World Book Day 2021: our favourite dyslexia-friendly books!
2/3/2021
This World Book Day let’s celebrate accessible and inclusive literature! We’ve pulled together recommendations from the DYT team and the wider DYT Community to compile a list of our favourite dyslexia-friendly books for readers of all ages and reading levels. For more ideas, check out specialist publishers Barrington Stoke.
Click here for our top tips for encouraging learners with literacy difficulties to engage with reading.
You Choose Your Dreams – Pippa Goodhart
Recommended by our Consultant Teacher, Kelly Challis, ‘You Choose Your Dreams‘ is one of many interactive children’s books and is perfect for encouraging imagination and prediction. Its illustrations help bring the book to life and will take learners on a new journey with every read.
The Princess in Black – Sharon Hale and Dean Hale
‘The Princess in Black‘ provides an alternate to the standard princess story. Featuring a strong female lead character, this princess ditches her flouncy dresses to fight monsters. With fun, cartoon-style pictures, this is an easy and engaging read for both girls and boys. The series is also available as audiobooks – ideal for learners with more severe literacy difficulties.
Tuesday – David Wiesner
Recommended by our DYT Community, ‘Tuesday‘ is a mostly-wordless picture book and is a great choose for learners in both Key Stage 1 and 2. It encourages discussion without requiring learners to read masses of text, and the illustrations will draw in even reluctant readers.
Toro! Toro! – Michael Morpurgo
No book list would be complete without a Michael Morpurgo entry. ‘Toro! Toro!‘ takes place in 1936 during the Spanish Civil War and has an easy-to-read font, so it’s ideal for learners with literacy difficulties. It’s also available on Audible as an audiobook.
Mr Birdsnest and the House Next Door – Julia Donaldson
Published by dyslexia-specialists Barrington Stoke, ‘Mr Birdsnest and the House Next Door‘ has all the hallmarks of a dyslexia-friendly read. It’s layout, font and even it’s paperstock are all designed to be accessible for learners with literacy difficulties.
Hilo: The Boy Who Crashed to Earth – Judd Winick
‘Hilo: The Boy Who Crashed to Earth‘ is a series of graphic novels which are totally captivating and detailed enough to encourage discussion. Graphic novels and cartoons are ideal if you’re looking for something engaging that isn’t text-heavy.
Did we miss out any of your favourite dyslexia-friendly books? Let us know it’s title and author, and we’ll include add it to this post. A revised and updated list will go out in our next newsletter.
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