Book Review: The Illustrated Guide to Dyslexia and its Amazing People

At Driver Youth Trust, we are passionate about including young people in discussions and decisions about their future.  In order for young people to become self-advocates, it is important that they understand their strengths as well as their difficulties and have relevant information available to them about possible support mechanisms.  The Illustrated Guide to Dyslexia And Its Amazing People deftly looks at what dyslexia is and how it can affect individuals (both positively and negatively) in different ways.

Whilst there are already books on the market aimed at young people that explain some of the issues around Dyslexia, what I found so refreshing about this book is the use of visual representations of the issues and helpful hints about possible solutions for each issue.

Kate and Kathy seem to have the balance just right between honesty about possible difficulties and positivity about outcomes.  There has been much publicity around ‘famous dyslexics’ over the past decade but rather than concentrating on actors and entrepreneurs, a range of individuals who have secured aspirational careers such as a product designer, mechanical engineer and an architect are introduced towards the end of the book.

This book is particularly aimed at young people and their families but is suitable for all.  Personalisation of the issues will make it easy for young people to relate to and the careful selection of font, words and visuals make it accessible.  Even seasoned teachers are likely to benefit from the handy tips about quick and easy strategies to support our young people experiencing difficulties.

I applaud Kate, Kathy and Richard for producing such an innovative take on, what remains, a significant barrier to education for many young people.  I would heartily recommend all schools to purchase several copies of this book for their libraries and staff rooms.  All I can say is, if you haven’t read it yet, do!