Ben doesn’t like to talk. He does not read aloud at school, share at Morning Meeting, nor speak to other children at lunch. One day, when he goes with his dad to Wayne's Junkyard, Ben befriends the owner's dog, Spike. Ben brings a rubber bone to the junkyard and gestures to ask permission to give Spike the bone. Mr. Wayne has to guess at Ben's message, "Do you want to give that to my dog?" Another day, Ben writes Mr. Wayne a note rather than risk speaking with a stutter. Ben uses these communication strategies, because "I . . . I'm not t-talking until my sss . . . stuttering goes away!" says Ben. Ben finds the power of his voice when Mr. Wayne says that Spike is going to the pound.
This book begins with information
for Parents and Teachers of Children Who
Stutter written by Nina Reardon, MS, CCC-SLP. When a child is reluctant to
speak, it is "important that the adults in their lives encourage the
expression of their ideas. By listening to the message and not the way in which it is delivered, adults can help
children see that their ideas are more important than their stuttering." Ms.
Reardon writes a list of What Stuttering
Is and Is Not and advice for those who know someone who stutters.
I
could not find this book read aloud online.
My Picture Book Talk for this lesson on TPT is here.
It is also on Classful.
