Ode to Grapefruit: How James Earl Jones Found His Voice
by Kari Lavelle (Author) Bryan Collier (Illustrator)
Before legendary actor James Earl Jones was recognized for his memorable, smooth voice, he was just James--a stutterer who stopped speaking for eight years as a child...and ultimately found his voice through poetry.
Before there was Mufasa...Before there was Darth Vader... There was a young boy names James Earl Jones, who spoke with a stutter and dreaded having to talk in class.
Whenever James tried to voice his thoughts, his words got stuck in his throat. But James figured out a solution for his shame: if he didn't speak, he wouldn't stutter.
And so he was silent...until he wrote his own poem, Ode to Grapefruit, and found a love for poetry.
Lyrical text, stunning art, and compelling backmatter about stuttering pair together for a remarkable picture book about how a boy who refused to speak for eight years learned to manage his stutter through poetry--and grew up to become an EGOT-winning performer with a voice few could forget.
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Kirkus
A testament to poetry’s expressive powers.
Publishers Weekly
Via this intentionally paced picture book biography of American actor James Earl Jones (b. 1931), Lavelle (We Move the World) relays a story about finding one's "important. Imperfectly perfect" voice. It begins in a classroom, in which students are portrayed with various skin tones, and where Jones's stutter interferes with his reading aloud. Though his words flow when he speaks to farm animals at home, he's eventually "done talking" and remains silent for eight years, listening instead. A high school teacher reads poetry that intrigues him, and a shipment of grapefruit inspires Jones to write a poem of his own--and to read it to the class. With patience and practice, Jones slowly cultivates a voice that becomes globally recognizable. Collage and watercolor illustrations from Collier (Maya's Song) employ circles that highlight Jones's arc toward speech, and a moving classroom portrait shows other students with segments of the poem's grapefruit subject in their mouths. Told in measured prose, the biography builds to a moment of triumph that ushers in a "voice, low and booming, beyond the dark side of fear." Creators' notes and information about stuttering conclude. Ages 4-8. Author's agent: Elizabeth Bennett, Transatlantic Agency. Illustrator's agent: Marcia Wernick, Wernick & Pratt. (July)
Copyright 2024 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.
Review quotes
"A testament to poetry's expressive powers." —Kirkus Reviews
JNF007060 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Biography & Autobiography | Performing Arts
JNF053180 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Social Topics | Special Needs
