TAYRA'S NOT TALKING

Sometimes actions speak louder than words.

It's tough to be the new kid. It's especially tough for Tayra, because Tayra doesn't talk. She won't make a single sound: not when her classmates try talking to her louder or even when the teacher asks her questions. The other kids find this silence strange; classmate Kitty wonders if Tayra's "stubborn" or "rude" or "just...in some / I'm-not-talking mood," and an accident leads some kids to wonder if, just maybe, she's "bad." But a little patience and understanding go a long way, and together the class learns that talking isn't the only way to make friends. This story, told in playful rhyme, is a deceptively simple exploration of making friends, something many children struggle with, whether they can speak or not. The story never explains why Tayra doesn't speak, but that why is less integral to the plot's development than the process of resolving misunderstandings, learning to communicate effectively with others, and creating an inclusive environment in which differences are respected and accommodated. The use of alternative modes of communication (e.g., gestures, drawings, music) plays out in a child-friendly manner that never feels patronizing. Expressive anthropomorphic animals, hand-drawn and digitally rendered, create a dynamic and warm visual landscape; readers will root for the class as much as for Tayra as they collectively navigate their new friendship. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Sweet without being sententious.