![]() ![]() Rabinowitz’s text is elegant, if at times slightly wordy for the target audience: “In this animal’s eyes are strength and power and sureness of purpose.” The emotional resonance of the text, urgency of the issues discussed, and breathtakingly beautiful illustrations make this book a winner. ![]() ![]() One page, drenched in a moody mauve, depicts his anguished face and hands gripping at his throat as he tries to “push words out.” With the flip of a page, readers see the boy awash in yellow sunlight, surrounded by animals, his face completely relaxed as he speaks fluently. Chien has a flair for painting animals as well as portraying Rabinowitz’s condition with empathy. Chien’s acrylic and charcoal illustrations perfectly capture the tenacious, loving spirit of the author as a boy and a lonely, intrepid young man. Eventually, he overcomes his stutter enough to speak before the prime minister on behalf of the jaguars. The book charts his story through college and his travels to the jungles of Belize. When he was a boy, he discovered that, despite severe speech challenges, he had a gift for communicating with animals. Rabinowitz is a wildlife conservationist and spokesperson for the Stuttering Foundation of America. ![]()
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