produce similar books.
The story of Faustus, the cranny-fim, features a little being, who lives hiddenly in the house and is making trouble there at night.
He mixes up or hides objects which are easily accessible for a blind child. Faustus is as big as a fist (in German "Faust") and is represented by a balled feather boa. He jumps from room to room, each room represented by a new page. In every room he mixes up or hides something.
The pages are about 30 cm high and 42 cm wide. This gives you enough space in order to represent the objects in their preferably original size.
The Story – FAUSTUS, THE CRANNY-IMP
Late in the night Faustus wake up in his little hiding-place in the basement of Family Rosecube. He slips out of the old sock, where he likes to snuggle down in at night, he stretches his legs and squeaks to oneself with pleasure.
A new night is beginning, and Faustus can get on with his hide and seek-play with Family Rosecube.
Cause Faustus is a cranny-imp and cranny-imps are hiding and mixing up all objects they get hold of.
He is so small, that he would fit in a fist. Therefore comes the name: Faustus.
...
Page one
In family Rosecube's kitchen Faustus mixes up the cutlery in the drawer. The set of plastic cutlery can almost be of original size. It can be taken out and eaten with. The drawer can be pulled out. Use different materials so that everything can easily be distinguished.
Story 1
First of all Faustus creeps in the kitchen. There certainly you can do a lot of mischief. He pulls out the drawer with the cutlery and begins to mix up all knifes, forks, spoons and teaspoons which are so properly sorted. Thereby he whistle quietly "Hänschen klein, ging allein". After this work he pulls back the drawer satisfied.First of all Faustus creeps in the kitchen. There certainly you can do a lot of mischief. He pulls out the drawer with the cutlery and begins to mix up all knifes, forks, spoons and teaspoons which are so properly sorted. Thereby he whistle quietly "Hänschen klein, ging allein". After this work he pulls back the drawer satisfied.
...
Page two
In the bathroom Faustus finds three tooth mugs. Therein are the toothbrushes of the Rosecube family, which Faustus again mixes up. Three sawn up tumblers are glued with their open halves to the page so that you can feel the round side. They are marked with Braille letters: M = Mum, D = Dad, C = child. At the bottom of the page there is an empty tube of toothpaste that can be unscrewed. Faustus jumps on it like on a trampoline, so that - in the story - the entire toothpaste is spattered all over the bathroom.
Story 2
Know Faustus runs like greased lightning in the bathroom. Here he climbs on the sink and from there further to the clipboard, where the tooth mugs of Family Rosecube used to be. Each one puts properly his toothbrush in his own tooth mug.
Faustus picks Kristine´s small toothbrush and put it in the tooth mug of Daddy Rosecube and the long toothbrush from Daddy Rosecube in the tooth mug of Kristine. Mom Rosecube´s toothbrush he lays the wrong way up in the tooth mug.
Afterwards he untwists the toothpaste tube and hops about it, so that the toothpaste splashes up to the bath mirror and sticks there.
...
Page three
Faustus at family Rosecube's attic: He removes socks and clothes-pegs from the clothesline, opens the zip of the clothes-peg bag and hides socks and clothes-pegs in it. The clothesline is spanned at the top of the page. The pegs can easily be clinged and removed. The line is fixed with two glued plastic caps so that the line does not bear flat on the page. It is made of cored wire and therefore very similar to an original clothesline. Pegs and socks are slightly minimized, but can still be handled well. The pegs-bag is attached to the page by Velcro and can be taken off. The child can take the socks and the pegs from the line into the bag and backwards.
Story 3
Grinning like a Cheshire cat Faustus bounces upstairs to the attic, where Mom Rosecube used to hang out the laundry.
There are hanging several socks and all clothes-pegs on the clothesline. Faustus opens slowly the zipper of the clothes-peg bag and hides the socks and all clothes-pegs in the clothes bag. Than he closes up the zipper again.
This was really hard work for an imp and Faustus sweats terrible.
...
Page four
Faustus is back to the kitchen, where he mixes up the sponge with the potholder. The place of the sponge in the book is marked with an "Sp", that of the potholder with a "P".
Story 4
Quickly bouncing downstairs from the attic and back in the kitchen.
He could change rapidly the potholder with the sponge?
Faustus is getting hungry after so much bouncing. Troublesomely he prices open the door of the fridge and finds a piece of cheesecake, he bits of a juicy morsel. After eating a strawberry and a piece of cheese he feels strengthened for more wrongs.
...
Page five
Faustus hops criss cross through the house and adjusts all clocks back or forward. At this page there are original watches without glass - one of them attached by Velcro so that it can be taken off - and a larger model of a clock with movable and clearly different big and little hand, which can separately be removed in order to be investigated. In addition it has tactile marks at the 3, 6, 9 and 12. There, one cannot only practice to read the clock, but also illustrate spatial orientation like above, below, right, left, in front and behind.
Finally you will find at this page a fully functional "normal watch" attached with Velcro, which can be taken off the book and separately handled.
Story 5
Suddenly Faustus had an idea. He remarked that Daddy Rosecube in the morning after getting up consults a watch again and again, before he drives to work, so as not arrive late.
Faustus hops criss cross through the house and adjusts all clocks back or forward he can find. Even he forgets the wristwatch of Mr Rosecube.
Know Faustus is tired because he worked so much. Outdoors he already can hear chirping the first birds in the dawn. Faustus yawns and slips on his seat down the basement stairs. In his hideout he snuggles cosily in his old sock and drops off blissfully.