Is Your Early Reader Struggling, Reluctant or Dyslexic?
New Book Series Takes a Novel Approach

After realizing her young son was struggling to read in ways his peers weren’t, Bridget Hughes M.Ac., L.Ac., NBCCH and author of Unlocking the Heart of Healing (Healing Point Press 2014) began reading everything she could on dyslexia and reading difficulties. Though her current work is in the healing arts, Hughes had worked previously as a Home and Hospital teacher and as a substitute teacher across multiple grades in multiple counties and knew enough to realize that the letter play and alphabet and sight word drilling she was using to help her son learn to read weren’t working. Halfway through kindergarten he could still barely identify letters of the alphabet. About that time a teacher began teaching her son cursive handwriting. The transformation was stunning. Suddenly he not only remembered the letters of the alphabet but could write legibly without flipping “b” “d” “p” and “q”. Yet he still struggled to read. In a flash of inspiration, Hughes began making up silly stories and printing them out in cursive. Between that and some modifications to his diet and nutrition that are described in the appendix of each book, her son began to read.

Less than a year later Hughes came across some research out of the Arizona State University Laboratory for Embodied Cognition that suggested that by having early readers act out each sentence that is read, reading skills improve more quickly. Hughes realized that most children’s books are stories that are read passively and that few if any books existed that engaged readers through movement. In a creative collaboration with her son Bain, The Engaged Reader Books in Cursive “Read & Do” Series was born. The books in this series are action-oriented. After each sentence there is an action to take, indicated by the instruction: Go! As Hughes describes, “The pairing of simple reading with an action that makes a partner laugh, nod approval, or interact creates both a sense of meaningfulness for the child reader, and provides the satisfaction that their reading has effectively produced results.” Many Pennies: A Book to Read Aloud With Mom, the first book in the series, provides the opportunity to “read & do” funny and engaging actions with a handful of pennies. The second book in this series, Unlocking the Secrets of Hand Shadows: A Book to Read Aloud With Dad playfully engages children to make a variety of animal shadows in a darkened room.

Evolve Medical Clinics in Annapolis is hosting the authors for a book release and signing event on October 11th , 2015 at 2PM. Open to the public.

Evolve Medical Clinics
509 S. Cherry Grove Avenue
Annapolis, MD 21401