ADHD and Me

Note: I received an ARC of this book via netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

This is a beautiful and useful book with an easy to find title. Children will love the beautiful watercolor illustrations by Leonie Cheetham. They convey a certain amount of dreaminess that represents perfectly Malory's frequent escapes into distraction. I love the the buttercup yellow of the text and the variety of fonts used. They complement the story wonderfully.

The story shows the need for support from family, mentions medications, and shows what a difference there is for Malory between teachers (and the head of school) who expect her to behave like everybody else, and her art teacher who understands that she is a little different, meets her where she is and genuinely wants to help her.

The end of the book has a note from the author aimed at parents and educators explaining her motivation for telling her story with ADHD: to educate adults, show families they're not alone, and to let children like Malory see that they are perfect just as they are.
The book ends with a picture of the author, the 'real' Malory, and her mother.

I highly recommend this book.

This is such and excellently written insight into the struggles, emotions and differences that people with ADHD and their families experience. It is a heart warming story with a great message! The use of different fonts and font sizes really catches the eye and keeps a readers focus.

I love the concept of this book. The illustrations were beautiful and the message was wonderful - you are perfect just as you are and your differences are something to be celebrated. I would definitely recommend this book.

Oh how I wish wish wish we could get books like this one into as many schools as possible in the hopes that maybe a kid could pick it up and recognize themself in it. As one of SOOOO many girls who were not diagnosed with ADHD until adulthood, this book was just an arrow right to my heart. In a good way.

The book is lovely, and the illustrations are gorgeous. I loved that there was messaging included about finding people who "get it" such as the art teacher- its so important to have figures like that in life.

My only tiny issue is that it wasn't clear to me what "The List" is, otherwise- a very nice book!

Thank you for the copy for review!

Malory's story to me, as a person with ADHD was so special because I could relate to so much of it. I cannot sit still. Sometimes I forget to be silent. And this is why Malory's story resonated so deeply with me because how many times have I been told what she has? I absolutely adored this book and the way some words were written in script to make them stand out. The emphasis given to what was more important was wonderful and I'm so glad this book exists especially for young children.

Most children with ADHD are misunderstood. – I know this personally, because I was one of them.

It is the same for eight year old Malory, who discusses her ADHD through her own eyes. She discusses her differences to the other children she mixes with at school, and some of the problems she has. She discusses how her mother reminds her just how unique she is, and shows us the positives of having ADHD.

ADHD and me is a brilliant, and informative book on ADHD for children. What makes it so great is the empathy that the author has, discussing the self-esteem issues and feelings that many children with ADHD may experience. – and it’s all told from the perspective of a child.

Rated 4*

What a beautiful book! I read this with my 6 year old daughter, who has ADHD. She really enjoyed it also. We both loved the illustrations too!

ADHD and Me is a book told through the voice of a child, and that celebrates neurodiversity. We follow eight-year-old Malory as she learns to express herself through art with the help of a wonderful teacher and learns to navigate life with the gentle guidance of her parents.

The illustration by Leonie Cheetham was so beautiful, and I loved the whole aesthetic of the book. However, words cannot express how wonderful, authentic, and touching Malory's story was. With every word, I could see my 9-year-old son. ADHD and Me is eerily accurate in representing his struggles, and I love that there's a book out there to which he can relate. I cannot wait to show him this book and buy a copy for my classroom!

The author's dedication touched me: "For mom, who helped me when times were rough and believed me when others didn't."

As the parent of a neurodiverse child, I deeply related to it; my heart still breaks every time his soul is crushed, and he is punished for things he can't control in the school environment.

His school experience is what led me to change careers and become an Early Childhood Educator. I believe in being the change you want to see, so I chose to get into the field because I noticed such a huge need for reform. Most times, neurodiverse children do not get the help they need and early on get "labels." I have noticed a considerable increase in anxiety, depression, and mental disorders due to that.

I love this book so much and feel that every classroom should have it. At the very least, I hope educators who read it take it upon themselves to examine their practice and seek more up-to-date, inclusive practice personal development courses. The children will benefit from it.

