A Walk in the Words
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- $8.99
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- $8.99
Publisher Description
Winner of a Schneider Family Honor!
“A beautifully rendered and deeply inspiring book for everyone who has ever read slowly—myself included! Hudson shows us the beauty and magic that can come from taking our time. Brilliant.”—Jacqueline Woodson
Hudson Talbott's inspiring story vividly reveals the challenges--and ultimately the rewards--of being a non-mainstream kind of learner.
When Hudson Talbott was a little boy, he loved drawing, and it came naturally to him. But reading? No way! One at a time, words weren't a problem, but long sentences were a struggle. As his friends moved on to thicker books, he kept his slow reading a secret. But that got harder every year. He felt alone, lost, and afraid in a world of too many words.
Fortunately, his love of stories wouldn't let him give up. He started giving himself permission to read at his own pace, using the words he knew as stepping-stones to help draw him into a story. And he found he wasn't so alone--in fact, lots of brilliant people were slow readers, too. Learning to accept the fact that everyone does things in their own unique way, and that was okay, freed him up and ultimately helped Hudson thrive and become the fabulous storyteller he is today.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Inspired by his own childhood, Talbott details the experiences of a dark-haired, light-skinned child who loves drawing and stories, but is "the slowest reader" in their class. Seamless interplay between the text and the art, rendered in ink, colored pencil, and watercolor, amplifies the text. About the child's experience with transitioning to chapter books that have few illustrations: "It was a rain of terror./ My drawing pad was my safe place." The attendant art shows the narrator using an oversize notebook as a tent, hiding from a barrage of precipitation; interspersed red text, emulating rainfall at a slant, reads, "I could/ pick out/ the/ words/ that/ I knew/ but/ the rest/ looked/ like/ squiggles." Emphasizing sheer persistence as the way through, this is a personal, visually arresting read for those who may find themselves learning at a different pace. Back matter features an author's note. Ages 4–8.
