THIS IS HOW WE TALK

In the follow-up to This Is How We Play (2024), kids and adults with physical, sensory, and developmental disabilities describe how they communicate.

A teacher gives a lesson on dinosaurs via a speech device; a father asks about his child’s day by spelling with his eyes. With a pictorial communication book, two friends create “the silliest story we’ve ever heard.” Emphasizing that communication involves feelings as well as words, characters express an array of emotions. Anxious about attending a parade, a child expresses fear by “falling down onto the floor!” To convey happiness, a youngster yells to Mama; “to say ‘I love you,’ I hold her hand— / we don’t need words to understand.” Importantly, the authors also recognize stimming as a form of communication. “When my dad thinks, he twirls his hands, / I squeeze and squish the slimy sand,” a child explains. “With joy and adaptation,” the racially diverse group exclaims, “this is how we talk!” And as dinnertime arrives, “with joy and hungry bellies, this is how we… EAT!” As in the previous book, Harren’s vibrant illustrations depict people using wheelchairs, forearm crutches, prostheses, and more as they enjoy busy lives, warmly reinforcing the lively rhyming text. Backmatter includes information on the communication methods and conditions portrayed here, as well as guides for kids and caregivers on addressing disability.

An exuberant and inclusive look at the many ways we all express ourselves.