January is flying by!! We only have a couple more weeks until the big day--the Read Your World Celebration!! We are sharing another book for the big event. This one shares about a neurodivergent young girl and how her ADHD affects her life especially at school. The book is not released yet but will be coming out in April 2025. The book is Ady and Me by Richard Pink and Roxanne Pink and illustrated by Sara Rhys. It is recommended for ages 3 to 7.
From the Publisher:
Learn about neurodivergence in this thoughtful, fun-filled story about ADHD written by the iconic duo behind ADHD Love, Roxanne and Richard Pink.I have a secret that lives in my brain.
I call him Ady, but that's not his name. . .
Doctors told Dad it's called ADHD
But that's way too boring for Ady and Me.
Join Sophie and her best friend Ady as they get ready for school, attend class and learn all about exciting things from pharaohs to Venus and Mars. . . but Sophie's teacher doesn't see Ady or quite understand him. Ady wants to be friends with everyone, doodles on the page, spills paint and gets distracted when learning all about maths.
Ady may cause a mess sometimes, and Ady and Sophie are often running late – but having an Ady also brings creativity and joy to Sophie's life – and art class is their absolute favourite! Join Sophie and Ady as they find a place where they are happy and celebrated, as everyone should be, on their journey from misunderstanding to acceptance.
Through Ady and Me children will learn to understand, love and accept neurodivergence, in a simple metaphor that demonstrates all the ups and downs of life with ADHD, or with an Ady by your side!
ADHD Love's Rich and Rox bring their personal experience of neurodivergence to the story, sharing their important message that ADHD isn't something to be ashamed of – but something to be understood and celebrated. Ady is something to celebrate, and as Sophie discovers, lots of people have Ady's of their own!
With hundreds of thousands of followers across social channels, Rich and Rox bring their popular and important message directly to kids for the first time in Ady and Me. Paired with charming illustrations by Sara Rhys, Ady and Me is a powerful and important picture book filled with color, fun, creativity and most importantly a celebration of all people on the rainbow spectrum of neurodiversity.
From Me:
This book takes a common neurodivergence and gives it an image and a name. It helps explain some of the things as a teacher can drive me crazy about my students with ADHD. How it is all explained--Ady is the ADHD but is personified as a creature who keeps distracting Sophie from what she is supposed to be doing. Ady makes her late. Ady makes the mess, and it keeps going. I love how this book visualizes and explains some of what ADHD is like.
The story is wonderful but so are the illustrations. The colorful pages share how Sophie sees her ADHD. It is part of her that she cannot leave but it is like she is sharing her brain and body with a younger child who doesn't listen to the rules or adults. I love that when the teacher brings Sophie to the principal's office the principal completely understands Sophie and tells the teacher she is at fault for not understanding or having the patience. Of course, Ady and Sophie notice another little figure around the principal. It seems he has his own, "Ady" or ADHD.
As a teacher of students with ADHD and many on the spectrum of autism, I find this book so interesting and informative. It truly was eye-opening to me and gave me an inside view of how some of my students may be feeling. I know at our school we try to approach each student where they are at instead of making them comply to rules that Sophie's teacher was trying to. We see each person's way of thinking as different and not necessarily worse or better. I hope society will learn to accept that neurodivergence is not a problem but a blessing since we all see things differently and think differently. Imagine if we work together with the differences helping us understand and see even more! This book is perfect for a family with someone getting the ADHD diagnosis or for a classroom or story time to help us understand other people's differences.
Read Your World 2025 (1/30/25) is in its 13th year! Valarie Budayr and Mia Wenjen founded this non-profit children’s literacy initiative; they are two diverse book-loving moms who saw a need to shine the spotlight on all of the multicultural diverse books and authors on the market while also working to get those books into the hands of young readers and educators.
Read Your World’s mission is to raise awareness of the need to include kids’ books celebrating diversity in homes and school bookshelves. Read about our Mission and history HERE.
Read Your World is honored to be Supported by these Medallion:
FOUNDER’S CIRCLE: Mia Wenjen (Pragmaticmom) and Valarie Budayr (Audreypress.com)
🏅 Super Platinum Sponsor: Author Deedee Cummings and Make A Way Media
🏅 Platinum Sponsors: Publisher Spotlight and Language Lizard Bilingual Books in 60 Languages
🏅 Gold Sponsors: Third State Books
🏅 Silver Sponsors: Red Comet Press and Lerner Books
🏅 Silver Corporate Sponsor: Scholastic Books
🏅 Bronze Sponsors: Lee and Low
🏅 Corporate Sponsor: Crayola Education and Scholastic
Read Your World is honored to be Supported by these Author Sponsors!
Authors: Stephanie M. Wildman, Martha Seif Simpson, Anna Jennings, Gwen Jackson, Afsaneh Moradian, Josh Funk, Nancy Tupper Ling, Kathleen Burkinshaw, Gea Meijering, Eugenia Chu, Dorktales Story Time, Amanda Hsiung-Blodgett, Authors J.C. Kato and J.C.², Cynthia Levinson, Diana Huang, Rochelle Melander, Lisa Chong, Lisa Stringfellow, Brunella Costaglioga, Lindsey Rowe Parker, Rachel C. Katz, Tonya Duncan Ellis, Shifa Safadi, Lisa Rogers, Sylvia Liu, Eva Clarke
Read Your World is Honored to be Supported by our CoHosts and Global CoHosts and by our Partner Organizations!
Check out RYW’s Multicultural Books for Kids Pinterest Board!
📌 FREE RESOURCES from Read Your World Day
📌 Register for the Read Your World Virtual Party
Join us on Thursday, January 30, 2025, at 9 pm EST celebrating 13 years of Read Your World Day Virtual Party! Register here.
This epically fun and fast-paced hour includes multicultural book discussions, addressing timely issues, diverse book recommendations, & reading ideas.
We will be giving away a 10-Book Bundle during the virtual party plus Bonus Prizes as well! *** US and Global participants are welcome. **
Follow the hashtag #ReadYourWorld to join the conversation, and connect with like-minded parts, authors, publishers, educators, organizations, and librarians. We look forward to seeing you all on January 30, 2025, at our virtual party!
