Ode to Grapefruit

About Ode to Grapefruit

Before legendary actor James Earl Jones was recognized for his memorable, smooth voice, he was just James–a stutterer who stopped speaking for eight years as a child…and ultimately found his voice through poetry.

A National Council of Teachers of English Honor Book

Before there was Mufasa…Before there was Darth Vader… There was a young boy names James Earl Jones, who spoke with a stutter and dreaded having to talk in class. 

Whenever James tried to voice his thoughts, his words got stuck in his throat. But James figured out a solution for his shame: if he didn’t speak, he wouldn’t stutter. 

And so he was silent…until he wrote his own poem, Ode to Grapefruit, and found a love for poetry. 

Lyrical text, stunning art, and compelling backmatter about stuttering pair together for a remarkable picture book about how a boy who refused to speak for eight years learned to manage his stutter through poetry–and grew up to become an EGOT-winning performer with a voice few could forget.