12th September 2024
Louth County Council Arts Office are pleased to announce that every DEIS and Special School in Co. Louth will receive a set of 4 dyslexia-friendly children’s books about Irish wildlife by author Shane Casey.
Dyslexia affects, on average, 3 children in every class of 24. However, despite a significant increase in the awareness and understanding of the challenges faced, there remains limited resources available for the children themselves.
Through the support of Louth County Council’s Arts Office, one collection of Irish published books, the ‘Nature’s Adventures’ collection, is working to buck this trend.
Speaking about the dyslexia-friendly elements of the book’s design and layout, author Shane Casey says, ‘they are only slight changes, but they make an enormous difference. We use a combination of special font, colour schemes, and layout to make it easier for children with dyslexia to read. Little things, like avoiding a double space after a full stop, prevents white lightning on the page. Or left aligning the text instead of justifying it, makes it easier to see where the sentence ends, and is less daunting for a young reader than a block of text.’
‘The stories themselves are also important,’ continues Shane, ‘many of the books used by children with dyslexia can be quite juvenile, and so having stories that are age appropriate is key to encouraging children to read more. For some 11- and 12-year-olds, these were the first books they had managed to read in full on their own, and it had given them the confidence to try other books.’
Shane is a Biodiversity Officer, and with three stories in each book, his series helps to engage children with the wildlife on their own doorstep, from hedgehogs and mayflies to song thrushes and salmon. ‘So many children’s books personify wildlife and nature beyond recognition,’ says Shane, ‘and during a global biodiversity and climate crisis, it is important to both understand and appreciate the world around us.
To strengthen their educational value, the books are accompanied by support materials for teachers (also available as a free download from www.shanecaseybooks.ie for parents).
The four books sponsored by Louth County Council are ‘Nature’s Secret Adventures,’ ‘Nature’s Hidden Adventures,’ ‘Nature’s Marvellous Adventures,’ and ‘Nature’s Incredible Adventures’. Louth Arts Officer Moya Hodgers has said “Literature and reading is such a crucial element of arts for children and adults alike. To be able to support an initiative like this helps us to reach out to a specific group, to use these books to inspire their creativity, to show them that art is and should be as accessible to them as everyone else.”
What makes the books dyslexia friendly:
We use five simple techniques in our books to make them more accessible for dyslexic readers. While they may not work in every case, we have received a very positive response from parents, teachers, and children with dyslexia.
- We use a special font called OpenDyslexic font. This is currently free to download at http://dyslexicfonts.com
- We avoid black text on a white background. Instead we use dark blue text on a cream background.
- We use only single spacing after all punctuation marks.
- We avoid beginning the first word of a new sentence on the previous line.
- We avoid justifying the paragraph format.
There are four titles within the Shane Casey Books series. These are:
- Nature’s Secret Adventures
- Nature’s Hidden Adventures
- Nature’s Marvellous Adventures
- Nature’s Incredible Adventures
Each title contains three individual stories about local wildlife. Each story aims to introduce nature as it really is, i.e. accurate descriptions of the animal, its habitat and its behaviours.
Fact-files on the story’s main characters are also included at the end of each book.
Book 1: Nature’s Secret Adventures
Paperback, 56 pages, 210mm*210mm, Age group: 6+, Suitable for dyslexic readers, RRP: €9.50.
The book contains three stories: 'The Amazing Tale of Sheridan', 'Orla's Big Day', and 'The Fairy's Foxtrot'. It also includes a short fact-file about pygmy shrews, otters, and mayflies.
'The Amazing Tale of Sheridan': Sheridan is an ordinary little pygmy shrew, living in an ordinary little garden, and minding his own business. Then one day, danger arrives in the form of a big tom cat called Terry. Find out what happens when Terry threatens Cheryl, the pygmy shrew of Sheridan’s dreams!
'Orla's Big Day': It’s Orla's first day at school and she’s very nervous. However, Orla's nerves quickly disappear when she meets the other little creatures in her class. There’s Milly, the little duckling, Simon, the young salmon, and a dozen tiny tadpoles, who all have very big dreams. Find out what they would like to be when they grow up!
