Ben Has Something to Say: A Story about Stuttering

This is a well-written book about how a young boy, Ben copes with his stuttering, a communication disorder that is still misunderstood. At the beginning of the book, there is some brief explanation about stuttering and guidelines on how to listen to someone who is talking with a stutter. Ben's story is relatively straightforward - instead of focusing on his interactions (or lack of) in the school environment, the story is mainly set in a junkyard where Ben makes the acquaintance of Spike, a lonely guard dog who would prefer to be a pet instead. Ben needs to overcome his fear of speaking in public (for fear of being ridiculed for his stutter) in order to give Spike the life it truly deserves. I love these series of books dealing with children's disabilities and how they cope with the challenges in day-to-day life - others in the series are :Ian's Walk: A Story About Autism,Nathan's Wish: A Story About Cerebral Palsy, and Becky the Brave: A Story About Epilepsy. I've been reading these books with my 5-year-old and hopefully she'll be able to understand and provide support to her peers in school who have disabilities. At the end of this book there is a list of resources about organizations that offer support and educational programs on stuttering. Recommended for grades K-3.

I especially liked the illustrations in this book. The reader gets to observe from a distance the delightful play between Ben and Spike, as well as the concerned look on Mr. Wayne when contemplating why Ben is never talking. I enjoyed observing the maneuvers Ben cooked up in an attempt to avoid talking. The concern that Ben showed for the dog increased as the weeks went by, drawing the reader into this blossoming friendship. One aspect in the text of the book was a bit different to me. Each time a comma was placed on the page it was followed with a period. I tried not to let it distract me, but I did find myself trying to copy the format when taking notes. Basically the period was on top of the comma, making them look like one character of text. I am not sure why this was done, maybe a signature style for the author. As far as books go about teaching children on issues relating to disorders I did not feel this book did that great a job. I was impressed more by the illustrations than the neat story that had the happy ending, if only it were this easy to overcome stuttering for a child.

I really enjoyed this book- it is thoughtful and simply well-written. Animal-loving children will love it too! i also liked the fact that the book takes place in a middle-class millieu- the average 'non-yuppie' child will identify with it easily.