Monthly Archives: June 2023

Love me, Love my ADHD by Chrissie Davies – a review – #readilearn

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Today it is my pleasure to review a beautiful new picture book Love ME, Love my ADHD written by Chrissie Davies, illustrated by Trish Burton and published by Chaos to Calm Consultancy. This post is part of a Books on Tour promotion.

About Love ME, Love my ADHD ­– the blurb

For ages 5 – 12

ADHD kids are pretty amazing! They have a special way of thinking that’s different from their neurotypical friends, which can sometimes make them feel like they don’t fit in. But don’t worry; with the right support from family, friends, and peers, ADHD kids can do incredible things!

Welcome to the world of Clancy and Tully – they see the world a little differently and in the most amazing ways!

Love Me, Love My ADHD is a heartwarming book that shines a light on the world of children (and families) living with ADHD.

Focusing on the strengths and challenges that come with being an ADHDer, this book emphasises that ADHD is not a one-size-fits-all experience and that no two ADHDers are the same.

Even on their hardest days, our ADHDers have something valuable to offer, and we should always celebrate our differences. Now you can spend a day in the life of these kids and see how their family, friends, and peers support them to achieve their best.

Written by child behaviour expert Chrissie Davies and illustrated by Trish Burton, Love ME, Love My ADHD encourages families, educators, and, most importantly, children to understand this complex neurotype and how it presents itself in the human brain.

Includes strategies and resources for parents, caregivers, and teachers.

About author Chrissie Davies

Chrissie Davies is a child behaviour expert, trauma informed educator, consultant, writer, guest speaker, loving mama of two, and passionate advocate for understanding neurodivergent children. She is committed to empowering and supporting families to live their life with radical acceptance, curiosity, playfulness and a bucket load of love. She lives with her husband and young family on the Surf Coast of Victoria.

Chrissie can be found at her website: https://www.chaostocalmconsultancy.com/ and on social media at Facebook & Instagram. 

About illustrator Trish Burton

Trish Burton is a Melbourne based artist, illustrator and educator with a dedication to inspiring creativity in others and creating artworks and illustrations that captivate audiences and set brands apart. She skillfully manages to add a little piece of her magnetic personality to all she creates through her love of pattern and colour. Trish is an Artist, Illustrator, Educator and lover of everything creative!

Trish can be found at her website: https://www.trishburton.com.au/ and on social media on Instagram.

What I like about Love ME, Love my ADHD

The vibrant colours and energetic illustrations are immediately captivating, and the opening text invites us to enter to find out about the world of ADHDers, telling us it may not be what we expect.

Continue reading: Love me, Love my ADHD by Chrissie Davies – a review – readilearn

The Lost Book #99WordStories

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This week at the Carrot Ranch, Charli Mills challenged writers to In 99 words (no more, no less), write a story about a lost book (or many). What is the book’s significance? Who lost it, or who found it? How does this element fit into a poem, memory, or a specific genre? Go where the prompt leads!

This is my response to Charli’s prompt. I hope there is something in it that you can identify with.

The Lost Book

“What’s all this mess?” said Dad.

“I can’t find my book. I’ve gotta return it today.”

“Where’d you have it last?”

“I put it on my desk. I bet Laura hid it.”

“Why would she do that?”

“She hates me. She wants to get me in trouble.”

“That’s not true. Are you sure you put it on your desk? Have you checked your bag?”

“YES! I can’t go to school. Tell them I’m sick.”

Dad sat, then sprang up. He pulled back the bedclothes, revealing the lost book and a torch.

“So, someone was reading after lights out.”

“Oops.”

Thank you blog post

Thank you for reading. I appreciate your feedback. Please share your thoughts.

Note: The collection of stories made in response to the previous prompt Beaver Slap, including mine, can be read at the Carrot Ranch.

Beaver Slap #99WordStories

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This week at the Carrot Ranch, Charli Mills challenged writers to In 99 words (no more, no less), write a story about a beaver slap. It can be an actual tail slap warning on the water or an imitation. Is a beaver slap the name of something — a new type of burger, perfume, or a sci-fi gadget? Take ecological and poetic licenses. Go where the prompt leads!

We don’t have beavers in Australia and I’d neither heard, nor heard of, a beaver slap before. However, we do have:

A Very Funny Animal

It isn’t quite a beaver, though it has a beaver’s tail,

A freshwater-living mammal, much smaller than a whale.

It’s something like an otter with body dressed in fur.

Its bill and feet are duck-like but it has a poisonous spur.

It burrows into riverbanks to lay its eggs therein.

It swims around in waters while having not one fin.

If you come across it, I urge you not to scream.

It wouldn’t ever harm you. It’s just a monotreme.

Its name can be quite tricky, but you’ll learn it without fuss.

So try:

            Or –

                   Or – nith – or

                          Ornithorhynchus.

(Apologies to C.J. Dennis for this poem poorly modelled on his wonderful Triantiwontigongolope which you can read in full here.)

You might know this creature better as the platypus.

The poem, although it is 99 words, isn’t really my response to the prompt. It began more as an explanation of my response which follows.

When Europeans first arrived in Australia, they had never seen anything like the platypus, which is an egg-laying mammal, or monotreme. The first scientists who studied the platypus, thought it was a fake, made up of the body parts of several animals. I hope I’ve captured its uniqueness in both my poem and my story.

You may enjoy this video about the platypus. My story Impossible Creature follows it.

By the way, we have neither otters nor beavers in Australia.

Impossible Creature

The day was magic with the sunlight and laughter of summer holidays.

They were resting on the riverbank when a splash broke the spell. “What was that?”

“A fish? Must’ve been big.”

“It was a duck! I saw its beak before it dived.”

“That’s ridiculous. It’s an otter. Ducks don’t have fur.”

“Can’t be an otter. Their tails aren’t flat. Gotta be a beaver.”

“Duh! There’s no beavers in Australia.”

The surface broke again.

“Look! Webbed feet. It is a duck. I told you.”

“But not with that spur.”

“A furry duck with spurs. Someone’s playing tricks. But who?”

Thank you blog post

Thank you for reading. I appreciate your feedback. Please share your thoughts.

Note: The collection of stories made in response to the previous prompt Two Can Keep a Secret, including mine, can be read at the Carrot Ranch.