An inspiring story about a child lost in a forest of letters, prompting children with dyslexia and other neurodivergence to problem solve and gain confidence in their reading abilities.Verbs, also known as action words, can be pesky things to master and nobody understands the struggle better than the young child in Wiggling Words. Skip, trip, fumble and fall with them as they discover that even though words can be tricky, they can be fun too!Written and illustrated by Kate Rolfe, winner of the prestigious V&A Student Illustrator of the Year and 3rd place winner of the Macmillan Illustration Prize.
- Books
- Kids Fiction & Indies
- Kids Fiction
- Wiggling Words
Wiggling Words
Author(s)
Publisher
Age Range
4+
Release Date
August 22, 2025
ISBN
978-1035019717
Buy This Book
Editor review
1 review
Unpacking Reading Problems
(Updated: June 21, 2026)
Overall rating
3.3
Plot
3.0
Characters
3.0
Writing Style
3.0
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
4.0
A child struggles with reading books as the words tumble about the pages. This is frustrating and leads to a bit of a temper tantrum, as well as the thought that reading is something that will never be figured out. Mountains of red letters appear on the pages, but eventually the child starts to make some sense of them. This ends on a positive note as the letters come to shape a flower, a house, and trees, and the child feels that anything is possible. An author's note at the end details her own struggles with dyslexia and some of her strategies to make reading easier.
Good Points
I love that the book is printed in a dyslexia friendly font, and the two color illustrations are spare and cut down on distractions. The mountains of letters look daunting, and the child's frustrations are palpable. It's good that eventually things start to be easier to navigate.
It would have been good to see some strategies depicted in the text of the book, although that might have slowed down the narrative pace. Children who are struggling with their own reading will feel emboldened when they see representation of another reader struggling. Combine this with Rudolph's Brilliant Bea, Beaty's Aaron Slater, Illustrator, Fortune's Did You Say Pasghetti? and Harris and Wick's Magnificent Meg to help children understand some of the reading struggles of dyslexia.
It would have been good to see some strategies depicted in the text of the book, although that might have slowed down the narrative pace. Children who are struggling with their own reading will feel emboldened when they see representation of another reader struggling. Combine this with Rudolph's Brilliant Bea, Beaty's Aaron Slater, Illustrator, Fortune's Did You Say Pasghetti? and Harris and Wick's Magnificent Meg to help children understand some of the reading struggles of dyslexia.
User reviews
1 review
Overall rating
5.0
Plot
5.0(1)
Characters
5.0(1)
Writing Style
5.0(1)
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
5.0(1)
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Great read
(Updated: June 21, 2026)
Overall rating
5.0
Plot
5.0
Characters
5.0
Writing Style
5.0
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
5.0
Wiggling Words by Kate Rolfe pulled me in and honestly, I was charmed before I even turned the first page. Being lost in a forest of letters felt instantly familiar. Who hasn’t tripped over words, whether we’re learning them for the first time or navigating tricky ones as grown-ups? I followed the young child through verbs that skip, tumble, wiggle, and fumble, and I found myself rooting for them like they were conquering a tiny linguistic mountain. The illustrations felt alive, almost like the words were literally dancing across the page. It’s playful, affirming, and wonderfully clever.exactly the kind of story that makes kids feel seen and capable.
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