ADD/ADHD Book Reviews
Pay Attention, Emily Brown!
by Linda Burton
ADDitude Magazine, Spring 2012
Author Linda Burton approaches the subject of inattention with grace,
humor, and love. Reading her rhyming text aloud to my attention-challenged
daughter, Natalie, was fun and comforting. The narrator's over-the-top
efforts to get Emily's attention (If I hung upside down by an arm and a
knee, do you think, Emmy Brown, you would listen to me?) had Natalie and
me smiling and laughing. Burton ends on a reassuring note, setting the
perfect tone for a nonthreatening discussion about paying attention.
Humorous, loving way to present Attention Deficit issues, Amazon, April 20, 2012
By K. Buchanan (Tennessee)
If your child has been diagnosed with any kind of attention deficit or disorder, this book is for you!
Emily Brown's mother uses rhyming verses & humor to try to lovingly draw her daughter's focus back to the "real world" by guessing where Emily's imagination has taken her. The mother does not place blame on Emily for her inability to focus, and she doesn't get angry. (She's doing better than me, sadly. I am prone to frustration when her attention deficits are in full effect. Therefore, this book also helps me remember that IT'S NOT HER FAULT.)
A great way to talk about attention deficits, and a great reference when your child is having "one of those days". (Try quoting a line or two from the book. It usually makes my daughter smile & helps her "shake it off" and focus, if only for a moment or two.)
A delightful gem!, Amazon, November 2, 2011
By Janet O. Dittmer (Zionsville, IN United States)
As a mother of seven who loved reading to her children, I've spent several decades searching for the best in children's books. Even though my children are now grown, I continue to look for exceptional books to add to my collection. DON'T MISS THIS GEM! It is a pure delight!
"Pay Attention, Emily Brown!" is a warm, affirming, and happy book for both children and parents. For a child, "Pay Attention, Emily Brown!" revels in the imagination, antics, and creativity of children. For a parent, perhaps worn down by a challenging child, it is a humor-filled acknowledgement of the lengths to which a parent sometimes has to go, just to get a child to pay attention even a little. For both parent and child, "Emily Brown" is a reminder that the love they share is what matters most, as it concludes: "For whatever you don't or whatever you do, I love you so much, you lovable you."
Carl Burton's illustrations bring the wonderful text to life. Text and illustrations meld in such a way that make you unable to imagine the one without the other. The illustrations are unique and unpredictable, with clever or humorous details on every page. Bright colors, various vantage points, text printed in different sizes and colors, and all sorts of page layouts, capture the attention and keep you wondering what surprise might be discovered when the next page is turned.
This book will delight and cheer children and parents alike. If you're looking for a book that's a visual treat, capable of putting a smile on your face and warmth in your heart, then look no further: "Pay Attention, Emily Brown!" is all that and more.