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想像一下，如果你想說話時，那些字句卻像被膠水黏住一樣，緊緊卡在喉嚨深處，怎麼努力也發不出聲音，那會是什麼感覺？
小男孩就是這樣。在學校裡，當老師點名要他發言，或是同學轉頭看著他時，他感覺全世界的眼睛都盯著他那扭曲、掙扎的嘴唇。
那些字在他嘴裡「打結」、「旋轉」，卻始終跳不出來。對他來說，學校是一個充滿尷尬與沉默的戰場。

這一天，小男孩又經歷了一個挫折的「壞天氣」。爸爸看出了他的沮喪，沒有說什麼大道理，只是載著他來到河邊散步。
爸爸指著那條在大自然中奔流的河，對他說：「你看，那條河是怎麼流動的？」
男孩仔細觀察，他看見河水在石頭間起伏，在轉彎處攪動，有時平靜，有時則在激流中衝撞與打轉。
爸爸溫柔地對他說：「你說話的方式，就像這條河流一樣。」
那一刻，男孩心裡的重擔放下了。他意識到，河流並不是永遠平順的，它也會「口吃」，也會停頓與打結，
但那依然是一條美麗且充滿生命力的河。他終於能平靜地面對自己，對著世界說出：「我說話像河流。」

這不只是一本關於克服困難的書，更是一部關於自我接納與生命意境的傑作。
這本書源自作者自身的真實經歷，他從小就深受口吃所苦。
Jordan Scott 將自己童年對口吃的自卑與恐懼，轉化為詩意的語言。
他並不是要給孩子一個「治好口吃」的方案，而是給予一份「深刻的理解」。

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.