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Sydney Smith
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I Talk Like a River Hardcover – Picture Book, September 1, 2020

by Jordan Scott (Author), Sydney Smith (Illustrator)
4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 438 ratings
See all formats and editions
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Winner of the Schneider Family Book Award
Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Winner


What if words got stuck in the back of your mouth whenever you tried to speak? What if they never came out the way you wanted them to?

Sometimes it takes a change of perspective to get the words flowing.

A New York Times Best Children's Book of the Year

I wake up each morning with the sounds of words all around me.

And I can't say them all . . .

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. Compassionate parents everywhere will instantly recognize a father's ability to reconnect a child with the world around him.

Poet Jordan Scott writes movingly in this powerful and ultimately uplifting book, based on his own experience, and masterfully illustrated by Greenaway Medalist Sydney Smith. A book for any child who feels lost, lonely, or unable to fit in.


Finalist for the BC and Yukon Christie Harris Illustrated Children’s Literature Prize
A Charlotte Zolotow Honor Book
An American Library Association Notable Children’s Book
ILA Primary Fiction Honoree
Named a Best Book of the Year by The Wall Street Journal, People Magazine, NPR, Kirkus Reviews, Shelf Awareness, Bookpage, School Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, Publishers Lunch, and more!
A Horn Book Fanfare Best Book of the Year
A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
A Bank Street Best Childrens Book of the Year!
A Chicago Public Library Best Book of the Year
A CBC Best Picture Book of the Year
A Kids' Book Choice Award Finalist
Previous page
  1. Reading age
    4 - 8 years
  2. Print length
    40 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Grade level
    Preschool - 3
  5. Dimensions
    9.32 x 0.38 x 10.34 inches
  6. Publisher
    Neal Porter Books
  7. Publication date
    September 1, 2020
  8. ISBN-10
    0823445593
  9. ISBN-13
    978-0823445592
  10. See all details
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From the Publisher

Stuttering;stutter;stutters;books for stutterers;books for kids who stutter;kids books;stutterers

"This is unquestionably one of the best picture books of 2020."

—Book Page, Starred Review

Kids books about stuttering;books about stuttering;books about people who stutter;speech & language

speech therapy;speech therapist books;speech support;Jordan scott;Jordan scott poetry

fatherhood;father's day books;father son books;son and father books;books for dad;gifts for dad;

"An astounding articulation

of both what it feels like to be different and how to make peace with it."

—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

This beautiful, deeply personal story by poet Jordan Scott is luminously illustrated by Greenway Medalist Sydney Smith. With its strong message of affection and acceptance, and beautiful packaging including an extra-wide double gatefold spread, I Talk Like a River is a perfect gift for loved ones near and far.

"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

speech therapist books;speech support;Jordan scott;Jordan scott poetry;memoirs;picture book memoir;

"Lyrical and empowering. . .

An important and unforgettable offering presented with natural beauty and grace."

—The Horn Book, Starred Review

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 1-4-In first-person narration about the author as a boy, this debut brings readers into the world of dysfluency, that is, stuttering. The narrator, a white boy, sits alone at the kitchen table before school, imagining how badly his day will go, and it's even worse. The letters M, P, and C bring special terrors for the garbled sounds they demand of him in a school day, when the teacher asks students to describe a favorite place. His solitude is, for readers, almost unbearable until he returns to his understanding father. He knows about a "bad speech day," and takes his son to the river. There, without many words, he explains how his son talks like the river, with ebbs and flows, a rush of sounds, emotion, and meaning streaming. The boy's dawning realization brings the story to a resonant pause, in a foldout that opens to a vast four-page spread of the sparkling waters that surround him. And then the remembrance resumes, for when he returns to school, he talks about his special place in his own manner, his dysfluency making him and his telling unique. Smith's lyrical, color-saturated paintings capture mighty nature as well as the blurred, staring faces of schoolmates, who mock and laugh but mostly do not understand the main character's inner world. An author's note, in tiny type but very personal and expressive, outlines the journey Scott has taken to make peace with himself. VERDICT By turns heartbreaking and illuminating, this picture book brings one more outsider into the fold through economy of language and an abundance of love.-Kimberly Olson Fakih, School Library Journalα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Review

"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

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Neal Porter Books; Illustrated edition (September 1, 2020)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 40 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0823445593
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0823445592
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 4 - 8 years
  • Grade level ‏ : ‎ Preschool - 3
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 9.32 x 0.38 x 10.34 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 438 ratings

About the authors

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Previous page
  1. Sydney Smith

    Sydney Smith

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    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    Sydney Smith is an illustrator of picture books whose work includes Sidewalk Flowers by JonArno Lawson; The White Cat and the Monk by Jo Ellen Bogart; and Town Is By the Sea by Joanne Schwartz, which was awarded the 2018 Kate Greenaway Medal and the 2018 TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award. His accolades include two Governor General’s Awards for Illustrated Children’s Books and four successive New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Book of the Year citations. Small in the City, the first book he has written and illustrated, has also received an Ezra Jack Keats Award for Writing.

