Reframing Summer Reading for Dyslexic Thinkers

Summer reading lists are hard enough. For dyslexic thinkers, “just keep reading” can feel like an impossible ask, especially when your child’s reading level and their interests are miles apart. Add in the frustration of struggling through words on a page, and it’s no wonder so many kids start to believe they just aren’t readers.

We don’t think that’s true. We think they just haven’t found their way in yet.

That way in can look different for every reader. For some kids, it’s “ear reading,” taking in a story through audiobooks instead of print. For others, it’s pictures, playful text, or the right app putting every format in one place. None of these are workarounds. They’re all reading, and any one of them might be the entry point that helps your kid see themselves as a reader for the first time.

Here’s what that looked like for our family. My son wanted so badly to read what his friends were reading. Harry Potter felt out of reach, and he was defeated before he even opened the book.

So we tried audiobooks instead. He disappeared into his room for hours, and when he came out, he proudly announced he had finished the whole book. With a smile he told me how much he loved reading. He wasn’t decoding words on a page. He was ear reading, taking in the story his own way. And that pride was completely earned.

We started encouraging him to follow along in a paper book while he listened, but even on the days he didn’t want to, we still celebrated all the ear reading he wanted to do. That’s what helped him fall in love with reading, without the frustration of fighting through the words to get there.

Listening is reading, whether it’s an audiobook or being read to in real time.

If audiobooks aren’t the right fit for your reader, there are other entry points worth trying. Graphic novels are one of them. Some people still think they don’t count as “real reading.” For dyslexic thinkers, they can be exactly the opposite: an entry point into a lifelong love of books.

Kids can look at the images first to get a feel for the story, then go back and fill in the words with a lot less pressure. The story is already making sense before the reading even starts. That’s not a shortcut. That’s a different way in, and it works.

Along the same lines, some series are built to meet dyslexic readers halfway: part pictures, part words, all story. Geronimo Stilton, Billie and the Mini Monsters, and Diary of a Pug are all great examples. They mix illustrations with playful, graphic text (bold, colorful, varying sizes woven right into the sentences) to keep the pages turning without losing the reader along the way.

It’s not “easier” reading. It’s reading designed to work with a different kind of brain, and it can be the bridge between picture books and chapter books that a lot of dyslexic thinkers need.

Finding the right fit for your dyslexic thinker might take some trial and error. If you’re looking for a place to start, the Epic app is worth having in your back pocket this summer. It has thousands of books, including read-to-me books, audiobooks, and graphic novels, all in one place, so your reader can find the format that actually works for them.

You don’t have to figure this out alone. The right tools already exist.

Just remember, reading doesn’t have to mean decoding text on a page. It means taking in a story. Whether that happens through headphones, illustrations, or a mix of pictures and words, it still counts.

If your kid finds a way into a story this summer, that’s not a workaround. That’s them becoming a reader, on their own terms.