I Talk Like a River

by Jordan Scott Narrated by Jordan Scott

Overview

When a boy who stutters feels isolated, alone, and incapable of communicating in the way he'd like, it takes a kindly father and a walk by the river to help him find his voice. Through this powerful and uplifting story, poet Jordan Scott uses his own experiences to reveal what it's like to be a child who feels lost, lonely, or unable to fit in. Compassionate parents everywhere will recognize how they, too, can reconnect their children to the world around them.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

"A brilliant way of thinking about a stutter."—Ed Sheeran

"An empathetic conversation-starter for families seeking help for a young — or not so young — person who stutters."—The New York Times

"This wrenching and beautiful book will give succor to children who stutter and expand the hearts of those lucky enough to take fluency for granted." —The Wall Street Journal
 
"This important (and stunning) book promotes self-acceptance . . . as well as empathy" —The San Francisco Chronicle

"One of the most powerful books that I’ve read in 2020."—The Globe and Mail

★ "lyrical and empowering . . . An important and unforgettable offering presented with natural beauty and grace."—The Horn Book, Starred Review

★ "This is unquestionably one of the best picture books of 2020." —Book Page, Starred Review
 
★ "An astounding articulation of both what it feels like to be different and how to make peace with it."—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review
 
★ "By turns heartbreaking and illuminating, this picture book brings one more outsider into the fold through economy of language and an abundance of love."—School Library Journal, Starred Review
 
★ "Full of reassurance and understanding, this is a much needed look at a common language problem." —Booklist, Starred Review
 
★"a boy who stutters is given a new way to think about his speech. . . . Artwork makes the internal change a light-filled experience"—Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

★ "In this moving, deeply personal . . . There is plenty for all readers to glean from this boy's 'proud river.'"—Shelf Awareness, Starred Review

★ " Smith’s watercolour imagery in the book’s early parts is soft and edgeless. . . . . It’s only when his dad takes him for a walk along the river that the art firms up. The pair are now framed by the darkly delineated silhouette of tree trunks while the crisp, subtle hues of autumn leaves are reflected in the water next to them."—Quill & Quire, Starred Review

"An exceptional work."—Toronto Star

"Deft poetic language pairs with the resonant watercolors of Sydney Smith to create a book that is more than a memoir and more than conveying a message. This is pain, turned into art, and written for young children. Incomparable."—A Fuse #8 Production

"A sensitive portrayal of the isolation and stigma felt by a kid with speech difficulties." —Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

"Jordan Scott pulls from his own childhood experience to explore the way his father helped him accept his stutter and offers support for anyone who is differently abled."—BC BookLook
 
"From its sunlit, breathtaking cover illustration of a freckled boy immersed in a moving river to the lyrical text by a B.C. poet drawing on his childhood experiences growing up with a stutter, this is a book for all ages."—Montreal Gazette
 
"This is a stunning picture book."—Sal's Fiction Addiction

"Poet Jordan Scott gives us an empathetic picture book from the perspective of a boy who stutters.  . . . Sydney Smith's flowing images explain and enhance the text."—BookLoons

Kirkus Reviews

★ 2020-06-30
A young boy describes how it feels to stutter and how his father’s words see him through “bad speech day[s].”

Lyrical, painfully acute language and absorbing, atmospheric illustrations capture, with startling clarity, this school-age child’s daily struggle with speech. Free verse emulates the pauses of interrupted speech while slowing down the reading, allowing the words to settle. When coupled with powerful metaphors, the effect is gut-wrenching: “The P / in pine tree / grows roots / inside my mouth / and tangles / my tongue.” Dappled paintings inspire empathy as well, with amorphous scenes infused with the uncertainty that defines both the boy’s unpredictable speech and his melancholy. Specificity arrives in the artwork solely at the river, where boy and father go after a particularly bad morning. Scenery comes into focus, and readers feel the boy’s relief in this refuge where he can breathe deeply, be quiet, and think clearly. At this extraordinary book’s center, a double gatefold shows the child wading in shimmering waters, his back to readers, his face toward sunlight. His father pulls his son close and muses that the boy “talk[s] like a river,” choppy in places, churning in others, and smooth beyond. (Father and son both appear White.) Young readers will turn this complex idea over in their minds again and again. The author includes a moving autobiographical essay prompting readers to think even further about speech, sounds, communication, self-esteem, and sympathy.

An astounding articulation of both what it feels like to be different and how to make peace with it. (Picture book. 4-8)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940177980096
Publisher:	Dreamscape Media
Publication date:	11/26/2020
Edition description:	Unabridged
Age Range:	Up to 4 Years

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