Serena Molloy: a verse-led universe for young dyslexic readers

For someone with dyslexia, reading was a challenge for Serena Molloy. Today she is writing the children’s books she wishes she could have read as a young girl

Serena Molloy whose dyslexia affected her enjoyment of reading growing up. Photo: Ray Ryan

For many, children’s books are magical, exciting things. They are portals to new worlds, windows into other, different lives, gateways into someone else’s wild imagination. 

The moment when the teacher hands out the shiny new class novel should spark interest, curiosity, and a sense of wonder. 

I have a vivid memory of this when I was at school, the thump of the book landing on my desk and then immediately turning to the back to see how many pages it contained. 

Next, I’d flick through the middle to see if there were any illustrations, pictures or maps, blank pages even, anything to make it all a little easier to read, a little less impossible for me to wade through. 

There were never any, and instead of a sense of wonder and excitement, I would get that slow, sinking feeling that the task ahead was completely insurmountable.

As someone with dyslexia, reading was a challenge for me and that sense of struggling, of being different to my peers was hugely demoralising. 

If I wasn’t good at reading and writing, the nuts and bolts of schoolwork, then how could I ever be good at anything? 

Luckily, I had an exceptional teacher who proved crucial in helping me overcome these challenges and who helped me focus on the things I was good at, which just happened to be making up stories. 

I also had another powerhouse in my arsenal, a mother who refused to give up on me, someone who would believe in me no matter what.

At home, I was surrounded by the oral tradition of storytelling. Inspired by strong women, grannies, aunties who’d had challenging but intriguing lives, their endless, fascinating stories sparked my imagination. I lapped them up whenever I could.

I’m glad to say a lot has changed since I was at school. The help and support for children with dyslexia has come a long way but it is still a struggle to get children assessed in a reasonable time frame, with many frustrated families having to turn to the private sector for assessment.

Many, especially Dyslexia Ireland, are working hard to improve this. And teachers do amazing work supporting struggling and reluctant readers. 

However, there are still children experiencing immense difficulty with literacy in classrooms across the country and this was something that weighed heavily on my mind when I came to write my own children’s books. 

While The Tree That Sang to Me is a story about the bond between a brother and his big sister, it’s also about the power of nature to heal and comfort, something we’ve been rediscovering in recent years. 

But more than anything else, I wanted to write a book I could have read as a child, a book that didn’t overwhelm or demoralise, but one that was pitched at the right level emotionally and intellectually. 

Serena Molloy: "The gift of reading, especially reading for pleasure, is one of the most important things we can give to children." Photo: Ray Ryan

As with my debut children’s book, the verse novel seemed the obvious choice. The story is told in a series of poems of free verse rather than long chapters. 

With a verse novel, the reader gets ‘the guts’ of the scene, without all the extra detail. It also means the reader can move through the story quickly and get the satisfaction that comes with turning page after page and progressing quickly to that elusive thing, the end.

I was very lucky that my publishers were completely on board with making my books as accessible as possible: choosing a wonderful illustrator, George Ermos, whose beautiful illustrations break the text up; using a dyslexia-friendly font throughout; and producing audiobooks to further
engage struggling readers. 

All these things make a difference; I know the difference they would have made to me.

There are many books now available to engage struggling readers. 

The rising popularity of graphic novels is providing a fantastic way to hook readers, with home-grown talents like Aoife Dooley and Sheena Dempsey producing gorgeous books. 

These are a wonderful starting point for independent reading, allowing children to engage with storytelling in a way that doesn’t overwhelm or dishearten them.

The gift of reading, especially reading for pleasure, is one of the most important things we can give to children.

Research has shown that reading for pleasure not only improves children’s chances in life but it positively impacts upon a whole host of other areas including happiness, mental health, concentration, problem-solving and empathy skills. 

Providing children with a wide range of quality books and allowing them to choose what they want to read will help to spark that love of reading and stories that can last a lifetime. 

And it is never too early to start. Research also shows that children who are read to from an early age are far more likely to continue reading as they grow up. 

It is also a wonderful way to bond with a child, away from the bustle and noise of daily family life. Recently, when I was visiting a primary school for World Book Day celebrations, a boy asked me if I ever wondered how my life would have turned out had I not had that inspirational teacher come into it. 

His question, with such wisdom and perception, stopped me in my tracks. I told him I didn’t think I would have become a writer. I also told him, if my books can provide children with even a smidgen of the inspiration my teacher gave me, I’d be thrilled with that.

• The Tree That Sang To Me by Serena Molloy, published by Hodder Children’s Books, is out now