Ode to Grapefruit: How James Earl Jones Found His Voice
by Kari Lavelle; illus. by Bryan Collier
Primary, Intermediate    Knopf    48 pp.
7/24    9780593372760    $19.99
Library ed.  9780593372777    $22.99
e-book ed.  9780593372784    $10.99

School is a challenge for young James Earl Jones (b. 1931) due to his stutter. Hoping his teacher will not call upon him, the future celebrated African American actor remembers the last time he tried to read aloud: “Face burning. / Heart racing. / Kids laughing. / Mouth trying. / Voice blocking.” As Jones grows older and his stuttering continues, he reasons that if he did not talk, he would not stutter. Instead, he listens. He listens to the news, his aunt’s and uncle’s music, and his mama’s stories; at school, he listens, and he learns. In high school, an influential teacher introduces him to poetry. Captivated by its rhythms, James finds his voice, reciting and eventually writing his own verses, including “Ode to Grapefruit.” His teacher encourages him to read it aloud, and, confronting his fears, he performs his poem in a “voice deep and smooth.” Subsequently, Jones’s distinctive voice leads to a successful career on stage and screen. Lavelle, a speech pathologist, sensitively captures the anxiety that may accompany the disorder and insightfully conveys the power of poetry. Collier’s expressive art, rendered in collage and watercolor, compellingly portrays the subject’s struggles and triumphs. Back matter includes information about stuttering, author and illustrator notes, and selected resources.

From the ">September/October 2024 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.