Hudson Hates School by Ella Hudson

Frances Lincoln, 2012. ISBN: 9781847803757.
Although Hudson is a creative and talented child, he hates school . . . particularly spelling tests. Thanks to the poor classroom management skills practiced by Hudson's teacher and the teasing he suffers at the hands of his classmates, school is a nightmare for him, until he is introduced to Mr. Shapland. In the study room, Hudson completes some very different tests which reveal he has dyslexia. With support from a different teacher in a class of other dyslexic children, Hudson's attitude to school and his work begins to change.
This debut picture book, written by a teacher who is also a sufferer of dyslexia, should provide children with some answers and reassurance about the condition. Somehow, the pictures of two different brains failed to fully provide sufficiently simple information to young sufferers. Although the illustrations are simplistic and quirky, they held little appeal to me. Despite the necessity of such titles with which to introduce difficult topics to young children, I felt disappointed by this book. Nonetheless, it would still be another resource to draw upon when discussing dyslexia with children in the classroom.
Jo Schenkel