For Aaron D. Slater, listening to stories is the greatest thing.
He dreams of writing stories one day.
But when he starts school, he finds out that reading and writing is not going to be easy.
When Aaron tries to read, it’s all squiggles to him. Aaron D. Slater has dyslexia.
While he lets the colours and style drain from him as he tries to blend in, we soon discover that Aaron cannot hide who he is.
When Aaron has to read his story to the class, he closes his eyes and uses his imagination to paint a beautiful picture of what’s in his head. His teacher helps him discovers his superpower—his art.
“His art makes the difference. His art leads the way and helps him discover what he wants to say.”
Written in rhyming prose, Aaron Slater, Illustrator, is a part of the Questioneers series by Andrea Beaty, the New York Times bestselling author. The illustrations by Aaron in the book, are vibrant and magical. It’s wonderful to see diversity celebrated in this book and to be reminded that not everyone learns the same way.
I was impressed to see that the text in the book is printed in dyslexic friendly font. I’ve never seen this highlighted in a book before and was excited to learn more about how the font was designed to help a dyslexic reader.
On the back page the author shares information about dyslexia and other learning disabilities. The author reminds us that while Aaron’s dyslexia informs who he is, it does not define him. She encourages us to find what makes each of us unique and important to the world.
This book would help a child with dyslexia to feel seen and heard and to find the courage to share their gifts with the world, just like Aaron does.
Helps with: finding your voice, sharing stories with art, creative expression, seeing diversity, having dyslexia, learning about your strengths and talents, courage, anxiety, empathy, and self-worth.
Author: Andrea Beaty
Publisher: Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2021