Editor’s note- This month, our own Tricia Greene, KNOWDifferent’s community liason, takes over the monthly column. If there are books you would like her to look into or topics you want covered, email her here and she will be on it!
All Dogs Have ADHD by Kathy Hoopmann (age 7+, 2nd grade) This books takes an inspiring and affectionate look at Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), using images and ideas from the canine world to explore a variety of traits that will be instantly recognizable to those who are familiar with ADHD. This delightful book combines humor with understanding to reflect the difficulties and joys of raising a child with ADHD and celebrates what it means to be considered ‘different.’
When My Worries Get Too Big! by Kari Dunn Buron
The thought of losing control can cause major problems for children who live with anxiety. Now, parents, teachers and children have a helpful tool that gives young children an opportunity to explore their own feelings with parents or teachers as they react to events in their daily lives.
Engaging and easy to read, this illustrated children’s book is filled with opportunities for children to participate in developing their own self-calming strategies. Children who use the simple strategies in this charming book, illustrated by the author, will find themselves relaxed and ready to focus on work or play!
The Alphabet War by Diane Burton Robb, illustrated by Gail Piazza (age 6-9, 2nd-5th grade) Adam starts school, and although he loves stories, he can’t seem to get the words to make sense. Over the next few years, he slowly despairs of ever learning to read. Instead, he imagines that he is being held captive by an evil king who torments him with vowels. His parents hire tutors to help, but it isn’t until a specialist comes in at the beginning of third grade and diagnoses him as dyslexic that things start to look up. For Adam, it has become a much bigger problem than just learning how to read-he must also find the self-confidence that years of failure have robbed from him. His new teacher helps him see that reading will always be hard for him, but that it is possible. The pastel illustrations adequately convey Adam’s emotions. Although the text often tells rather than shows the boy’s plight, the subject matter is handled with respect for his feelings at every stage of the process, and does not oversimplify or sugarcoat the difficulties of dyslexia.