Cynthia Pelman Libri

Joshy starts school at age four, unable to express his thoughts or feelings, or even to understand what his teacher is saying. He has Specific Language Impairment. He sounds more like a two-year-old than a four-year-old. The book tells the story of the relationships between Joshy, his mother and his speech therapist. All three are changed by the year of their working together. Joshy's adventure reveals how his silence becomes his greatest strength. The book explores the place of silence and listening in human relationships, and the treasures that can be found in both speech and silence.

Focusing on the needs of silent children in educational settings, this book offers practical strategies and tools for teachers to foster communication and engagement. It emphasizes the importance of understanding the unique challenges faced by these students and provides insights into creating an inclusive classroom environment. Through various case studies and techniques, educators can learn how to effectively support and encourage silent children, helping them to express themselves and participate fully in their learning experiences.

This is the story of a teacher's work in a preschool in South Africa, where millions of children still live in poverty, deprivation and violence. Dolores attempts to help her students to overcome educational disadvantages ensuing from generations of discrimination. She emerges as a courageous and feisty character whose personal philosophy of life makes her a charming and effective agent for change within her school. She is forced to search deep within herself to find the strength to carry on working in the township when events shatter her belief in her ability to change the lives of her students.

Thirteen-year-old Amethyst does not get on with her teachers. Her classmates think she is weird. She prefers to be on her own, and she wishes she did not have to go to school. Amethyst reads detective stories, collects fossils, loves archaeology, and is writing her own dictionary. She has trained herself to become an expert in tracking, searching and following clues, and she uses these detective skills to search for someone who was murdered seventy years ago. Amethyst reaches out across time and space and in doing so finds her own voice among the many meanings of silence.