Alma Has Lots of Words

Alma is not refusing to talk. The words are stuck.

At home Alma talks all the time. She sings. She argues with her brother. At school the words get stuck, and when somebody says 'just say it,' they go further down. Then one day she says a single word to a classmate — and the classmate simply says okay and carries on.

This is book 5 of six. All six are set in the same classroom, 2B, with the same six children. In every other book Alma is just someone in the background. In this one, you see the world from the inside.

What is in the book

• 14 illustrated spreads, written for children aged 6 and up
• Short lines and simple words for children starting to read alone
• A page of Alma's own advice: don't ask why she won't talk · don't tell the room she's shy · ask things she can answer with a nod
• A page for the grown-up, with three questions to talk about afterwards

How it works

The diagnosis is never named in the story. The child simply tells you how the world feels. Selective mutism and anxiety are explained on the last page, for the adult reading along.

Instant download. EPUB for e-readers and tablets, PDF for everything else. Both files included.