5 Great Children's Books Featuring Characters with Dyslexia

My name is Brain Brian
This outstanding book by Jeanne Betancourt, portrays the life of a boy who struggles to hide his dyslexia from his friends. Based on the author's personal experience as a dyslexic, this novel is "drawn from real insight".

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Fish in a Tree
Ally has been smart enough to fool a lot of smart people. Every time she lands in a new school, she is able to hide her inability to read by creating clever yet disruptive distractions.  She is afraid to ask for help; after all, how can you cure dumb? However, her newest teacher Mr. Daniels sees the bright, creative kid underneath the trouble maker. With his help, Ally learns not to be so hard on herself and that dyslexia is nothing to be ashamed of.  As her confidence grows, Ally feels free to be herself and the world starts opening up with possibilities. She discovers that there’s a lot more to her—and to everyone—than a label, and that great minds don’t always think alike.

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Knees: The mixed up world of a boy with dyslexia
This is a good book for kids dealing with dyslexia.  The author explains what life is like for a child with dyslexia, from backward letters and numbers, to words jumbling in the air and falling into his ear messed up and difficult to understand.

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Thank You, Mr. Falker
This is one of my all time favorite picture books! The story's main character, Trisha, so badly wants to read. Due to her undiagnosed dyslexia, she struggles with reading until with her 5th grade teacher, Mr. Falker, discovers her secret and teaches her how to read. On the last page of the story, the author reveals that "Trisha" is Patricia Polacco, and Mr. Falker was the teacher who changed her life. Have a box of tissues handy while reading this beautiful story - I can never make it through dry eyed!

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Josh: A Boy With Dyslexia   
This is the first children's book I ever read featuring a main character with dyslexia. It was part of a fourth grade study about "understanding differences." My students loved reading this book, along with Janover's book, Zipper: A Kid with ADHD. It gave them a glimpse into someone else's life and struggles. It also taught them that a disability doesn't define a person or their worth.

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