Aaron Slater, Illustrator: A Picture Book

by Andrea Beaty, David Roberts (Illustrator)

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

The Questioneers delivers a resounding story of inspiration and ingenuity, this time putting the spotlight on a young boy with a brilliant imagination.

Aaron Slater, Illustrator is an uplifting story about the power of art, finding your voice, and telling your story even when you’re out of step with your peers, from Andrea Beaty and David Roberts, the #1 bestselling creators of Sofia Valdez, Future Prez and Ada Twist, Scientist!
 
An instant #1 New York Times bestseller!
 
An instant USA Today bestseller!
 
Aaron Slater loves listening to stories and dreams of one day writing them himself. But when it comes to reading, the letters just look like squiggles to him, and it soon becomes clear he struggles more than his peers. When his teacher asks each child in the class to write a story, Aaron can’t get a single word down. He is sure his dream of being a storyteller is out of reach . . . until inspiration strikes, and Aaron finds a way to spin a tale in a way that is uniquely his.
 
Printed with a dyslexia-friendly font, Aaron Slater, Illustrator tells the empowering story of a boy with dyslexia who discovers that his learning disability may inform who he is, but it does not define who he is, and that there are many ways to be a gifted communicator.

Check out all the books in the Questioneers Series:

• The Questioneers Picture Book Series: Iggy Peck, Architect | Rosie Revere, Engineer | Ada Twist, Scientist | Sofia Valdez, Future Prez | Aaron Slater, Illustrator | Lila Greer, Teacher of the Year | Billie Jean Peet, Athlete
• The Questioneers Chapter Book Series: Rosie Revere and the Raucous Riveters | Ada Twist and the Perilous Pants | Iggy Peck and the Mysterious Mansion | Sofia Valdez and the Vanishing Vote | Ada Twist and the Disappearing Dogs | Aaron Slater and the Sneaky Snake | Lila Greer and the Shrieking Shadow
• Questioneers: The Why Files Series: Exploring Flight! | All About Plants! | The Science of Baking | Bug Bonanza! | Rockin’ Robots! | Team Green!
• Questioneers: Ada Twist, Scientist Series: Ghost Busted | Show Me the Bunny | Ada Twist, Scientist: Brainstorm Book | 5-Minute Ada Twist, Scientist Stories
• The Questioneers Big Project Book Series: Iggy Peck’s Big Project Book for Amazing Architects | Rosie Revere’s Big Project Book for Bold Engineers | Ada Twist’s Big Project Book for Stellar Scientists | Sofia Valdez’s Big Project Book for Awesome Activists | Aaron Slater’s Big Project Book for Astonishing Artists

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781419753961
Publisher:	Abrams Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	11/02/2021
Series:	Questioneers Series
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	9.10(w) x 11.10(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	5 - 7 Years

About the Author

Andrea Beaty is the author of many beloved children’s books, including the bestselling Questioneers series, I Love You Like Yellow, Happy Birthday, Madame Chapeau, and One Girl. She lives just outside Chicago.
 
David Roberts has illustrated many children’s books, including the bestselling Questioneers series. He lives in London. Andrea and David are both executive producers of the Emmy Award–winning show Ada Twist, Scientist on Netflix.

Editorial Reviews

**STARRED REVIEW**
"In the illustration, a tableau of colorful mythological beings embodies Aaron’s tale. . .Empathetic art and lyrical text blend for a touching and empowering tale." 

— Kirkus Reviews

"Celebrating differences is an ever-worthy theme. Even better, an endnote states that the rhymed narrative is printed in a dyslexic-friendly font." 

— Booklist

From the Publisher

★ 2021-10-13
The latest book in the Questioneer series centers an African American boy who has dyslexia.

Roberts’ characteristic cartoon illustrations open on a family of six that includes two mothers of color, children of various abilities and racial presentations, and two very amused cats. In a style more expressive and stirring than other books in the series, Beaty presents a boy overcoming insecurities related to reading comprehension. Like Harlem Renaissance artist Aaron Douglas, the boy’s namesake, the protagonist loves to draw. More than drawing, however, young Aaron wishes to write, but when he tries to read, the letters appear scrambled (effectively illustrated with a string of wobbly, often backward letters that trail across the pages). The child retreats into drawing. After an entire school year of struggle, Aaron decides to just “blend in.” At the beginning of the next school year, a writing prompt from a new teacher inspires Aaron, who spends his evening attempting to write “a story. Write something true.” The next day in class, having failed to put words on paper, Aaron finds his voice and launches into a story that shows how “beauty and kindness and loving and art / lend courage to all with a welcoming heart.” In the illustration, a tableau of colorful mythological beings embodies Aaron’s tale. The text is set in a dyslexia-friendly type. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Empathetic art and lyrical text blend for a touching and empowering tale. (author's note, illustrator's note) (Picture book. 5-8)

Kirkus Reviews