A young artist, who can express himself so eloquently through his drawings is, by his own definition, “the slowest reader in his class”. While other students were turning the pages of their books, he is still on the first sentence. He was intimidated by the words and worried that his classmates will find out that he can’t keep up with them. A page of text seems like wall that he can’t get over.

He decides to take reading one word at a time, breaking down bigger words into smaller pieces and letting the words that he knew lead him through the story. Slowly, he gains confidence and reading is no longer scary. He learns that he doesn’t have to be a fast reader. There were lots of amazing people that were slow readers, like Albert Einstein and Picasso.

He learns that his pictures and words can be a powerful combination. He can draw horses and the words can make them breathe and run. While reading is still a slow process, he understands that they can carry him along on adventures. They are to be enjoyed, not feared.

This story beautifully describes the author’s struggle with dyslexia and his journey through the winding path of learning to read. Illustrations (watercolor, pencil and ink) provide perfect imagery for the author’s story. Aggressive-looking books, twisted word trees and huge walls of text slowly change to accessible stone word paths and an image of the boy tearing down the text wall.

An author’s note details his own struggle with dyslexia, which was a painful experience in a time when those with dyslexia were just called “slow”. This highly recommended book should be shared with students that struggle to read and their classmates, who will gain a better understanding (and empathy) along the way.