Cartwheels : Finding Your Special Kind of Smart

The perfect story for opening conversations about learning differences and explaining the basics of dyslexia to children.

Lively Sloane loves to make up dances, put on shows, and do art. But as she heads into first grade, nothing frustrates her more than reading. In math, the numbers go together right in her brain, but no matter how hard she looks at letters, and no matter how many times her teacher and parents say "focus," she would much rather do cartwheels. She feels sad that she isn't keeping up with her class and isn't reading the "right way." Then, she finds out that she has dyslexia. Join Sloane on her journey to learn to read, gain confidence, and find her own special kind of smart.

Based on the real-life teacher/student relationship between veteran first-grade teacher, author Tracy Peterson, and student Sloane LaFrance.

Tracy Peterson is a veteran teacher who has touched hundreds of lives in her 35-year teaching career. She was named "Teacher of the Year" by the Little Rock School District in 2005. In four states (California, Kansas, Nebraska, and Arkansas), she has taught special education, preschool, high school, college, fifth grade, and second grade, and is in her 9th year of teaching first grade in Little Rock, Arkansas. Find her at teachertracypeterson.com. "It starts with connection and relationships. Then, the magic of teaching can begin," says Peterson. Along with spending time outdoors, baking, traveling, and playing with her greyhounds, Tracy loves to tell the stories of the children who inspire her.