Image Source: Kai Suzuki
"Try to remember that being unsuccessful in school doesn’t automatically mean you’ll be unsuccessful in life. Lots of people who didn’t excel in school still went on to have successful lives."
-Dav Pilkey
Dav Pilkey, author of the "Captain Underpants" book series as well as several other beloved children’s books series, was diagnosed with dyslexia and hyperactivity as a child.
He used to write his stories in classes, and one teacher even ripped up some of his books, telling him that he couldn’t spend his life writing them.
Luckily, Pilkey didn’t listen and with a wonderful sense of creativity as well as a lot of support from his parents, he has gone on to be an extremely successful author.
His humorous books have a knack for getting reluctant readers into the reading habit. Sally Shaywitz of Yale University notes that “Pilkey’s own experiences as a dyslexic child growing up no doubt gave him sensitivity to the imperfections in all of us”.
Read more about Pilkey’s story over at USA Today.