Cats got Your Tongue

Young Anna is just about to start kindergarten but she is very shy. As the first day of school approaches Anna decides to stop talking. She doesn’t talk to her classmates. She doesn’t talk to her teacher. She barely talks at home even. Her lack of speech hinders her progression in class. The teacher offers her help through speech therapy. With the help of her family, her teacher, her therapist, and her classmates Anna is able to overcome her fear of speaking at school.

Selective mutism is the refusal to speak in certain places or at certain times. Those who suffer from selective mutism choose when they will and will not speak. This condition is more common than most of us know in elementary schools. Students experience selective mutism for many reasons including shyness, anger, and sadness. This book can be used to introduce the topic and encourage those who experience selective mutism to speak in class. It can be used as an introduction to dealing with emotions and learning to speak in class with confidence.

This picture book by Dr. Charles E. Schaefer, illustrations by Judith Friedman, is a positive portrayal of those who suffer from selective mutism in their book Cats got Your Tongue. It is encouraging because it depicts a young child overcoming the condition. Anna is a character that many elementary students can relate too. It is good for them to know that they too can overcome their selective mutism.
Schaefer, Charles E. Cats got Your Tongue. Washington D.C.: Magination Press, 1992.