A Boy and A Jaguar

Do you have a child that stutters? Do you stutter or know of another person that stutters? This book written by Alan Rabinowitz is a beautiful story of a young boy who struggles through life because of his stuttering until he finds his passion, saving jaguars. Stuttering can be very isolating for children and a picture book such as this one can be comforting and show a child they can do anything no matter what the obstacle.

The Boy and A Jaguar begins with the boy at the zoo whispering to a jaguar. When his father asks him why he is whispering to the jaguar, the boy’s mouth freezes and he can’t get the words out fluently. This book takes you through the various struggles that the boy goes through as a child (loneliness, feeling “broken”, being labeled as “disturbed”, avoiding social situations, etc) until he reaches adulthood and learns how to be fluent. Once he is fluent, he dedicates his life to his true passion, being with animals. At this time, he learns how to follow and capture jaguars which leads him to advocating for a jaguar preserve. Now that he is confident and found his passion, he finally finds his voice so that he can develop a jaguar preserve in Central America.

This book not only shows a child that stutters that he or she can do anything they set their mind to, it also raises awareness of what stuttering is and what struggles a person may go through in their life. The author, Alan Rabinowitz has dedicated his life to wildlife conservation. He is an advocate for stutterers and a spokesperson for the Stuttering Foundation of America. For more information on stuttering, visit the Stuttering Foundation of America. For more information on stuttering, you can also visit ASHA’s website.

To see an interview with Alan Rabinowitz, click here.

A Boy and a Jaguar