“Here’s Hank” by Henry Winkler & Lin Oliver
“Sunday, Monday, Happy Days. Tuesday, Wednesday, Happy Days…” If you ever watched Nick-at-Night in the 1990s or are part of an older (read: wiser) generation that watched the show when it originally aired, you may be familiar with those lines as the beginning of the theme song for the show Happy Days. This show starred Ron Howard as Richie Cunningham and Henry Winkler as Fonzie (the Fonz), among other actors you may recognize. If you haven’t seen the show - go ahead and Google it - you won’t be disappointed! Henry Winkler also played in movies like The Water Boy with Adam Sandler and in the TV series Royal Pains.
Why am I going on and on about Henry Winkler? I am going on and on about him because he has written a children’s book series called Here’s Hank all about a kid who learns differently. In fact in the first book of the series Henry dedicates the book to teachers saying:
“Dedicated to all the teachers who understand the child, like me, who learns differently.”
It turns out that Henry Winkler is dyslexic. He didn’t realize he was dyslexic until his son was evaluated for dyslexia. Then he noticed similarities between his own school experience and his son’s. He found out that he wasn’t lazy or stupid, but that he learned differently. Since then, he has become an advocate for those with dyslexia.
The Here’s Hank series is also available via audiobooks (a favorite for my family). As a bonus, the audiobooks are narrated by Henry Winkler himself! Click here to order the books for yourself on Amazon.
We have been listening to these books at bedtime and my kids really enjoy them. I’ve enjoyed listening to them as well! I like that the reader can see themselves in the characters and identify with difficulties the main character faces. I also like that it is a conversation starter about dyslexia and learning differences in general. This is great for the parent who wants to talk to their child about their learning differences or diagnoses but doesn’t know how. Reading these books also helps kids who don’t have learning differences develop empathy and understanding for those who do. I hope you enjoy them as much as we have!
