A young boy wakes with sounds and sights around him. He knows the words for them but his mouth and tongue won’t cooperate in sounding them. It’s easier to stay silent. At home, then school, he is silent, shying away from any attention.

On a particularly bad day, his dad takes him to the river where they explore and enjoy each other’s company – without a word.

It’s only when his dad puts his arm around his shoulders and looks at the river, that a revelation comes from his lips.

“See how that water moves? That’s how you speak.”

Watching the marvel of the river in all its ways of moving, flowing, stuttering, or calmly sitting near a bank, allows the boy to think about his words differently. Allowing him to lose some of his fear and let him speak.

Author – Jordan Scott

Illustrator – Sydney Smith

Picture Book

A thoughtful and quiet story about a boy dealing with a debilitating stutter. Life is easier without speech, until his father lets him see and think about his speech in another way.

This story is contemplative and the illustrations soft which draw’s the reader into the quiet place of this boy’s life. Gorgeous. Biographical, the author himself was challenged with a stutter as a child.

(2021, Walker Books, Penguin Random House, Stutter, Speech, School, Quiet, River, Embarrassment, Father, Dad, Mocked, Biographical