Why Are the Numbers All Jumbled?

A child reflects on her struggles, strengths, and experiences with dyscalculia

In Why Are the Numbers All Jumbled?, a young girl tells us about her life with dyscalculia. She loves to run races and act in plays. And, like everyone with dyscalculia, her brain processes numbers differently than most people. She has learned some great tools for helping with math problems, like drawing pictures so she can see how numbers work. Some of her classmates don’t understand why she needs help, but she isn’t concerned—she knows that everyone needs help sometimes. And dyscalculia is just one part of what makes her the wonderful, unique kid she is.

Why Are the Numbers All Jumbled?

• Draws on the author’s experience with dyscalculia for authentic representation
• Follows a young girl with dyscalculia, who explains her experience with numbers, as well as her talent for words and solving big-picture problems
• Celebrates disability joy and offers an empowering self-representation for kids with dyscalculia
• Helps children develop empathy and understanding with first-person storytelling from a child’s perspective

The Disability Books for Kids series explores visible and invisible disability in the first person, as seen through the eyes of children and written from personal experience. The series builds allyship, challenges ableism, and celebrates difference, empowering and educating all readers. Each book includes an author’s note to the reader.