A Thousand Thoughts

Our turn finally came! Fidgets and Fries, ‘A Day With No Words’ winged its way across the world to Brisbane, Australia, and straight into our loungeroom.

My kids are six and three and the older one rarely stays for a story or anything else, especially not if I’m the one to suggest it. But Tiffy, the magic must have been strong cos they were right there with me, immediately, when I said I was going to read a new book.

It went like this.

Me: ‘A Day With No Words’.

Three year old, pointing to the page: ‘But there ARE words’.

Me, laughing sigh: ‘Early morning chases a long night…’

‘… I reach for my tablet, look at the screen, tap “yes” on the app…’

Six year old: ‘So he can’t speak?’

Me: ‘Not with his voice from his mouth, no.’

They were there with me on every page.

We finished. ‘Read it again!’

At the end of that, our six year old who knows a thing or two about being *that kid* in the park, or class, or clinic, or public place, was clearly thinking about something and as is often the case, it took quite a while for the words to come together.

‘Mum, I know how he feels.’

Me: ‘Do you? That’s so great. I’m so interested in that.’

Him: ‘I would be so pleased to meet him and I think we would really understand each other.’

Me: [heart exploding a bit.]

Also me: ‘Well, I’m not sure that we will get to meet him… They actually live in America!’

Beautiful six year old says, ‘Well, I WISH I could meet Aidan’, and that we might just write Aidan a story ourselves and send it to him.

Tiffany, so much love and thanks and admiration from all of us to all of you, for ADWNW and for every day with your written words.

‘A Day With No Words’ by Tiffany Hammond and illustrated by Kate Cosgrove. Published by Row House. Purchased in Australia through Booktopia. Everyone get a copy. Everyone take a stand in the park.

[Photo ID: first photo shows me, light-skinned woman, grinning next to the front of Tiffy’s book. I am seated in front of other books in our loungeroom. Second photo is the book laying open on top of other books and cushions, showing the pages where the mum inhales and exhales in a park, cos she is not gonna let her kid take that shit.]