Cory Stories by Jeanne Kraus

Illustrated by Whitney Martin.32 p., Magination, 2005. Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) comes with many struggles. Cory describes these: feeling wiggly, getting overexcited, speaking before he thinks, having difficulty explaining his ideas, having a hard time thinking about anything for as long as other kids do, forgetting to do chores and homework - in spite of his best efforts - being disorganized, losing things, clumsiness, sloppy work, having trouble making friends, having kids inexplicably make fun of him, and being picked last for sports teams. These problems come with a lot of feelings for Cory: his is angry, frustrated, sad, hurt, and embarrassed. His parents take him to a psychiatrist who diagnoses ADHD. Cory is relieved to have a reason for the ways that he feels, and relieved that because ADHD is common, he isn't so different from other kids. The psychiatrist prescribes medication and recommends psychotherapy with someone Cory refers to as a "talking doctor," who helps him feel to better about himself and to make better choices. With the help of his parents, teacher, and therapist, Cory learns new things to do to help with the difficulties he has. He learns to appreciate his strengths. His teacher tells his parents that his schoolwork and behavior are improving. Cory feels proud and optimistic. There is an afterword for parents that helps them understand ADHD and gives good ideas for ways to address it with kids. Illustrated with energetic black-and-white drawings, this story offers empathy and optimism to kids who have ADHD. Ages 6-11

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