Houdini’s Gift: a Book Review
Houdini’s Gift, by Jeanne Gehret, introduces us once again to Ben, the boy diagnosed with ADD in Eagle Eyes. In this book, Ben loves his pet hamster, but has trouble remembering to properly care for his pet and Houdini the hamster gets away.
Ben’s parents help him to remember to do his chores by using an individual behavior plan. This is a great lesson for parents, teachers and students packaged neatly in a children’s picture book.
In the back of the book are discussion starters that ask students to answer both explicit and implicit comprehension questions based on the story. Children are asked to think about why Ben’s parents did the things they did and to evaluate whether or not those things were fair. These questions can be a great starting point for a child who feels burdened by unfair 
restrictions.
The gentle method used in this story to introduce an individual behavior plan provides an excellent example to both children and adults. Houdini’s Gift demonstrates the importance of responsibility as well as the benefit of allowing the child to choose a reward for being responsible.
While this book is written for children, parents and teachers may benefit more from its message of patient supportive interventions when a child has an attention problem.
