I talk like a river, written by Jordan Scott and illustrated by Sydney Smith is the story of a boy with a stutter, who wakes up in the morning aware of the sounds of words, but finds they grow roots, get tangled, or stick in his throat. Some days are worse than others. He struggles to articulate when he finds all the classmates turning and looking at him.
The boy's dad picks him up from school and says, "It's just a bad speech day." His father takes him "somewhere quiet." They go to a river, where they walk along the shore looking for colourful rocks and bugs. He thinks about "all those mouths giggling and laughing." His dad points at the churning water, and says, "See how that water moves? That's how you speak." He looks at the water, "bubbling, whirling, churning and crashing." Then he realises, "Even the river stutters. Like I do."
In an afternote, the author says that when his father, in real life, pointed to the river, "he connected my stuttering to the movements of the natural world and I delighted in watching my mouth move outside of itself."
This is a stunningly beautiful book, rich with metaphorical language. The story is moving, and brought to life by the captivating watercolour illustrations. The illustrator, Sydney Smith, expresses a feeling of disconnect and disorientation with the world, and words - initially - but at the river - there is profound peace and an awakening. Take time to read this slowly, pouring over the pictures and words.
Book review by Kate, Librarian
