Charli’s Choices
by
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Charli never said a word outside of her house. She only spoke to her mother and to her father.
If her Nana and Poppy came to her house, it took her a long, long, long time to say a word in front of them.
One day Charli’s best friend from school came to her house to play. Her name was Lily. Lily brought a big, huge bag of toys to share. “I wasn’t sure what Charli liked so I brought all of my toys,“ Lily told Charli’s mother.
“You can ask Charli what she likes,” she told Lily.
“But she does not talk,” replied Lily.
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About the Book
Charli never says a word outside her house. She only speaks to her mother and father, and if her nana and poppy come over, it takes her a long time to say any words.
One day, Charli’s best friend from school, comes over to play. Lily, who brings a big sack of toys to share, must rely on Charli’s mother to ask choice questions that encourage Charli to practice talking. As her mother gives her choices, Charli soon begins to open up and talk to Lily. Charli chooses which colored marker she wants to use, what she wants to draw, and whether she wants to borrow one of Lily’s markers. Charli and Lily are having so much fun!
Charli’s Choices is a beneficial, interactive children’s book for educators, children, and parents that offers valuable insight into selective mutism as a little girl’s mother teaches her, through specific questions, how to communicate successfully with others.
About the Author
Having overcome her own history of selective mutism, Marian Moldan, LCSW-R, is the director and founder of Childhood Anxiety Solutions, LCSW, PLLC. She has worked with the selectively mute population for more than thirty years as an award-winning clinical social worker and special education teacher. She is the author of “Selective Mutism and Self-Regulation” (Clinical Social Work Journal, 2005) and coauthor of “After Newtown, Listening to Those Who Aren’t Speaking” with Kim O’Connell (Psychology Today, 2013).She lives on Long Island, New York, with her husband and daughter.
Illustrator Toby Allen graduated from Plymouth College of Art in 2013 and has since been working as a freelance illustrator. He works primarily within the children’s book industry, but has also worked as a character and concept designer for video games and animation. Toby lives in the United Kingdom.