I discovered this delightful book recently. I was specifically looking for a book about the life of Albert Einstein for my eldest son (who is nearly nine) and came across this one.
We discovered that my son has severe dyslexia about 18 months ago and its been a bit of a roller coaster ride. On one hand it was a relief (mostly to him!) that there was an explanation to why he just wasn’t getting reading and writing like his friends, but on the other hand we’ve had to find a new school (despite him being settled and happy where he was) and he has needed to change language (he was at a bi-lingual school before as my husband is German and they taught firstly in German with English as a 2nd language) – which have both been tough.
The hardest part for us was seeing his confidence deteriorate – whilst his friends started to read words, then sentences, then paragraphs and now books – he has looked-on confused as to why it seems so easy for them whilst 1 syllable words still get caught inside him, unable to find their way out. His conclusion was natural (albeit wrong) – he must be stupid! That belief slowly grew, until it was bigger than just ‘words’ – he forgets his gym kit at school; “It’s because I’m so stupid Mama”, he says with frustration … “No, its not, its because you’re 8 and human and sometimes we forget stuff!”.
As parents our hearts bleed – we needed to address his education, to put him into an environment that would not only be able to teach him to read and write but also a place that understood there are often wonderful side-effects of being dyslexic and the fact that dyslexic people ‘learn differently’ often makes them see the world differently – a way which can lead to endless opportunities if harnessed correctly. We hope we found that place. But secondly we needed him to start believing in himself again, to see that he is amazing … and not just in a “I’m amazing because my Mum thinks so” kind of way but in a “I’m amazing because my mind, thoughts & stories are exciting and inspire those around me and when I dream, my dreams are big and ambitious and because I’m stubborn and determined and …. because my Mum thinks I am”.
I wanted to tell my son about some amazing people, who have changed the world with their brilliance who were (or are) dyslexic … Leonardo da Vinci, Picasso, Andy Warhol, Muhammed Ali, Henry Ford, Richard Branson, Hans Christian Andersen, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Steven Spielberg, Thomas Edison and even Albert Einstein. Not a bad bunch of people to look up to.
So excuse my HUGE detour in this book review but I wanted to share with you a little bit about our personal journey … maybe you have experienced something similar? Maybe not because of a learning-difficulty but for another reason your child has experienced a dip in their self-esteem? As parents it’s hard to know how to navigate. I often take solace in a book and finding a story that can connect to the problem and bringing it out in the open, it maybe gives us a chance to talk about it but if not then we just sit together and enjoy a story – that in itself is a salve that soothes many wounds.
And so … whether you have a dyslexic child or not “On a Beam of Light” is a lovely story about Albert Einstein. As the author points out at the end, the subject is a big one and with some “quite” tricky concepts to articulate! However Jennifer Berne edits this biography perfectly so there is a harmony between the story of one man’s life and the scientific facts & figures that inevitably go with it. There is almost a poetry to Einstein’s discoveries which is complimented by Vladimir Badunsky’s illustrations. I especially like how we see the ageing process of Einstein … he starts the book as a baby and ends as an old man. The illustrations are tender & soft and the faces are kind, immediately you are so engaged with this interesting man. By the end, we know a little bit more about the significance of Einstein’s thinking but we’re also inspired to think for ourselves and think big, to think in pictures to see things as they could be … because maybe they are? to ask questions, to try and answer questions no one else can and to relish the power of thought – the message is a good one for all of us but especially our kids!
On a Beam of Light is available in the UK here and the US here.
Mo. x
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