My Friend Daniel Doesn't Talk

I read it aloud while she was busy with a sewing project. We were facing each other and she looked up at me with one of her soul-touching gazes as if she suddenly realized there was a story about her and she was not alone in the world. She has a little friend who helps to speak for her and seems to have an uncanny knack for being able to understand her condition and not judge her. The book's narrator is afraid of the dark and so is my granddaughter's little friend. She was able to accurately predict at several points what was going to happen in the story because it so accurately reflected her own story.She almost never asks me to immediately read the same story over, but as soon as I finished she said, "Mimi, read it again." She is a little chatterbox at home and around family, but she doesn't like to talk about "not talking." We don't push that issue and we won't until she feels she is ready...just too much anxiety. However, I think this book has presented a window of opportunity for that topic to be broached at some point.She is extremely intelligent, but at such a young age (she was diagnosed at age 3), I have agonized over what must be going on in her little mind...it's clear that she is aware she is "different" from other children. Is she wondering if she is the only person in the "whole wide world" (one of her frequent phrases) who can't make her words come out when she wants them to? I think she now knows there are other children who are just like her...and someone has even written a book about "us!" There has to be a small amount of comfort in that...and I thank the author for doing that for my precious little sweetheart.

My child is coping with selective mutism. My daughter and I read the book together and she felt she could relate to Daniel. Also, I shared the book with her teachers so they could understand her condition and share the book with her peers.

My 8 year old has Selective Mutism and I bought this book so her teacher could read it to the class. She read it today and my daughter was so happy that the kids in her class were able to understand what she is going through. Very helpful book fo helping non mute kids understand why their peers don't talk. I am so glad I found this book. Thank you.

My son was recently labelled with 'selective mutism'. We went on a training course to try and learn some more on such a little known subject and that's where we found out about this book. I would highly recommend this book to anyone that has other children as it's a great way to help them understand. I'll be sending this to school with my daughter for her to read to her class in preparation for my son starting in September.

This is an excellent book, that gives the child's perspective of being unable to talk. Should be read by all of those who need further understanding of what it is like for children who find it difficult to talk.

This book explains selective mutsim really well, in a way kids will understand. Excellent book, that can be taken into school and read out to the other kids in the class too.

So beautiful book.

A very useful resource helping children to understand this condition.