Wild Things: How We Learn To Read and What Can Happen If We Don't

Description

In this exploration of dyslexia, ADHD and neurodivergent people, best-selling author Sally Rippin asks: What happens to kids who don't learn how to read? And how can we help? When Sally Rippin discovered her child was struggling to read, the best-selling children's author assumed it would sort itself out over time. She couldn't have been more wrong. Her son's dyslexia and ADHD went unsupported for years, leaving him further and further behind his peers, and labelled as 'difficult' by an education system that couldn't easily cater to neurodivergent kids. By the time Sally learned how to advocate for her child, it was - almost - too late. This extraordinary book for parents is about how we learn to read and what can happen if we don't, through the eyes of a parent who started out by doing everything the wrong way. Through meticulous research, interviews with educational experts and conversations with neurodivergent adults, Rippin shares her brilliant and eye-opening insights into how we can help all kids find the joy in reading, and advocate for them within our schooling system. After all, they say school isn't for everyone, but if everyone must go to school - then why not?

Sally Rippin is a best-selling writer for children, with over ten million books sold in fourteen languages. Her most popular titles include the Billie B Brown and Hey Jack! series, and more recently, the School of Monsters series for beginner readers. Sally travels across the world speaking with parents, teachers and librarians about how to engage struggling readers, having brought up one herself.

'Sally Rippin is one of Australia's most beloved children's authors, but this book is her true gift to parents. Wild Things throbs with love, compassion and, above all, hope for children who happen to find written words really hard.' - Alice Pung OAM, author of Unpolished Gem 'This illuminating, big-hearted, deeply humane book is both essential guide and powerful call to action. A much-needed source of solace and empowerment for any parent with a child who struggles at school, this is also a vital commentary on the desperate need for a better resourced and more inclusive education system. Left me heartbroken, inspired, and fired up to create change for the kids locked out of all that reading brings.' - Rachel Power, author of The Divided Heart and journalist for the Australian Education Union. 'Wild Things shows what happens in an education system that isn't built to support different learning styles. This is a must-read for parents, teachers and universities wanting to learn how we can create an inclusive and accessible education system for everyone.' - Eliza Hull, disability advocate and editor of We've Got This: Stories by Disabled Parents 'This one's for the kids who couldn't and shouldn't be tamed. Celebrated children's author Sally Rippin turns her attention to ADHD, autism and dyslexia, having watched her own son struggle. Wild Things is a compassionate and passionate inquiry into how kids are let down - and how they can be held aloft.' - Jenny Valentish, journalist and author of Everything Harder Than Everyone Else '[Wild Things] is powerful and informative, full of wonderful tips and evidence-based facts. It's going to be helpful for everyone - parents and carers, anyone who has been touched by literacy difficulties, at any stage of their life. Our kids do find their way, but as [Sally Rippin has] clearly said, this journey would have been so much easier if our kids had only been given the opportunity to learn to read early in primary school.' - Heidi Gregory, founder of the Dyslexia Victoria Support Facebook page 'This made us tear up immediately. An important book for us all.' - Mandy and Kate, hosts of Too Peas in a Podcast