Howard B. Wigglebottom Books: Bedtime Stories Active ADHD Kids Can Relate to

Natalie was so tired last night (an unusual occurrence for Little Miss Energy) that she actually let me choose the books we read together at bedtime (ditto!). I was in the mood for Llama Llama Red Pajamas, but couldn’t find it. Darn. That turned out to be okay, though, because I came across another favorite we hadn’t read in awhile; Howard B. Wigglebottom Listens to His Heart.

In Howard B. Wigglebottom Listens to His Heart, the second book in the Howard B. Wigglebottom series, Howard finds, like our ADHD children often do, that he hops to beat of a different drummer. Or, in this case, he dances. Dancing is what this rabbit loves best; but when his peers make fun of his dancing, he swears to never dance again. (You'll have to read the book to find out how Howard learns to listen to his heart, and gains the confidence to keep on dancing.)

This is a great story to teach our kids that it’s okay to be different; that they’re perfect just the way they are. Beside, who wouldn’t rather be a wiggly rabbit (even one who hops to the beat of a different drummer) than an anonymous sheep in a whole flock of ‘em, anyway!

There are now four books in the Howard B. Wigglebottom series. I wrote previously in my ADHD Parenting blog about the first book, Howard B. Wigglebottom Learns to Listen, a beautifully illustrated book that takes a fun, silly approach to introducing basic listening skills. Next came Howard B. Wigglebottom Listens to His Heart, and then Howard B. Wigglebottom Learns about Bullies.

The newest in the series (which I haven’t seen yet), released January 15, 2010, is Howard B. Wigglebottom Learns about Mud and Rainbows. All are written by Howard Binkow, and illustrated by Susan F. Cornelison. (I absolutely love her illustrations!). Check out wedolisten.com to enjoy animated versions of the books, as well as lots of other free extras.

With a name like Wigglebottom, it’s no surprise that Howard B. is a character our children with ADHD will connect with. Natalie sure does!

What stories do your children love to read? What great lessons have you been able to teach after sharing a book together? Share your experiences in a comment below. Plus connect with other ADHD parents on our ADD forums.