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I Talk Like A River

Book Synopsis

What if words got stuck in the back of your mouth whenever you tried to speak?

After a day of being unable to speak when asked, and of being stared at, a boy and his father go to the river for some quiet time. “It’s just a bad speech day,” says Dad. But the boy can’t stop thinking about all the eyes watching his lips twisting and twirling. When his father points to the river bubbling, churning, whirling and crashing, the boy finds a way to think about how he speaks. Even the river stutters. Like him. “I talk like a river,” he says.

An incredibly moving picture book that offers understanding rather than a solution, and which will resonate with all readers, young and old. Masterfully illustrated by Sydney Smith, winner of the Kate Greenaway Medal.

Our Review Panel says...

Based on the author’s own experiences of having a stutter, this picturebook story captures the experience of coming to terms with speech disfluency and explores themes of self-acceptance, family support, nature and embracing difference.

It’s a beautiful and empathic book that charts a ‘difficult speech day’, when the narrator feels like his words are stuck. He describes hiding in class, hoping not to be asked a question. Sometimes he chooses not to talk. The boy’s father is beautifully supportive, helping him to find a quiet place and showing him that his speech is like the natural movements of a river – bubbling and churning – but that the river is nothing short of a beautiful display of nature’s power. In the author’s note at the end of the book, the author relates his own experience, writing that ”Stuttering is terrifyingly beautiful”.

The power of the father’s supportive words makes a fantastic impact on the boy, demonstrating the impact of positive support and encouragement for others.

The onomatopoeic free verse depicts the stuttering sensation while the lyrical river descriptions express the freedom of self-acceptance. Meanwhile, the stunning watercolour illustrations swirl with life – with patterns that reflect both the disjointed speech and the powerful, sparkling river.