    Other books include I Talk Like a River and My Baba's Garden, both written by Jordan Scott. In 2023, Do You Remember? written and illustrated by Sydney Smith received 5 starred reviews.

    Sydney Smith won the 2024 Hans Christian Andersen award for Illustration.

    The Hans Christian Andersen Award is the highest international recognition given to an author and an illustrator of children's books. Given every other year by IBBY, the Hans Christian Andersen Awards recognize lifelong achievement and are presented to an author and an illustrator whose complete works have made an important, lasting contribution to children's literature.

    See more on the author's page
  2. Jordan Scott

    Jordan Scott

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    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more

    See more on the author's page
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Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
4.8 out of 5
438 global ratings
Author's personal experience
4 Stars
Author's personal experience
The author wrote this book based on his own personal experience with stuttering. I liked the honesty and the emotions that the author shared in this book. As I read the author’s note at the back of the book, he explains in-depth, his own personal experience which made this book more enjoyable.It’s not like he doesn’t know what to say, he has the words, they’re just stuck inside his head. Sitting inside his classroom, he’d rather participate quietly but when his teacher calls on him, every head in the room turns and looks at him, just waiting to see what he’ll say. He’s been in this spotlight before and no one understands. This isn’t the place he wants to be. A phone call later, his dad picks him up and the situation has been diverted for now.Wow, this is so sad. This really frustrated me on many levels. I was glad that his father was there for him and that he cared a great deal for him. I’m glad that he was able to gather strength from the words from his father and from the river.I think many children will enjoy this book as they relate to this story and/or gain strength/knowledge from his example. 4 stars
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Top reviews from the United States

Julie
5.0 out of 5 stars Golden words and gorgeous illustrations
Reviewed in the United States on December 1, 2020
Verified Purchase
This book is moving, real, soothing, poetic. It bares a boy’s heart, exposes a man’s inspiration and gives visibility into another soul. All events that lend us opportunity, adult and child alike, to learn empathy. The illustrations are as poetic and beautiful as the words. I love the fold out illustrations included. Highly recommended!

I bought this book myself, have no connection to the author, illustrator, or publisher, nor have I received anything in exchange for my review.
8 people found this helpful
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Michelle
5.0 out of 5 stars Favorite Book This Year
Reviewed in the United States on December 11, 2020
Verified Purchase
I just got this book today and I’m already in love with it. I’m a speech-language pathologist with a love of picture books and early literacy. This is by far my favorite book I’ve gotten for my practice this year. The illustrations are beyond beautiful. The text and metaphors are simple and easy to understand for lots of different ages. I showed it to a good friend who grew up with a speech sound disorder and she commented that she wished there was a book like it when she was growing up. Overall I’m thrilled and can’t wait to use it with my clients.
20 people found this helpful
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Bold Sea
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
Reviewed in the United States on January 12, 2022
Verified Purchase
Loved the message of this book and is a good story for those who deal with speech issues. Also good for others to be aware of. Loved it!!
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HaveKidsTheySaid
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful (both pictures and words)
Reviewed in the United States on March 2, 2021
Verified Purchase
I bought this book to read to my daughters class during Exceptional Children’s week, as my daughter has Childhood Apraxia of Speech. Although this book was written about a boy with a stutter, it can also be interpreted for any child who faces speech delays. I was not prepared to cry as I did, because this book was so beautiful and perfectly captured the struggles children face when they have troubles with their speech. This book will certainly be cherished forever.
4 people found this helpful
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Amazon customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful
Reviewed in the United States on March 28, 2021
Verified Purchase
Absolutely gorgeous book. I cried reading it. My dad stuttered and I wish that he and his family and so many people he had to deal with through his life had had a book like this, which sensitively and beautifully describes what someone who stutters feels like.
2 people found this helpful
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Jeremiah K
5.0 out of 5 stars Succeeds Wonderfully
Reviewed in the United States on January 21, 2021
Verified Purchase
This book succeeds wonderfully, both as a poetic work of beautiful art and as an education tool to help raise awareness about stuttering. Well worth your money and time.
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Live Outside
4.0 out of 5 stars Author's personal experience
Reviewed in the United States on January 24, 2021
The author wrote this book based on his own personal experience with stuttering. I liked the honesty and the emotions that the author shared in this book. As I read the author’s note at the back of the book, he explains in-depth, his own personal experience which made this book more enjoyable.

It’s not like he doesn’t know what to say, he has the words, they’re just stuck inside his head. Sitting inside his classroom, he’d rather participate quietly but when his teacher calls on him, every head in the room turns and looks at him, just waiting to see what he’ll say. He’s been in this spotlight before and no one understands. This isn’t the place he wants to be. A phone call later, his dad picks him up and the situation has been diverted for now.

Wow, this is so sad. This really frustrated me on many levels. I was glad that his father was there for him and that he cared a great deal for him. I’m glad that he was able to gather strength from the words from his father and from the river.

