Ganesh Chaturthi, Dyslexia, And More!

Most picture books depict boys with dyslexia, so I was very happy to see this one releasing today, about a little girl with dyslexia trying to write a story for her grandmother’s birthday. It’s a sweet story, and the back matter includes ideas to help kids with dyslexia. For another picture book about dyslexia featuring a girl main character, check out Brilliant Bea.

Abdul loves stories but struggles to write down his own. He thinks, because his writing is so messy and because he never sees kids like himself in stories, that he shouldn’t be a writer. Then a real writer visits his classroom, Mr. Muhammad, and shows the class that everyone makes mistakes, and that good stories come from good editing. Encouraged, Abdul realizes that anyone can be a storyteller, including himself. While this picture book doesn’t specify that Abdul has dyslexia, it is adjacent.

This beautifully illustrated picture book is one of my favorites. It’s based on the author’s childhood experiences. Hudson loves drawing and stories, but he reads very slowly, and he gets frustrated and embarrassed by how long it takes him to read. When he learns about other people who read slowly, he gives himself permission to read slowly and continue to relish the books he loves.

Like Hudson, Aaron loves stories and art, but words jumble up whenever he tries to read or write, and he struggles to make sense of them. When Ms. Greer assigns the class a storytelling project, Aaron despairs. But with a little ingenuity, he finds a unique way to tell a story. Like the rest of The Questioneers series, this is written in rhyming verse. It’s such a fun read aloud.