01/15/2023
This year, one of my personal hopes is to read more fiction. I have always loved reading as a way to explore new perspectives, and I want to spend more time doing that. I started my 2023 reading list with this recommendation from one of my amazing little clients. It’s a YA novel called “Fish in a Tree” by Lynda Mullaly Hunt.
This is a story about finding a new story. It’s about a kiddo who has so far believed the story that’s been told to her - that she must be stupid because she can’t read.
Through the help of a supportive teacher, Ally discovers a new, true story that works so much better for her. She is not dumb at all. She actually has dyslexia, which is means that her brain needs to take a different path for learning letters. A different path that leads to the same destination - learning ideas and sharing her own with the world!
Through the story, reading changes from something that was once in Ally’s Sketchbook of Impossible Things, to something that is indeed possible.
My favourite part of the story is when there is an accidental rupture in Ally’s relationship and trust with her teacher, and how through communication and openness, they are able to repair that rupture. We need stories like this to normalize and model healthy rupture and repair. It happens all the time in therapy, and it’s such a vital part of human connection and relationships.
A special thank you to my little client who shared about this book with me! 💗
