GET IT DONE & HAVE FUN!

In this instructive picture book, kids learn strategies for getting chores done.

Few youngsters enjoy brushing their teeth or cleaning up, but for those with ADHD, it can be “borture,” an amusing portmanteau (boring and torture) coined by Squeaky McGee, a chipper squirrel with ADHD. “You’re super creative, / inventive, and fun,” says Squeaky. “Most people’s brains walk, / but yours likes to run.” And doing things that aren’t “interesting, challenging, or new”? Pure borture. Squeaky supportively guides children through a series of hacks, among them turning dull tasks into a game, working in short bursts, and making to-do lists. With its awkward meter and rhyme and lack of narrative arc, this book isn’t one most kids will likely pick up more than once, but the advice is sound; think of this one as self-help for the elementary school set, to be read once or twice and referred to when strategies are needed. Squeaky refers to the acronym S.P.I.C.E. (Stakes, Passion, Innovation, Competition, Engagement), which is further explained in the backmatter. There, readers will also find a note from Penn Holderness (who has ADHD), more tips for motivating youngsters, and advice for parents. Depicting racially diverse kids, Vogel’s illustrations are fun, colorful, and at times funny (like a montage of bored children staring lifelessly while attempting to complete their chores).

Useful guidance for young neurodivergent readers.