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A review by kitsuneheart
Back to Front and Upside Down! by Claire Alexander
4.0
Miss Catnip's class is excited to make birthday cards for the principal, but when she asks students to write "Happy Birthday" on their cards, Stan is terrified. His letters all come out jumbled! But, with the encouragement of his friend, he asks the teacher for help, and finds he isn't the only student who has a hard time!
This book won the Schneider Family Book Award, which is given to books which portray people living with a disability. In this instance, while it is never stated explicitly, Stan has dyslexia. While the solution to his problem may be simple (simple enough that he is able to write "Happy Birthday" in one afternoon of practice), making it so is encouraging to children who also have troubles with their letters.
The artwork is soft and, quite frankly, adorable, and you really FEEL for Stan when he's on the playground, fretting over his card.
While I've not read many picture books which address dyslexia, I think this book needs to be the minimum starting point for bringing up the issue in a classroom setting. By reading this in class, hopefully at least some students who have a problem with reading and writing will feel more comfortable coming forward and getting the assistance they need. And, of course, this is a MUST for any household where a child has just been found to have dyslexia! Seeing themselves in a book will help them realize it's normal and that they can still do well in school.
This book won the Schneider Family Book Award, which is given to books which portray people living with a disability. In this instance, while it is never stated explicitly, Stan has dyslexia. While the solution to his problem may be simple (simple enough that he is able to write "Happy Birthday" in one afternoon of practice), making it so is encouraging to children who also have troubles with their letters.
The artwork is soft and, quite frankly, adorable, and you really FEEL for Stan when he's on the playground, fretting over his card.
While I've not read many picture books which address dyslexia, I think this book needs to be the minimum starting point for bringing up the issue in a classroom setting. By reading this in class, hopefully at least some students who have a problem with reading and writing will feel more comfortable coming forward and getting the assistance they need. And, of course, this is a MUST for any household where a child has just been found to have dyslexia! Seeing themselves in a book will help them realize it's normal and that they can still do well in school.