I think many children will enjoy this book as they relate to this story and/or gain strength/knowledge from his example. 4 stars
Customer image
Live Outside
4.0 out of 5 stars Author's personal experience
Reviewed in the United States on January 24, 2021
The author wrote this book based on his own personal experience with stuttering. I liked the honesty and the emotions that the author shared in this book. As I read the author’s note at the back of the book, he explains in-depth, his own personal experience which made this book more enjoyable.

It’s not like he doesn’t know what to say, he has the words, they’re just stuck inside his head. Sitting inside his classroom, he’d rather participate quietly but when his teacher calls on him, every head in the room turns and looks at him, just waiting to see what he’ll say. He’s been in this spotlight before and no one understands. This isn’t the place he wants to be. A phone call later, his dad picks him up and the situation has been diverted for now.

Wow, this is so sad. This really frustrated me on many levels. I was glad that his father was there for him and that he cared a great deal for him. I’m glad that he was able to gather strength from the words from his father and from the river.

I think many children will enjoy this book as they relate to this story and/or gain strength/knowledge from his example. 4 stars
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2 people found this helpful
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EmL
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully written and illustrated
Reviewed in the United States on March 20, 2021
Verified Purchase
Really sweet book about a child with stutters. My guy was probably too young to truly understand the symbolism and the teasing, but he loved how they described how words get stuck. Beautifully written and illustrated
3 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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fabian
5.0 out of 5 stars Share it with other people
Reviewed in Canada on April 6, 2021
Verified Purchase
Can’t wait for my grandson to get a look at the book I can’t wait to read it to him down by the river next time he has a bad day will be going down there to read it thank you
2 people found this helpful
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Mad
5.0 out of 5 stars Premio Andersen 2022, miglior albo illustrato
Reviewed in Italy on May 16, 2022
Verified Purchase
"Per l’intensa misura lirica di una storia che affronta in modi non consueti il tema della diversità. Per una prosa poetica che si amplia e si precisa nella forza narrativa delle immagini. Per la bellezza di tavole morbide e al tempo stesso potenti".

La voce narrante è quella di un bambino balbuziente che racconta in prima persona la frustrazione per non riuscire a dare voce ai propri pensieri, e il cambio di prospettiva grazie a una metafora del padre (mio padre dice che io parlo come un fiume / io parlo come un fiume): anche lui balbettando può, alla stregua di un fiume che gorgoglia tumultuoso, trovare poi la pace una volta passate le rapide.

Le illustrazioni, ad acquarello, sono bellissime e a piena pagina. Riescono a comunicare efficacemente le emozioni del ragazzo protagonista.

Libro bellissimo anche se un po' malinconico!
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SLCN Stories
5.0 out of 5 stars Powerfully moving story & illustrations
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 22, 2020
Verified Purchase
This is an exquisite and powerfully moving story.

Beautifully illustrated by Sydney Smith and written by Poet Jordan Scott who writes about a boy with a stutter, based upon his own experiences.

My 7-year-old was able to follow the story although it is too much language for my 5-year-old (who has complex speech & language needs). The beautiful illustrations allowed him to follow the story though.

As the young boy moves through his day, we see him in his classroom, hoping that he doesn't have to talk. When the teacher asks him a question and his peers turn to look at him, the picture captures his sense of panic and the pressure he feels.

His isolation is a dominant theme that is sensitively explored in the story. He remains nameless as if to both compound his aloneness and also to remind us that this boy is so many others.

The watercolour illustrations from Sydney Smith are also magnificent. Jaw-droppingly so.

Words can give no justice to the powerful emotions that are drawn out from the illustrations. It is a stunningly illustrated children's book.

This is a very special book that promotes self-acceptance for readers that stutter, and empathy and understanding from those that don't.

It's not a story with an immediate happy ending.

It is, however, a story about a boy moving through life, and turning his pain and isolation from stuttering into a beautiful piece of art so that somewhere out there, another child like my own son may feel less alone.
One person found this helpful
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みみずく
5.0 out of 5 stars シンプルで力強い言葉。タイトルが秀逸。
Reviewed in Japan on July 27, 2021
Verified Purchase
読んでいくと涙があふれそうになる。そして、文章のみならず、中の絵は表紙以上にすばらしい。

英語を外国語として習うとき、詩の表現を学ぶと、より自由に表現できるようになると思う。易しい語彙だから、語彙が限られているから、浅いかんたんなことしか言えないと思うのはまちがいだ。詩人が自身の子どものころ新しい世界が広がったときの感動を、できる限り易しい言葉で描いている。外国語として英語を学ぶとき、この詩人の文章のように書けるわけではないが、シンプルでも一番伝えたいことを伝えようとすることを忘れないでいたい。
3 people found this helpful
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Wilder
5.0 out of 5 stars Moving book
Reviewed in Canada on December 16, 2020
Verified Purchase
Beautiful writing and illustrations, depicts a young boy who stutters making emotional connections with his father and nature
One person found this helpful
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