Fix It with FOCUS

A Story about Ignoring Distractions and Staying on Task

Written by Bryan Smith. Illustrated by Lisa M. Griffin.

Focus. Focus. Focus. That’s the advice Blake hears again and again but never seems to follow.

Blake has a short attention span. In the classroom, he carelessly demolishes a Lego volcano in his rush to see who’s outside the window. On the pitch, he gets his elbow and his ego bruised because of a distracting clod of dirt. In the lunchroom, he stops telling his own story to flip a bottle and ends up drenched in a puddle. The poor guy stumbles from one mishap to another because of a complete lack of concentration.

Will his fortunes change when the caring adults in his life introduce him to hands-on tools and manipulatives, such as squishy erasers, stress balls and glove taps? And can a work/break cycle, coupled with using the word FOCUS as a mnemonic device, make things any better?

FIX IT WITH FOCUS is from the pen of award-winning author and school counsellor Bryan Smith, whose popular Executive FUNction series offers great lessons to young readers who struggle with self-control, have the wiggles, or are coping with ADHD.