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4.55 AVERAGE
4.55 AVERAGE
A whisper of a book which leaves a mighty, surging effect upon its readers.
A boy discovers a way to describe his stutter that makes sense to him and helps him move past what other people think about it to make it his own. I loved this book.
“Even the river stutters — like I do.”
A short and sweet story in verse that tackles the stigma behind stuttering and embracing yourself for who you are. A celebration of nature as it is reflected in human nature.
A short and sweet story in verse that tackles the stigma behind stuttering and embracing yourself for who you are. A celebration of nature as it is reflected in human nature.
I got shivers reading this book! the illustrations are gorgeous and convey so much in them. I like that this book has an intelligible storyline and isn’t solely didactic as so many children’s books about “diversity” are. I also appreciate the note at the end about the author’s real experience having a stutter & that this is an “own voices” book.
It was okay. I didn't think it was amazing but I'm sure kids who stutter would enjoy it.
I read this when it came out and thought it was beautiful, but when you pair it with the Odyssey Award winning audiobook it becomes transcendent. I highly recommend you listen and read simultaneously.
This is a heartwarming story about a boy who stutters. With watercolor illustrations that go from vivid to muddy mirroring his speech impediments, I think it would be a great SEL and therapy addition supporting speech therapists. It can also be a conversation starter in the classroom about how and why students sometimes stumble on their words and how to be supportive.
Thank you to Edelweiss for the eARC.
Thank you to Edelweiss for the eARC.
I would give this six stars if I could. This book does such a good job at allowing the reader to put them selves into another person’s shoes. The story itself is about a young stutterer, and it begins in the morning. Our main character wakes up with words already stuck in his mouth, already anxious about the day. By the time he gets to school, words are already stuck in his throat. The stress of having to speak in class is combined with the stares of his classmates, and it’s just a bad day. As his father says, a bad speech day.
But it’s in the way the father helps the boy to recover, that I found the most beautiful part of the book. The boy realizes that his speech challenges are not monstrous or strange, but can instead simply be seen as a beautiful, natural pattern. Of course, this realization is on the part of the boy himself, and there are no corresponding revelations for his classmates. But maybe that’s the most important part: that the boy can recognize his challenges as part of himself, but not as a commentary on his worth or value as a human. All the rest of us can do is witness that realization and endeavor to be more empathetic in our own lives.
The illustrations are stunning. There is a fold-out spread in the middle that brought tears to my eyes it was so gorgeous. But even in the depiction of the feelings and perceptions of the main character, the artwork deftly carries its share of the storytelling weight.
But it’s in the way the father helps the boy to recover, that I found the most beautiful part of the book. The boy realizes that his speech challenges are not monstrous or strange, but can instead simply be seen as a beautiful, natural pattern. Of course, this realization is on the part of the boy himself, and there are no corresponding revelations for his classmates. But maybe that’s the most important part: that the boy can recognize his challenges as part of himself, but not as a commentary on his worth or value as a human. All the rest of us can do is witness that realization and endeavor to be more empathetic in our own lives.
The illustrations are stunning. There is a fold-out spread in the middle that brought tears to my eyes it was so gorgeous. But even in the depiction of the feelings and perceptions of the main character, the artwork deftly carries its share of the storytelling weight.