'The Fairy's Foxtrot': Discover the oldest legend in the world. It's about two little mayflies called Mervin and Maria, who live at the bottom of a river bed. Then one day, they get an uncontrollable urge to swim to the surface, where they discover a whole new world. But in the confusion, they become separated. Will they find each other again at the Fairy’s Foxtrot?
Book 2: Nature’s Hidden Adventures
Paperback, 56 pages, 210mm*210mm, Age group: 6+, Suitable for dyslexic readers, RRP: €9.50.
The book contains three stories: 'The Tale of Two Hedgehogs’, ‘Senan’s Story’, and ‘The Life of Bombus Reilly’. It also includes a short fact-file about hedgehogs, swifts, and bumblebees.
The Tale of Two Hedgehogs: Like all hedgehogs, Hazel and Roland are solitary animals, but each night when they have finished nosing through the undergrowth in search of their tea, they always make sure to meet up. However, as the Summer fades away to Autumn, Hazel and Roland both know they will have to find somewhere to hibernate. But where?
Senan’s Story: Swifts are born to fly, but whenever Senan looks over the edge of his nest and sees the hard ground below, he gets scared. And time is not on Senan’s side, as he will soon have to migrate along with all the other swifts. Can anyone help Senan to overcome his fears and take his first flight?
The Life of Bombus Reilly: Bombus is not like other bumblebees. She rarely appears to be very busy. In fact, she seems to spend most of her time talking to the flowers instead of gathering nectar! So what happens when all the other worker bees go to Queen Hannah to complain? Will anyone stand up for Bombus?
Book 3: Nature’s Marvellous Adventures
Paperback, 56 pages, 210mm*210mm, Age group: 6+, Suitable for dyslexic readers, RRP: €9.50.
The book contains three stories: ‘Mother Knows Best’, ‘A Salmon’s Tale’, and ‘The Bird with the Big Beak’. It also includes a short fact-file about Harbour Seals, Atlantic Salmon, and Curlews.
‘Mother Knows Best’: Mother seals are only with their pups for a few short weeks and must teach them to fish if they are to survive on their own. Celina is doing her best, but Samuel isn’t listening. Samuel is too distracted by the bull seals who chase the biggest and fastest fish. Can Celina teach him to fish before time runs out?
'A Salmon’s Tale': Not every salmon leaves the safety of their river, but Simon longed for adventure, and dreamed about swimming across the broad Atlantic Ocean. Far from home, he meets all manner of sea creature, and explores every nook, cranny, and shipwreck of the ocean. But then he remembers the promise he made to Sally…
'The Bird with the Big Beak': Kirsty had just caught her third juicy lugworm in a row, when she noticed all the other birds in the estuary staring at her. Curlew’s are renowned for the size of their beak, but that was no reason for everyone else to stare. Kirsty was beginning to feel a little self-conscious, but then she realised something…
Book 4: Nature’s Incredible Adventures
Paperback, 56 pages, 210mm*210mm, Age group: 6+, Suitable for dyslexic readers, RRP: €9.50.
The book contains three stories: ‘A Fox Called Fintan’, ‘The Song Thrush who couldn’t sing’, and ‘Chasing Dragons’. It also includes a short fact-file about foxes, song thrushes, and ladybirds.
A Fox Called Fintan': Fintan was so small that all the other cubs treated him like a toy to be played with. Their favourite game was Chase, and Fintan was always the one being chased. But when Fintan manages to outwit Robinson, the cleverest rat in the city, he shows everyone that brains are more important than brawn.
‘The Song Thrush Who Couldn’t Sing': Song thrushes, as the name suggests, are wonderful singers, and males rely on their singing ability to attract a mate. Nobody expected Tara, the most beautiful thrush in the hedge, to choose a mate who couldn’t sing. But Tara saw something different in an out-of-tune Terrence…
'Chasing Dragons': Like all ladybirds, Larry loved a good adventure, and when he overheard a conversation between a grasshopper and a caterpillar, he suddenly found himself on a quest for a dragon. But was the grasshopper exaggerating, as grasshoppers are known to do? Would he find a dragon, or a valuable lesson along the way?
