First Graphic Novel From ASHA Press Helps Middle School Children Defeat a Common Nemesis: “The Time Snatcher”

(Rockville, MD) A new graphic novel from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) and author and speech-language pathologist Mindy Hudon, MS, CCC-SLP, is a must-have for children who struggle with time management—and an excellent resource for the professionals who work with them.

In Kodi’s Adventures: How I Defeated the Time Snatcher, protagonist Kodi is a middle school student who frequently experiences negative consequences resulting from his easy distraction and procrastination.

From the book’s synopsis: “It’s the first day of middle school and Kodi is ready for a new start. Goodbye to missed buses, lost papers, incomplete homework, and hello to being on time, good grades, and time for video games! He is sure that things will be different. But his plans don’t go as he imagined. Day after day, time keeps getting away from him and he feels defeated. What can be snatching his time?”

Playfully illustrated by Barbara Szepesi Szucs, the book is intended for middle school students and their parents/caregivers; school-based and private-practice speech-language pathologists; educators; and therapists, school counselors, and other professionals specializing in executive functioning, autism, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. It’s the first graphic novel published by ASHA Press, an imprint of ASHA.

“In both my personal and professional life, I have seen kids struggle to comply with their teachers’ and parents’ requests around time—whether it’s completing an assignment or project, getting out the door in the morning, or tending to any number of other daily tasks,” said Hudon. “Time management is a much-needed life skill that is expected but rarely taught. Through this story, I hope to present a character that children can relate to as well as help them improve their lives through simple strategies that feel achievable to them.”

Content in the book teaches time management by helping children identify their personal “time snatchers”—and then showing how to defeat them. As it explains, a time snatcher is anything that distracts a person, causing them to lose track of time. Some common time snatchers are video games, television, toys and games, a person’s own thoughts, efforts spent finding things, and time spent with friends.

According to Hudon, many children need help to “see and feel” the passage of time. Among her strategies is employing an analog clock because it not only shows “now” time like a digital clock does, but also “past” time and “future” time.

“I want to help kids understand that they can have control of their time,” Hudon explains. “By seeing time beyond the current moment, they can plan and live their lives more effectively. This can reduce a lot of the stress, frustration, and shame that children may feel.”

Extras

The book includes child-friendly explanations of key concepts and skills—including time management, organization, and executive functioning—as well as detailed how-to’s for making a plan to defeat time snatchers and organizing their personal spaces.

Accolades

Kodi’s Adventures: How I Defeated the Time Snatcher has already earned a prestigious Mom’s Choice Award®. Through the program, a panel bound by a strict code of ethics rigorously evaluates submissions and determines the best in family-friendly media, products, and services.

“Parents and educators know that products and services bearing our seal of approval are high-quality and also a great value,” said Dawn Matheson, executive director of the Mom’s Choice Awards (MCA). “The MCA evaluation program is designed to incorporate the expertise of scientists, physicians and other specialists, but we also engage parents, children, educators, and caregivers because they are experts in knowing what is best for their families.”

Purchasing Kodi

Kodi’s Adventures: How I Defeated the Time Snatcher can be purchased on the ASHA website (discount available for ASHA members) or on Amazon for $27.99.

About the Author

Mindy Hudon is a practicing speech-language pathologist who has spent most of her career working with children and adults in clinical facilities, public schools, and private practice. Hudon specializes in executive function development, specifically in the area of time management. She is the creator of Creative Child Magazine’s 2019 Educational Product of the Year, the Bee A Time Keeper™ clock. Hudon is the co-founder of Achieve Speech & Language Services in Woodstock, Conn. She is the president of Building Awareness Rocks, a nonprofit corporation that is dedicated to improving the lives of children with exceptionalities. Hudon writes for various magazines and blogs—and is the speech and language expert advisor for 30Seconds.com, where she provides tips on speech and language issues, health, and everyday parenting.

About the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA)
ASHA is the national professional, scientific, and credentialing association for 223,000 members and affiliates who are audiologists; speech-language pathologists; speech, language, and hearing scientists; audiology and speech-language pathology support personnel; and students. Audiologists specialize in preventing and assessing hearing and balance disorders as well as providing audiologic treatment, including hearing aids. Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) identify, assess, and treat speech, language, and swallowing disorders.