A positive story about a hyperactive young character from the author and illustrator of The Colour Monster.
Anna Llenas (Author, Illustrator) Anna Llenas was born in Barcelona. She graduated in Advertising and Public Relations at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, with a diploma in Graphic Design by The Escola de la Llotya and has a postgraduate degree in Creative Illustration from the Escola Eina. She has developed graphic projects for clients as diverse as La Vanguardia (the Spanish daily newspaper), Nestl e and the Government of Catalonia. She has collaborated with other authors as an illustrator. this picture book is her first as both author and illustrator.
When Little Mole wakes up, he bounds, he bounces and he bellows!
Will he sit down long enough to get through his school work? Most
children are a bundle of energy, but some have more than others and
this enchanting picture book helps youngsters to understand that
being hyperactive doesn't always produce 'negative' results. Anna
Llenas, a talented author, illustrator and paper engineer, sets her
own busy mind to this decidedly positive and uplifting story about
a little mole who gets a helping hand to keep his mind - and his
energy - on track. Little Mole can't stand still. He messes about,
he gets distracted, he loses things and he breaks things... in
fact, he never stops from the moment he wakes up! People say that
he is rude, impatient, restless, useless, naughty, tiring and
hyperactive. His parents are worried, his teacher is desperate and
with his end-of-term school project coming up, it looks like Little
Mole is going to need some help. So who better than Serena, the
forest bunny who offers 'creative learning for wonderful children'?
And can she keep busy, buzzing Little Mole on track? Llenas'
distinctive and visually exciting collage-effect illustrations
provide a simple, fun but highly effective and accessible
exploration of what it means to have attention deficit
hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). With its important messages about
tolerance, understanding and getting the right help, this is both
an enchanting story and a valuable teaching tool. * Lancashire
Evening Post *
Our first Picture Book of the Week perfectly addresses something
that we scarcely see dealt with so well in children's books... This
beautifully handled and sensitively written book is "Little Mole's
a Whirlwind" by Anna Llenas and it's one of the best picture books
we've seen that talks about ADHD / ADD / Autism in a way that
children will understand and adults will also feel perfectly
summarises what it's like to be the parents, teacher or guardian
for a child that has these conditions. We tread warily here, purely
because these are such misunderstood and misdiagnosed conditions
and it's easy to think that most busy and active children show the
symptoms, but Anna delves into what it feels like from Little
Mole's side, what it's like to have too much energy to switch off
your mind or to focus on just one thing. Little Mole has a fairly
miserable time at school. He struggles to pay attention in class,
he's definitely a whirlwind, the other school children often avoid
him and won't play with him because they think he's useless,
reckless and hyperactive and with the final end of term project
coming up, there's the anxiety of what Little Mole can do for his
project to add to his stress. Thankfully Little Mole's parents spy
an advert in the newspaper for a fantastic after-school place that
might finally help Little Mole and settle his mind. Miss Rabbit
enters their lives and for the first time she shows that there are
ways to help, but most of all she does something for Little Mole
that no one else has. She listens. Over the course of the next few
weeks Little Mole and Miss Rabbit do lots of things together, make
things, bake things but most of all talk about his feelings and how
to use his energy. So when his final project time finally rolls
around, Little Mole has a surprise for everyone. Including us
readers! (Which obviously we're not going to spoil for you). It's
such a heart-meltingly touching moment that it'll make you feel
like cheering for Little Mole but we'll say no more than that. This
book is fantastic, really special and we can see this being an
amazingly useful story to use in schools and indeed in sessions
like Miss Rabbit's, to help other children like Little Mole feel
that they're also represented in books and that they do not need to
feel demonised or put upon. Truly amazing. C's best bit: Little
Mole's end of term surprise for everyone, which is such a lovely
moment. Daddy's favourite bit: Intelligently put together and
written, fantastically illustrated (with some truly awesome
cardboard and papercrafting) but above all the first properly
sensitively written children's picture book about ADD / ADHD that
we've seen on the blog. Breathtakingly good, everyone needs to read
this one. * Read it Daddy *
From the second Little Mole wakes up, he storms through the burrow
like a whirlwind. Everything's a distraction. He can't sit still in
class or listen to instructions. No one wants to play with him and
Little Mole is sad. His exhausted parents are at a loss as to what
to do to help him. But then they spot a very interesting advert in
the newspaper, placed by Serena the Forest Bunny offering creative
learning opportunities. Little Mole's parents sign him up and wait
to see if Serena can help Little Mole find some focus. I think this
book reflects aspects of many children you might meet as a teacher,
but it could be especially powerful to use when discussing
different learning needs with pupils and staff - one size does not
fit all when it comes to the classroom. As well as being an
uplifting story with quirky illustrations, this book may also be
useful for families with children who have ADD or ADHD. It would
provide the opportunity for a conversation about some of the
difficulties a child might be facing at school and provide hope
that there are ways to make things easier. A touching and funny
book which addresses the condition of ADHD with a light hand. *
Library Girl and Book Boy *
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