Jordan Scott (1) (1978–)

This story is about a young boy who hears the sounds of words all around him, but her can’t say them because of his stutter. When the young boy has a bad speech day at school his father picks him up and takes him somewhere quiet, the river. His father comforts him and compares his speech to the water flowing in the river. He uses this comparison to help comfort him when he gets upset about his speech. He repeated to himself every day “I talk like a river.”

I would definitely read this to primary or intermediate students to have discussions about being kind and understanding to our friends with disabilities in the classroom.… (mehr)

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.
… (mehr)

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.… (mehr)