Author Description

Piper's voice is a story designed for young children about selective mutism. A young girl is seen on every page of the book supporting Piper the peacock during his difficult time. The young girl is describing and playing out her own journey of selective mutism through the characters in her story. Piper is a peacock who sings beautifully, happily and is quite confident. Then one day, Piper is unable to speak, and becomes increasingly more anxious. Piper and his friends learn about anxieties and fears such as heights and spiders. Piper then realises he can express himself in new and exciting ways to his friends. Piper receives support from his friends and family and is able to speak on some but not all occasions in the book. The story aims to support young children to find new ways to express themselves, to keep communicating with their friends and family even when things are hard and most importantly to keep believing in themselves.<br/>Joanna Turner is an arts psychotherapist who has been working with children with SM and their families for over 15 years. She is also the mother to a young child with selective mutism. Using stories, play and art has been a big part of Joanna's approach to selective mutism and she hopes the book will inspire other children and families to explore the ideas further.