Gr 1–4—While the hero's challenge is stuttering, a loving father and glorious natural surroundings create the
resonant message that not everything expressive is a straight line, but can be a tumble of water, words, even ideas
in streams. This title is for every outsider who has ever been teased—it's for everyone.

This poignant picture book is about a boy’s experience with words and language, feelings about his stuttering and how others react to his stuttering. The words and pictures of the books unfold in way for the reader to understand how the boy views his voice – it is not smooth, but one that ebbs and flows, churns, crashes, and whirls like the water in the river.
I often look for books that give children an opportunity or window to view another’s experience. This book does a wonderful job to address the experiences of someone who stutters, but also those who are bullied and isolated.
( )

I really love this book! A young boy who struggles with dealing with his stutter finds solace in the words of his father one afternoon as they visit his favorite place, the river. After a particularly bad speech day, the boy and his father spend some quiet time at the river, broken only by the father telling his son that he just talks like the river. The boy keeps this with him from then on, helping him to understand his stutter in a new light. Based on a true story, I thought this was a wonderful way for the dad help the son in feeling like he still belongs and to be able to relate to something in his surroundings that he really cares about. The illustrations are very fitting and beautiful, as the splashy watercolors remind you of the movements of the river. ( )

A young boy awakes each day knowing he will not be able to talk clearly. All his words get stuck in the back of his mouth. This disability leaves him scared and humiliated as each school day he cannot speak clearly and feels follish and made fun of. He mumbles, his words tangle on his tongue, letters that begin a word get stuck in the back of his throat.

He envisions how his classmates see him with his face that looks strange as he twists his mouth to try to force the words to come out clearly. And, sadly all the words he needs to say do not come out clearly, and it is just another day when his speach is mumbled.

His loving father picks him up from school and lovingly tells him that his bad speech day simply means they should go somewhere quiet to relax and unwind. His father takes him to the river. But, the boy cannot help but ruminate how he thinks he sounded and looked to his classmates. His eyes fill with tears.

Lovingly his father points to the way the water moves over the rocks, and tells his son that his words are very much like the river that bubbles, churns, whirls and crashes.

The boy hopes he can remember that he talks like a river. As he enters the water he thinks again how calm the river is after the stones are twisted and turned. And, hopefully, if he remembers that after the busy twisting and turning, there is calm, even after the river stuttered.

The next day during school the boy told the class about his favorite place and how he talks like the river.

The book is based on real life experiences of the author Jordan Scott whose father lovingly helped him through the bad speech days.

This is the story of a boy who feels isolated and unable to communicate because of his stutter. With the help of his compassionate parents, he is able to find his voice.
4-8
Personality
Timberland Regional Libary