The autobiographic story of Alan Rabinowitz. Alan had a stutter when he was a young boy. The only time he could talk without stuttering was when he was talking to animals. With the encouragement of his teacher and his animal friends, Alan overcame his stutter by committing to be the voice of the animals. He grew up to be an important animal conservationist and fulfilled his dream to talk for the animals who could not.
Beautifully illustrated, this story teaches us to keep trying and never give up. A powerful message about conservation is included with the deeply personal story of Alan's own life and inspiration. ( )

This story is about a young boy who stutters unless he is talking to animals. He finds that he has a love for big cats, and spends his life working on ways to decrease his stutter and on ways to convince other countries to create preserves for big cats. Recommended for elementary school ages. ( )

Young Alan feels secluded when he is moved from his class to a special help class for his stutter. He feels connected and finds his voice when "talking" to the lone jaguar at the zoo.
4-7 years old
Bibliotherapy-special needs
Timberland Regional Library

The illustrations of his pets threw me. The gerbil looks just like a mouse, and the green turtle is more the shape of a box turtle. ( )

I think this book is amazing for all age groups. It tells us about a boy that has a hard time talking to humans; as he has a stutter when doing so. He takes us through his journey on how he loved the zoo because he could talk to animals without the stutter. In school he was mistreated and told he was "disturbing" when in reality he was just different, and that should have been okay. He gets really sad and feels like he doesn't belong. Eventually, we see him grow up to work with animals, where he has a lot more success with his speech and happiness in life. It is very well illustrated, and told. ( )