Jeanne Betancourt

Jeanne Betancourt, author of the children’s novel series Pony Pals, grew up struggling with dyslexia. She found reading and writing difficult as a young student, and never considered herself a good speller or a quick reader-- yet she always enjoyed making up stories. The young writer eventually began paying attention to the world around her rather than the jumble of letters on a page in front of her. She began incorporating the emotions and experiences of people she saw into her stories. Betancourt found it easy to imagine a character and their lives because of her early interest in bridging the world around her with her stories. She believes that having dyslexia actually helped her develop her storytelling skills.

Dyslexia remained a part of her life even after she had become a full-time writer. Two of her published children's novels, My Name is Brain and Brian and Anna, have main characters who are dyslexic. Betancourt has also spoken out about her dyslexia, and dedicates a page on her website to opening up about her dyslexia.

Visit Jeanne Betancourt’s website here to read her own opinion on her dyslexia and how it helped her as a writer.