Books About Dyslexia & Audiobook Resources

Below are several book lists: books for families about dyslexia, books for children about dyslexia or containing characters with dyslexia, and decodable readers for early literacy practice.


Additional Books & Descriptions:

Tom's Special Talent Tom’s Special Talent – A Story about Dyslexia
Author:  Kate Gaynor
“Tom isn’t sure if he really has any talents at all when he sees how good his friends are at writing and reading.  But A school competition helps him to find his own very ‘special’ talent.” 
Cartwheels – Finding Your Special Kind of Smart
Author: Tracy Peterson
“Lively Sloan loves to make up dances, put on shows, and do art.  But as she heads into first grade, nothing frustrates her more than reading.  In math, the numbers go together right in her brain, but no matter how hard she looks at letters and no matter how many times teacher and parents say ‘focus’, she would much rather do cartwheels.  She feels sad that she isn’t keeping up with class and isn’t reading the ‘right way’.  Then, she finds out that she has dyslexia.”
-A great story for opening conversations and explaining the basics of dyslexia to children.
Magnificent Meg   A Read-Aloud Book to Encourage Children with Dyslexia
Author:  Andra Harris
“Leo couldn’t do anything right.  He couldn’t read or write.  He couldn’t draw.  And he a sloppy eater.  Every day and every night Leo’s father watched him for signs of blooming.”
The Alphabet War  A Story about Dyslexia
Author: Diane Burton Robb
“When Adam stared learning his letters in kindergarten, p looked like q, and b looked like d. In first grade, struggled to learn words, and second grade, spelling seemed impossible! Adam felt like he was fighting a war with letters and words, and he wasn’t winning.”
The Higgledy-Piggledy Pigeon
Author:  Don M. Winn
“Our young pigeon learns that whatever the learning difficulty may be, with  the right kind of help and effort, anyone can succeed!
Knees  – The Mixed-Up World of A Boy with Dyslexia
Author: Vanita Oelschiager
“In a refreshing, uplifting, well told and whimsically illustrated story, author Vanita Oelschager takes us on a journey narrated by a child, full of practical advice and wisdom.  Parent, teachers, and children who struggle with learning differences will not want to miss this message of hope, support and encouragement.”
Here’s Hank Series
Author:  Henry Winkler
“Here’s what you need to know about me:  I don’t try to make the kids in my class laugh, but somehow, I do.  Spelling is my worst subject. (Come to think of it, so are math and reading!)  I try hard – I really do. So why does my brain always freeze into a Popsicle?”
Hank Zipzer Series
Authors:  Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver
“Hank Zipzer:  He’s smart. He’s creative  He’s funny. His pencils are sharp.  His binders are bound. He wants to do well in school – he really does. He tries not to be lazy, like his parents claim he is.  So why is he always getting into trouble?”

 

AUDIOBOOK RESOURCES

Listening to audiobooks is an alternative way to access literature and has shown to help students with many of the following: auditory learning, improved comprehension, reduced reading anxiety, ability to access grade-level content, growing a love for literature, and a multisensory experience.

Some resources we are aware of are below – if you have any to share please let us know so we can add to this list.

1.North Carolina Accessible Books and Library Services- created for people with visual/physical & reading disability. Library is located in Raleigh but mails throughout the state. https://Statelibrary.ncdcr.gov/about-us/accessible-books-and-library-services

2. Bookshare- a free service for dyslexic individuals with over one million book titles. Ability to change voices and follow text. www.bookshare.org

3. Learning Ally– $135 yearly. An audiobook reading solution designed for Dyslexic and below grade level readers. High-quality, human-read audiobooks.

4. Speechify- Speechify lets you upload documents and convert them into downloadable audio files. It can read web pages, PDF files, docs, Microsoft Word files, emails, and other formats. You can also listen to your text offline by taking a photo of the text and letting Speechify read it to you. https://speechify.com/

5. Chirpbooks– Audiobook company without subscription fees and limited-time deals on books. https://www.chirpbooks.com/

6. Bookshare – free for students with reading disabilities. High quality audio; see & follow text with word highlighting; adjust reading speed, font, & color; enlarge font size, add bookmarks & notes
www.bookshare.org

7. Audible- an Amazon company that offer a subscription service for audio books. https://www.audible.com/

8. National Library Service- A free library service for people with reading disabilities through a network of libraries that offer free deliver and audio downloads. https://www.loc.gov/nls/

9. Libby- Library reading app that offers audiobooks for free from your local library. https://www.overdrive.com/apps/libby