Noè u l-Iskojjattlu bla kwiet

● By Leanne Ellul and Stephanie Bugeja ● Illustrated by Derek Fenech

Noè speaks in CAPS. He is loud, restless and impulsive. He has an older brother Ben and they both go to the same school. But one is allowed to go to the school camp and the other is not.

Noè and Ben are in fact your average siblings – one minute they’re squabbling, the next they’re hugging each; the only difference is that Noe has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). This picture book, illustrated by Derek Fenech, aims to show that there is more to a child than a diagnosis.

Noè u l-Iskojjattlu bla kwiet is written by awardwinning Maltese author Leanne Ellul together with Stephanie Bugeja, a practicing educational psychologist, and the storyline aims to help children to appreciate themselves and each other as individuals, with their own strengths and weaknesses. Once children from a young age are able to see that, then society stands to benefit because according to Bugeja it will “help to build a cohesive, meaningful, and inclusive community based on respect”.

“Noè is no different to other boys of his age and an ADHD diagnosis does not stop anyone from finding a voice of their own,” says Ellul as she explains that the book is set in a Maltese context so that Maltese children and families can identify with it.

ADHD is among the most common neuro-behavioural difficulties in children and adolescents. Its common symptoms are inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity, but challenges vary from child to child. It is estimated that an average of 2.2% of children and teenagers around the world suffer from ADHD.

When a child is diagnosed with ADHD, parents are often left with a prescription and a fact sheet as tools to start a new life of living with ADHD. Some parents opt to keep the child unaware of the diagnosis, which according to Bugeja can be a “disservice” and it can imply “that there is something bad or shameful about ADHD.”

“When a child is old enough to go through psychological testing, he is also old enough to be told the test results. Keeping the diagnosis a secret accomplishes nothing,” Bugeja says. By being aware, children can understand why they get easily angry, frustrated or irritated and why sometimes they may find it difficult to be motivated.

However Noè u l-Iskojjattlu bla kwiet is not a book which is targeted solely at children with ADHD. Ellul, in fact, believes that it needs to have a wide readership. “This is not a story about Noè’s ADHD but about Noè, a child who could easily be the kid next door,” she said. Stereotyping and stigmatisation are indirectly tackled and readers are encouraged “to see past the labels” and enjoy a child’s identity as a whole. Bugeja concurs: “The story is fun and light and shows us that ADHD is part of who Noè is, not who he is.”

It is part of a new Merlin Publishers series called Lenti Fuq, which aims at raising awareness about developmental issues. Merlin Publisher’s director Chris Gruppetta said that future books in the series will be dealing with autism and Down’s syndrome. “Inclusion needs to be more than just a vote-grabbing catchphrase in our educational system and we can achieve true inclusion only if children can understand and internalise that children with any developmental issues are just individuals too like them,” Gruppetta said.

Noè u l-Iskojjattlu bla kwiet offers its young and adult readers the ideal platform to broach a sensitive subject. In fact, it has no fixed target age, but is ideal both for reading to children when these are still very young, and eventually for reading by children themselves when they are slightly older. At the end of the story, there are a few pages dedicated to parents and/or teachers, with information about ADHD and dealing with children with ADHD. Noè u l-Iskojjattlu Bla Kwiet is available for sale from all leading bookshops or directly from merlinpublishers.com