The Diary of a Wimpy Kid & A Giveaway

My daughter's favorite books are The Diary of a Wimpy Kid series written and illustrated by Jeff Kinney.  She anticipates each book's debut as well as each movie release.

She likes the content of the books plus she also really appreciates the format.  The cartoon illustrations on almost every page aid in her understanding of the text and boosts her comprehension.  In addition, viewing the movies gives her visual images she can take with her when she reads the books.  She is very concerned with getting the images in her head to match the context clues.

My daughter seems to get bogged down with trying to visualize the setting and characters perfectly when she just reads text without illustrations.  Many times processing letters and words takes so much effort and the meaning just gets lost.  She'll often come to me in frustration when she has visualized the main character with red hair, for example, only to find out later, their hair is actually brown.  (I've explained this happens to all readers and even I adjust the visual images in my mind as I find new clues from the text) But when she realizes she is missing context clues and the plot doesn't make sense, she gets frustrated and starts to shut down.

The illustrations in The Diary of a Wimpy Kid books are simple, black and white cartoon illustrations and still leave room for her to do some work creating mental pictures on her own.  The font size is larger than standard in most books and paragraphs are separated by illustrations making it easier for her to track the text, read, and comprehend.

With my other three children, I've always required they read a book before watching the corresponding movie.  But sometimes, I find it is helpful to reverse this order with my dyslexic daughter.  Letting her view the movie first helps her follow the plot better because the hard work of visualizing the characters and setting is done for her. She can focus on the plot which makes the hard work of reading a book enjoyable for her.  I'm still trying to show her reading can be fun instead of the drudgery she often considers it.  The Diary of a Wimpy Kid books and movies help us accomplish that.  Thanks, Wimpy Kid! 

The Diary of a Wimpy Kid is definitely her favorite book series.  

And because I'm just certain other dyslexic kiddos will enjoy The Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, I'm going to give away the The Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days  hardcover book (#4) and the most recent movie, The Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days DVD.  

Details:

There are 2 things you have to do to enter to win The Diary of a Wimpy Kid:Dog Days book & DVD:

1.  Leave a comment with your name (first name & last name initial, please) And if you'd like, leave me the link to your blog or www and I'll check it out!

And... this is the really important one...

2.  I'm asking you GIVE the book & DVD to a child with dyslexia.  It can be your own child, your student, neighbor, friend, etc.  Just want to let you help inspire a child to enjoy reading despite the challenges of dyslexia.

I'll announce the winner Thursday (May 16, 2013) at noon (central time).  Check back to see if you're the winner and  GOOD LUCK !! 

*Contest Closed*

{Scrambled Path was not endorsed to write this post.  Opinions are my own.}