Also, I recommend this book to parents of neurodiverse children; I find children must see themselves represented in a positive, empowering way in their lives, homes, and classrooms. Books are the best way to do it, and they are great conversation starters!

Disclaimer: I first read it as an ARC. In exchange for an honest review, I am thankful to Chelsea Radojcic-DiCicco, Lulu Press and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of ADHD and Me.
#ChelseaRadojcicDiCicco #LeonieCheetham #LuluPress #ADHDandMe #ChildrenLiterature #NetGalley

What an amazing description of ADHD to readers who aren't familiar with it. We need more books about neurodiversity and this is such a great addition. And these books are needed for neurotypical kids, too, so they can understand induvials who are different than them. Love the sensitive language used in this book.

When my son was diagnosed with ADHD 10 years ago, books that represented some of the challenges he went through daily and validated his feelings were so difficult to come by.
I love that this story is available now. Nott only can it educate others on neurodiversity but it also can help children experiencing ADHD to feel confident that their differences are positive attributes.
The school I work for follows a framework with the ideology that all children are capable of success. They just need someone to believe in them, like Mallory's art teacher Julie. We can all strive to be that support for the children in our lives.
The font changes and formating are engaging, as are the incredible bright illustrations. This is a book that can find a special place in all homes and classrooms.

#ADHDandMe #netgalley

This is the book I needed when growing up. As a girl with ADD, I never once saw myself represented. Any time ADD was talked about (which wasn’t often), it was always with boys. The author does a great job of explaining ADD in a kid friendly way. The illustrations are colorful and engaging. This would perfectly fit in a discussion about disability.

This is a really nice and really sweet book about a little girl who is different from the peers around her. Its quite refreshing and I enjoyed this book it. I could really relate to the main character and I liked the way that the parents had made out to her that she was different but in a good way, when so many other children with ADHD are made out to be villains for the condition itself such as attention seeking behaviour etc doing it this way made me see how much easier it was for her to explain to other people and other kids why she approaches and deals with stuff differently. But is still treated like anyone else by her parents who love her for individuality despite her differences.

I like that its for kids so that kids can have awareness but also for adults too. We all need awareness on these things to change the way we look at conditions like ADHD especially in women and girls so that like many before them they dont slip through the net but they get the help they need.

With thanks to Netgalley for this free ARC in return for my honest review but also to the author who has given a voice to so many ADHD children by writing this piece.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lulu Press for an early release copy in exchange for an honest review!

As someone who was also diagnosed with ADHD as a child, I found this book to be really relatable and I wish this book existed when I was younger. It was such an easy book to read and the watercolor illustrations were absolutely gorgeous! It is also great that this book was told through the eyes of the child main character and I believe that this will be an amazing resource for children to read and learn more about ADHD. :)

I love the concept of this book and the child-friendly way it explains what life is like for children like Malory with ADHD.
The title is helpfully clear, and will make it easier for parents and educators alike to find when looking for resources about ADHD.
The watercolour style illustrations were delightful and dreamy, and I liked the way different sizes of text were used to emphasise different words, although I do wish the larger emotion words were in a different font, as I suspect the one chosen will be quite difficult for many children to read for themselves.
Overall, a great resource and hopefully one lots of children will be able to see themselves in.

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

ADHD and Me is a beautiful watercolour illustrated picture book for children who have ADHD to help them understand just how unique, special and loved they are being themselves.
I lived how this book showed the negative sides many people don't even think of with children with ADHD such as the medication they take and how it can stop them eating, make them sick, give them tummy ache etc and how isolated, embarrassed and alone these children can often feel because they are different.
This book was beautifully written and is a breath of fresh air to see books about this subject for children nit just for their parents/carers.

I love this book! I think we need to talk more about neurodiverse learners and how we can listen to them and best support them. This book about Malory does that well! Also, the illustration is so colorful and lovely.

(I received an ARC from Netgalley)