I Talk Like a River

 
　　如果話語卡在喉嚨，無法順利說出口，如果講出口的從來不是我真正想表達的？故事中的小男孩是個有語言障礙的孩子，在學校他因為自己和同學的不同，感到格格不入和挫折，而始終鬱鬱寡歡。幸好在父親溫柔的引導下，他將心情投射到大自然，接受自己真實的樣子，和心中的傷口和解，找到自我認同的方式。
 
　　詩人Jordan Scott根據自身的童年經驗，以極具力量和文學性的文字，描寫口吃的孩子會遭遇的困境。曾獲英國格林威大獎等多項重量級獎項的席尼．史密斯（Sydney Smith），以拿手的光影變化及流動的畫面運鏡，巧妙對應書中小主角的心情，更為本書增添精采的視覺效果。優美圖文輕柔撫慰每個因為自己的不同之處，而曾覺得迷失、不被認同的孩子。願你也能和書中的小男孩一樣，接受自己的不完美，找到自己的聲音。

　　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.