Meet the Dyslexia Club! by Margaret Rooke & Tim Stringer ~ Guest Post – Picture Book Perfect
I’m pleased to be sharing a guest post by Margaret Rooke about her latest book, Meet the Dyslexia Club! illustrated by Tim Stringer. This brilliant book showcases the amazing talents, skills and everyday life of children with dyslexia.
If someone is dyslexic, they might struggle with reading and spelling, writing neatly, or processing lots of instructions at once. Readers will meet a group of dyslexic children from diverse backgrounds who talk about their lives and what their schooldays are like. They share their challenges but more importantly they showcase their strengths! Some dyslexic children are fantastic at storytelling, some are great at helping other people, some love all sorts of art and design, some are problem-solvers, and some are brilliant at spotting patterns in groups of numbers. The children of the Dyslexia Club are very inspirational!
Dyslexia impacts three generations in my family, and I was delighted to find a book that goes beyond what children might find challenging, to celebrate how their brains work creatively and suggest some innovative work around for tasks they might find difficult. On dyslexia friendly paper, this 80-page book doesn’t feel too overwhelming, as children can dip in and out of it, reading about a different member of the dyslexia club each time. It nicely highlights have dyslexia impacts everyone differently and so hopefully children will find at least one of the diverse club members relatable to them.
Meet the Dyslexia Club! is a fantastic, accessible resource for families impacted by dyslexia. It gives children, parents and teachers practical guidance on how to support children with dyslexia and I highly recommend it. And so, with no more ado, let me hand over to Margaret to tell us about the inspiration behind this fabulous book…
Why I wrote Meet the Dyslexia Club!
As children we spend so much of our lives at school. While we’re there, if we’re struggling to learn the basics, life can feel lonely, frustrating and exhausting.
It can be confusing when others in our class understand how to spell and how to get to grips with reading and writing, while we are finding things so tough. And it’s all too easy to zero in on what we find difficult and forget to celebrate what we’re great at.
This is why I wrote Meet the Dyslexia Club! It’s a book for primary children, their parents and teachers and everyone else in their lives. I’ve created young characters who talk about their lives, especially their lives at school. They explain how they can be helped by their teachers and how their parents can tell them things in a way they can remember.
They talk about what they are really good at and what their ambitions are for the future.
The book is beautifully illustrated by Tim Stringer to draw the attention of young minds. A lot is written using the words of real children who very carefully answered my questions and have helped create something that can be useful for so many.
Children with dyslexia find themselves in an education system largely run for those whole minds work differently to their own. It’s so important to do all we can to keep their levels of confidence and self-belief high. So much of what they are good at can lead to success in life after school if they carry on believing in themselves and their abilities.
When children read about the experiences of those like them, with or without our help, this helps them feel they’re not alone. It can help them re-assess themselves. They can find themselves walking taller.
When we found out our daughter was dyslexic, I was determined that a label wouldn’t stop her building the future she wanted for herself. I started talking to successful people with dyslexia for my book Creative, Successful, Dyslexic, to hear about what united adults with dyslexia who have done well in their chosen craft. I found out how important it is for children to have an adult on their side as they are growing up, giving them a different message to negative ones they might take in about themselves at school.
I found out that learning is everywhere, not just in the classroom. I found out that you only have to be good at one thing to do well in life, if you put in the hours.
Since then, I’ve interviewed children and teens for my next book Dyslexia is My Superpower (Most of the Time) and now younger children for this book. From everyone, old and young, I have heard similar messages: with focus, support and hard work, we can all be the best version of ourselves.
Thank you so much, Margaret! Meet the Dyslexia Club was published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 21 October 2024
ISBN: 978-1839978432
About Margaret:
Margaret is an author and writer who loves writing inspirational books for children, teens and their parents and teachers. That’s what she does for half of the week. The rest of the time she writes for charities. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram @margsrooke or via her website.
I am very grateful to the publisher for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book. This voluntary feature contains my honest opinion.
