Product Review:  Bertie Bumble Bee Troubled by the Letter B [Hardcover] (Grades K-3)

Troubled by the Letter B.  Helping Your Child to Master Basic Phonics. 

I wanted to review Bertie Bumble Bee Troubled by the Letter B about a young bee that was having trouble learning his letters even before I knew the back story of the author and illustrator and their connection to learning disabilities and autism.  I was so touched when I learned more about the Al-ghanis, I wanted to do a special two-part book review of their books this April in honor of Autism Awareness Month.  I am very picky about books that I share with my daughter, so you know that I found the mother and son’s joint creations to be something special.  Just a fair warning that the Al-ghanis are from Bahrain and the books are written in United Kingdom-English for all the Americans reading this review (yes, crisps are chips, etc.).

Did you know that experts estimate that one in ten children suffer from dyslexia?  Engaging children that are having difficulties distinguishing letters and numbers in different and fun activities is essential in building their self confidence in their ability to learn.  If parents and teachers do not intervene in a positive way to help connect with a child who is having learning issues, these children can suffer in silence.  There are many reasons that parents should be involved with the positive education of their children, especially those who are having trouble, and the most crucial to me are the studies that show links to behavioral issues and learning phobias that can be carried throughout life.  Bertie Bumble Bee Troubled by the Letter B is a great reminder to parents to stay active and involved in your child’s learning and development.  It is also a great book for kids to know they are not alone if they just happen to need a different way to learn from the way they are being taught.

Bertie Bumble Bee Troubled by the Letter B is about a young bee who at the beginning of the book is so excited to start school until he realizes he has trouble distinguishing between the letter b and d.  His confusion is brought to the attention of his entire class much to the delight of the class bully, Willy Wasp.  Bertie is humiliated and scared of his perception that he is not learning in the same fashion as his classmates and that is compounded by the teasing by his peers for not being smart.  Luckily, Bertie finally confides in his momma, Mummy Bumble, who works with Bertie to help him overcome his confusion with the alphabet.  I found this book to be honest and refreshing for children who may have self confidence issues when it comes to learning and it touches on the fact that everyone learns at a different rate and in different ways.  Kudos to Bertie for being able to talk to his Mummy Bumble about his issues with school and kudos to Mummy Bumble for helping work with her son on a solution that worked for him to help him become ‘alphabet smart’.  Be sure to check out the end section of the book, which has tips and activities on how to help your child master basic phonics.

About K. I. Al-ghani and Haitham Al-ghani:  Author Kay (K.I.) Al-ghani is an author to multiple children’s books and books on a subject near and dear to her heart; autism.  K.I. is a Specialist Advisory Teacher, Inclusion Support Consultant and an Autism trainer.  K.I is experienced at assessing, diagnosing and remediating learning difficulties in children, such as dyslexia and dyscalculia, and teaches kids with both Autism and Asperger Syndrome.  Her illustrator and son, Haitham, has Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and also does the illustrations for their books.  Click here if you are interested in their complete catalog.  Haitham won a Vincent Lines Award for his creative excellence and graduated (with triple distinction!) with a degree in Multi Media Studies.  Impressive!

Bertie Bumble Bee Troubled by the Letter B [Hardcover]

www.schifferbooks.com

List Price:  $16.99 (Currently $13.25 through Amazon.com)