This was never going to be a short review
Please do read it all x

May I introduce you to our very own
Thunder Boots

Her name is Edie
She is 6 years old
And while she is too young
For an official diagnosis
She is definitely dyslexic
I recognise the signs
From Esther and Bea
Who are also both
Dyslexic
I am the proud mummy
Of three dyslexic daughters
Each one deals with it differently
As their dyslexia affects them differently
Esther and Edie also have other
Neurodivergences

Esther at almost 13
Is incredibly self aware
She is a beacon of hope
For our little Thunder Boots
She has come to terms
With her dyslexia and her autism
She is a proud ambassador
For socially awkward
Clumsy
Disorganised
Creatives
And I hope with all my heart
That Edie will follow in her footsteps

Bea is much more confident
She struggles with writing
And needs to work harder than her peers
To read confidently and to learn dances
BUT she does work incredibly hard
And she does not let her differences
Hold her back
Bea’s dream is to be an actress
And she also loves to dance
Edie shares her passions
For acting, singing and dancing
They make a great team!

Edie is struggling emotionally
At the moment
She has just turned six
And she is starting to notice
That she is finding reading
Very tricky indeed
She is embarrassed
That she cannot read
Even with big sister Esther
Showing her that it will come
With patience and practice and time
She gets muddled easily
She learns things and
Quickly forgets them again

Even without the pressures of school
Edie wants everything to be perfect
And she gets very upset
When things are not
For a dyslexic child
Things can go wrong a lot
Progress takes A LOT of practise
And at the moment
Edie finds that hard to accept
That is why
I have been so excited for
Thunder Boots
Written by Naomi Jones
With illustrations by Rebecca Ashdown

To show Edie
That she is not alone
There are other children
Just like her
Who struggle to stay still
Who love to move
Who are incredible at art
Who love to dance and sing
Who have a warm wit
And great comic timing
Who love adventures and exploring
But cannot always find the words
To say what they mean
Who find that the letters
They are trying to read
Will not stay still on the page
Who write their numbers
Back to front
And their letters
The wrong direction across the page
Thunder Boots is a
Brilliant and beautiful book
Celebrating children just like Edie
Who are different in the most
Wonderful of ways
They have a special super power
And it is called dyslexia

My children
Like author Naomi Jones
Are brilliant inventors
Creative storytellers
Imaginative world builders
And lose themselves
Alone and together
In fantasy worlds
Of their own making

I hope that Trixie
Thunder Boots
Vibrantly and
Joyfully illustrated
Will help other children
Do the same
Or help them
Find their own unique
Talents and abilities
I hope that this story
So special to Naomi
Will help dyslexic children
Discover their superpower
And empower them to
Be proud of their differences

It is okay to be different
It is okay to learn differently

And Trixie is the perfect character
To show the world
That though life with dyslexia
Can be hard
It can also be pretty wonderful
And enormously rewarding

Trixie is little and loud
She loves to run and jump
Cartwheel and dance
She is always on the move
And everyone in her tower block
Knows just who she is

As the story starts
Trixie is super excited
For her first day at school
She hops, skips and jumps
All the way there
Hand in hand with her dad
Cheered on by their neighbours

Trixie loves school
She loves to learn
And she loves to play
But as the pages turn
We see some things
Are tricky for Trixie
She loses her water bottle
She struggles to sit still
In story time
She finds it hard
To follow long lists
Of instructions in PE
And in spite of working hard
Reading and writing
Does not come easy

Loud Trixie
Becomes quiet Trixie
Her parents and teacher
Notice that something
Is not right

Through the book
There are little things
That tugged hard
At my heartstrings
As a mum of dyslexic daughters

I wanted to tell the teacher
She is listening to the story
She is excited about
And finds it hard to be still
But she is actively listening
And she will remember the story
And retell all her favourite parts

I wanted to cuddle
Trixie when she struggled
To understand units of time
And the order of the days of the week
Edie always confuses
Tomorrow and yesterday
She finds understanding
Lengths of time tricky
And no matter how many times
We sing the days of the week song
She never quite gets the order right

These things are all part of being dyslexic
They do not mean that a child
Is not intelligent or capable
It means they need help
With routines and timetables
It means they need plans
And reminders
Of what and who, where and when

I loved that Trixie was able
To tell her daddy
That she was struggling
I wish all children had
That special someone
That they could open up to
And that would reassure their child
And become their champion
Campaigning for their needs
Every child needs a parent
And / or a teacher who believes in them
And who knows how to help them
Especially children with dyslexia
And other learning needs

I love how Trixie’s dad
Shares his own experiences
Of learning differently
And puts a positive spin
On it all for Trixie
Telling her that
Seeing things differently
Is a superpower
Is her superpower

In this story
Home and school work together
To get Trixie the help that she needs
Trixie is included in the creation
Of her individual learning plan
Which is hugely empowering for her
I love how the teacher
Inspired by Trixie
Talks to the class in a fun and
Inclusive way about how
We are all different

There is so much good in this
Brilliant and beautiful book
This is a story for all children
A book that will help dyslexic children
Their families, friends and teachers

I love that this story nods to
Dyslexia being genetic
Something that we only discovered
When Esther was diagnosed
And David realised that
He too is dyslexic
And so is his dad
Who was never diagnosed
But did not learn to read
Until he was 10
Even though he is one of
The most intelligent human beings
I have had the privilege to meet

I love that this book
Shows what life with dyslexia
Might look like
That it is about more than
Reading and writing
It can affect so many things
And completely different things
In different people

I love that this book
Puts a positive spin
On learning differently
And that it shines a light
On how our young superheroes
Can and should be supported
In school and at home

We ALL have a lot to learn
About dyslexia
Even those who live with it
Every single day
There is more we can know
More we can understand
More we can do to
Support and encourage and include
Our young people
And older dyslexic people too

Trixie has danced her way
In to our hearts
And I hope that she and her
Thunder Boots
Find a way in to every
Classroom, library and home

A HUGE thumbs up from us
And a heartfelt thank you
To Naomi for telling the tale
Of my three daughters
And especially of our
Very own Thunderboots
Edie