Category Archives: audiobook

Dyslexia Friendly Collection

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The more you read, the easier it becomes. But for those who struggle with words, reading is not always fun, and it’s easy to lose heart and stop trying.

Tea Tree Gully Library has recently made it easier to find dyslexia-friendly books and audiobooks by putting them in their own space  in the children’s and teen areas. They now have signage and coloured labels so they are easy to find.

To search for dyslexia friendly books, type in ‘dyslexia’ in the catalogue, just like below, and from there you can select the ‘dyslexia’ boxes on the left-hand side.

dyslexia friendly

Dyslexia primarily affects the ability to learn, read and spell. Sometimes maths is affected as well.  It’s important to remember that having dyslexia is not related to someone’s general intelligence. It comes from a difficulty in dealing with the sounds of words. People with dyslexia often find it hard to remember lists of things they have heard, or to remember names or facts quickly, although they often have strengths in reasoning, visual and creative fields.

Features of Dyslexia Friendly Books:

  • A font style and size that is clear to read.
  • Off-white paper that is kinder to the eyes as it reduces glare from the high contrast of black against white.
  • Spacing between letters, lines and paragraphs
  • Age appropriate content and story lines but with less text to a page and more pictures
  • Shorter chapters to give the eyes natural ‘rest’ breaks

Where are they located?

Children’s Area: Find them in the area near the book series boxes.

DXf-C

Book stickers on Dyslexia Friendly Collection (DXF-C) in the children’s area of Tea Tree Gully Library

DXFC

You can find dyslexia friendly books and audio books among the Children’s book series boxes in the Children’s Area.

Teens Area: You can find them on the last shelf facing the public computers.

Stickers on the Dyslexia Friendly Books in the Teen Area

Stickers on the Dyslexia Friendly Books in the Teen Area

Find the DXF-T books in the shelf that faces the computers (in the Teen Area).

Find the DXF-T books in the shelf that faces the computers (in the Teen Area).

We hope our new collections appeal to children and young people who have dyslexia or who are reluctant to read. May they inspire a new love of reading!

Hungry for more?

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Staff member Hayley recently enjoyed listening to The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins on an audiobook from the library while driving to work. Initially a bit sceptical, she came to find the audiobook version more exciting than expected. Here’s her take on it:

Hunger1

“I waited a long time to get into The Hunger Games as I thought that anything that was so popular couldn’t possibly be any good.  I picked up the audio book of The Hunger Games, which is the first book in Suzanne Collins trilogy, when I finally just couldn’t stand not knowing what all the fuss was about and I’m glad I did.

The title, The Hunger Games, refers to the book’s premise about an annual contest where a boy and girl from each of 12 districts are selected to fight to the death. These districts are controlled by the privileged city of Panam whose bloodthirsty citizens have turned the gruesome spectacle into the biggest entertainment event of the year.

Our window into this dystopian world is protagonist Katniss Everdeen from District 12. Katniss is the archetypal strong female protagonist: She is smart, she has a special skill (bow hunting), and she is emotionally withdrawn. Luckily for us, Suzanne Collins has written the book as if we are inside Katniss’ head, so we get to hear all the things she would never say out loud and warm to her quickly.

The choice of a first person style lends itself well to being read out loud and narrator Carolyn McCormick gives a wonderful performance, managing to inject a sense of the personality of each character into her reading, without going over the top.

However, that all said, I became very annoyed when I saw the changes made in the film version of Hunger Games. Obviously this is an indication of how emotionally invested I was in the book! Don’t let the hype put you off – pick this up if you like dystopian worlds, action or if you enjoy a well spoken audiobook.”

The final Hunger Games movie Mockingjay: Part 2 is due to be in cinemas in autumn 2015.

Whether you are new to Suzanne Collin’s epic adventure or would like to revisit it, you can reserve the audiobook The Hunger Games via the online catalogue.  You can also make an enquiry next time you visit the Library.