Barbara Esham

Barbara Esham shares an extremely relatable story about a boy who cannot perform academically under the pressure of a timer. Max loves math and understands concepts before the test, but completely freezes once it begins. Because of this, Max often gets bullied because he is the last to finish on tests and feels that he is disappointing everyone around him. When Max’s teacher calls his parents to arrange a meeting, Max realizes he has an extraordinary ability in math rather than a lack of ability. Esham does a fantastic job of normalizing test anxiety through Max’s experiences and demonstrates how everyone learns best in a different way.… (mere)

Last to Finish, A Story About the Smartest Boy in Math Class is an encouraging book about a boy named Max who has such bad test anxiety, he forgets all the math he learned and cannot finish a math test with a timer. I think this book will really resonate with readers, showing the fear of failure that many students feel. Also, Max is teased by his classmates for being unable to finish his math work on time, which many students have faced. Max's anxiety is so bad, he believes his parents are disappointed in him, even though they have told him many times how proud they are. Again, I believe many readers can relate to this emotion, myself included. The solution comes when his teacher and principle notice that Max is gifted in math, already understanding algebra. With that encouragement, Max is armed with the confidence he needs to excel. The illustrations are well done is this book, helping us as readers understand the embarrassment and anxiety Max is experiencing. Overall, I enjoyed this book. I think it allows readers to feel less alone in their math or test anxiety.… (mere)

In my opinion, Mrs. Gorski I Think I Have the Wiggle Fidgets, is a great book for students in elementary school. It is incredibly relatable to students who have ADHD, and as someone who has ADHD myself, this book would have been great for me to read in elementary school. It shows David, a student with ADHD getting into some trouble with his teacher. But, in his head, he hasn't done anything wrong, he was just doing what his mind told him to do. Finally, he tells Mrs. Gorski that he would be able to pay better attention if he had things that helped his mind focus, like a stress ball or just giving him a minute to stand up and walk around.
I love the illustrations in this book because as the reader you can see the emotions and actions through the pictures, which can ultimately help students understand and relate to the characters more. This could give the students who do have ADHD ideas to give their teachers, so they can pay more attention and get the best education possible.… (mere)

This was a great book about a child with ADHD who gets in trouble in class often. The illustrations are nice and really animated the wiggle fidgets. After the main character has a particularly hard day at school the teacher contacts his parents to talk about a solution for his behavior. The best part of the book is that it isn't the adults that come up with the solution. The main character recognizes that coming up with solutions is a talent he has and he comes up with some great ones. The fact that the solutions are coming from the child is a great example for children with this condition and helps them to accept the "fixes" easier.… (mere)