151. A Walk in the Words

A Walk in the Words. Hudson Talbott. 2021. 32 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: Drawing always came naturally to me. I drew all the time. I just did it, like breathing.

Premise/plot: Hudson Talbott shares his own story--one that perhaps many, many children (and adults) can relate to--of how learning to read and actually reading was difficult for him. He contrasts his experiences with words with his experiences drawing. He describes his experiences with great detail and imagery--making use of art. The picture book is very visual. "A whole page of text looked like a wall--keeping me out." What he realized is that both art and text can tell stories--great, wonderful, marvelous, amazing stories worth experiencing.

While reading felt overwhelming and exhausting, his approach was practical and ultimately inspiring. "I grabbed overwhelm and broke off over so it just said whelm. It meant the same thing but was more my size. Now I could whelm the words before they overwhelmed me. I'd just read at my own pace. After all, it was my walk in the words. I took time to look for words that I knew. There they were! Like stepping stones leading me onward."

My thoughts: I loved the art. It was so visual, so essential, so fundamental to the story. I loved the text. The story is ultimately a love song to stories...to storytellers...to books. I would recommend it to teachers and parents especially.

© 2021 Becky Laney of Young Readers