October is Dyslexia Awareness Month! Here are some books and films that center this neurobiological learning disability.
Selected Resources about Dyslexia/with Dyslexic Characters
This quick-reading graphic novel begins the compelling story of an African-American boy who is also a colorful superhero with dyslexia. Dr. Shawn Anthony Robinson and co-author Mrs Inshirah Robinson RN, are parents who say their goal is to empower students in Special Education to stay encouraged and know they too can achieve greatness!
This novel-in-verse is based on the author's grandmother's experiences growing up on a farm in Cuba with dyslexia. Commended by the Disability in Kidlit Honor Roll.
At first, Trisha loves school, but then she has difficulty learning to read. In the fifth grade, a new teacher helps her understand and overcome her problem. This title and The Art of Miss Chew are inspired by the author's own experiences.
A gifted artist, sixth grader Ally's greatest fear is that everyone will find out she still doesn't know how to read. Parents and educators would do well to read Nancy Keim Comley's nuanced review of this title on Disability in Kidlit.
Twelve-year-old Foster McFee and her mother escape from her mother's abusive boyfriend and end up in the small town of Culpepper, West Virginia, where they use their strengths and challenge themselves to build a new life, with the help of the friends they make there.
When Sam, who can barely read, discovers an old newspaper clipping just before his eleventh birthday, it brings forth memories from his past, and, with the help of a new friend at school and the castle they are building for a school project, his questions are eventually answered.
Brainy Scott, a great kicker who otherwise struggles with football, and star quarterback Chris, who has dyslexia, team up to help each other succeed in both football and school.
Twelve-year-old Jamie Parker is trapped in all sorts of ways. His father is in danger of losing his lobster business and middle school is starting, which means Jamie will now be stuck in his reading classes again. Not only is reading hard for him, but he has to contend with Ray Quinn, a bully who has been terrorizing Jamie for years. But now Ray has another victim: new kid, Oscar, has a full head of wild, red hair that makes him an instant target for Ray's teasing. Should Jamie risk Ray's wrath and defend Oscar?
This innovative and timely picture book teaches children that they have the ability to stretch and grow their own brains. It also delivers the crucial message that mistakes are an essential part of learning. The book introduces children to the anatomy and various functions of the brain in a fun and engaging way.
What do a trapeze artist, an Arctic explorer, and a soccer player have in common? Meet the fifteen kids and adults profiled in "That's Like Me!," a collection of first-person accounts of successful people who learn differently. Whether it was reading, math, writing, or speech problems, each person shares his or her inspiring story of facing the challenge of school, while pursuing important goals.
Eight-year-old Ishaan can't seem to get anything right in class and gets into more trouble than his parents can handle. They pack him off to boarding school to 'be disciplined, ' and his art teacher, Nikumbh, realizes that something is wrong and sets out to discover what it is. With time, patience, and care, Nikumbh helps Ishaan find himself.
Produced with the purpose of alleviating the stigma associated with dyslexia, The Big Picture features the testimony of individuals from various backgrounds diagnosed with dyslexia (including investment advisor Charles Schwab and billionaire Richard Branson) describing how they learned to live with and overcome their disability. Medical experts explain the neurological causes of the condition.
From one of the world's leading experts on reading and dyslexia comes the most comprehensive, up-to-date, and practical book yet to help one understand, identify, and overcome the reading problems that plague American children today. For the one in every five children who has dyslexia and the millions of others who struggle to read at their own grade levels--as well as for their parents, teachers, and tutors--this book can make a difference.