Before legendary actor James Earl Jones was recognized for his memorable, smooth voice, he was just James--a stutterer who stopped speaking for eight years as a child...and ultimately found his voice through poetry.
A National Council of Teachers of English Honor BookBefore there was Mufasa...Before there was Darth Vader... There was a young boy names James Earl Jones, who spoke with a stutter and dreaded having to talk in class.
Whenever James tried to voice his thoughts, his words got stuck in his throat. But James figured out a solution for his shame: if he didn't speak, he wouldn't stutter.
And so he was silent...until he wrote his own poem,
Ode to Grapefruit, and found a love for poetry.
Lyrical text, stunning art, and compelling backmatter about stuttering pair together for a remarkable picture book about how a boy who refused to speak for eight years learned to manage his stutter through poetry--and grew up to become an EGOT-winning performer with a voice few could forget.
On sale: July 30, 2024
Age: 4-8 years
Grade: Preschool - 3
Page count: 48 Pages
ISBN: 9780593372760
Reading level: Lexile: AD570L | Fountas/Pinnell: Q
Kari Lavelle is the author of
We Move the World, illustrated by Nabi H. Ali, as well as the
Butt or Face? series. She has always had a love of words: as a kid reading books, as a speech pathologist helping children communicate, and now as a writer creating stories. She lives in Austin, Texas with her human family and their dog, Dobby.
Bryan Collier has illustrated more than thirty-five picture books, including the award-winning
Trombone Shorty, Dave the Potter, and
Knock Knock: My Father’s Dream for Me, as well as
City Shapes and
Fifty Cents and a Dream, and has received four Caldecott Honors and six Coretta Scott King Awards. He recently illustrated
Thurgood, which received four starred reviews and was a
Washington Post and Bank Street Best Book of the Year. Bryan lives with his wife and children in Marlboro, New York.
"
A testament to poetry’s expressive powers." —
Kirkus Reviews
"
Thought-provoking."
—Booklist
"Lavelle....sensitively captures the anxiety that may accompany the [speech] disorder and
insightfully conveys the power of poetry."
—The Horn Book
"Lavelle's text combined with Collier's illustrations
capture the victory of James Earl Jones finding his voice."
—Shelf Awareness
