Dyslexia-friendly books
(and why all readers need them!)

On good dyslexia representation

I was diagnosed with dyslexia when I was 21 and halfway through an English degree at university. I went on to work in publishing, and I’m now a children’s author.

I always tell children at events that I’m dyslexic because I think it’s important to see authors who are. I think it’s important to read books about characters who think differently, too. The stories we read should reflect the real world around us in all its diverse glory.

That’s one of the reasons I wrote Thunderboots, a picture book inspired by my own experience of dyslexia. In the story, Trixie is excited to start school but finds reading and writing trickier than her friends. When she confides in her dad, he talks to her teacher, and together they come up with a plan to help her.

The Thunderboots dream team

It was really important to me that this story celebrated Trixie’s strengths, and not just the challenges she faces. It was also serendipitous that my publisher paired me with an illustrator, Rebecca Ashdown, who has a dyslexic husband and daughter, and was just as passionate about the message within Thunderboots as me.

Our second book, The Hug Button, has just been published. This is a story about a girl called Matilda who is also excited to start school but finds it hard to say goodbye to Mum at the school gates. Luckily, Mum has a great idea and draws a hug on their wrists so they can send each other hugs even when they’re not together. The Hug Button was inspired by the separation anxiety my youngest son struggled with. 

On accessible formatting

I always work closely with editors and designers to make sure all my books, including The Hug Button, are dyslexic-friendly in terms of font and layout, to make sure they are as accessible as possible.

I absolutely love it when I come across other children’s books that feature dyslexic characters or have been created in a clear and easy-to-read format.

My top 6 dyslexic-friendly book recommendations

I’ve picked six of my favourite dyslexic-friendly picture books and fiction titles that I’ve enjoyed sharing with my own children.

Dyslexic-friendly picture books

• Wriggling Words by Kate Rolfe
• Thunderboots by Naomi Jones and Rebecca Ashdown
• Aaron Slater, Illustrator by Andrea Beaty and David Roberts

Dyslexic-friendly children’s fiction

• The Great Food Bank Heist by Onjali Q. Rauf and Elisa Paganelli
• Molly Rogers to the Rescue by Cornelia Funke and Kasia Matyjaszek
• Football Crazy by Tony Bradman and Michael Broad

Naomi Jones is an award-winning children’s author whose books have been translated into 19 languages. She’s passionate about making reading accessible. She has written a number of children’s books, including Thunderboots, The Perfect Fit, How to Catch a Rainbow, and How to Make a Story. The Hug Button is her latest picture book with Oxford Children’s, part of Oxford University Press.

Naomi lives with her family by the sea in Cornwall. She loves wild swimming, playing netball, and curling up with a good book.

You can find out more about Naomi on her website, Substack and Instagram.