A Sheffield-based writer and illustrator has self-published a picture book to support children who stammer and their families.

Alex Taylor, 24, produced the book, It’s No B BB Bother, during a creative residency last year, which granted him free studio space to work on the project.

He hopes the book, which was released in February, will raise awareness about stammering and help young children to understand that it’s okay.

“My main inspiration is that I’ve got a stammer myself,” Mr Taylor said, “I’ve had it my entire life, and there’s never been a resource specifically for kids that says it’s okay to stammer and it’s not something to be shunned.”

“I made it to please my inner child,” he added.

Stammering, also referred to as stuttering, is a speech impediment common in young children, but which can persist into adulthood.

Mr Taylor’s story focuses on a sloth who questions why he experiences stammering. The majority of the book is the sloth struggling to say a single sentence: “Why do I stammer?”

He said it’s important that the other characters in the story give Sloth time to express himself. The other animals wait patiently for the character to finish his sentence, only acknowledging his stammer when he starts to feel upset about it.

When Sloth is sad about his stammer, the other animals reassure him and tell him, “It’s no bother”.

“Everyone finishes up very happy,” Mr Taylor said.

Action for Stammering Children, a UK charity supporting children and young people who stammer, their families, and the communities who support them, supports Mr Taylor’s work.

A spokesperson said: “Representation and awareness are absolutely crucial to our mission.

“This is why ‘It’s okay to stammer,’ one of the key messages in Alex’s book, resonates so deeply. While that may sound simple, it offers a sense of acceptance, telling children, and the world around them, that they are enough just as they are.”

The charity also appreciated Mr Taylor’s focus on younger children: “Raising awareness from an early stage is essential; it teaches children the power of active listening and the importance of resisting the urge to guess or finish sentences for people who stammer, a habit that causes them significant frustration and a sense of isolation, as connection has been lost.

“We are incredibly excited to see what comes next for Alex.”

It’s No B BB Bother is available to purchase from Mr Taylor’s website. Image credits: Alex Taylor

Mr Taylor believes the book’s overall message of “It’s no bother” can be a useful catchphrase in day-to-day life, even for people who don’t have a stammer.

He hopes to publish more books featuring Sloth, including more elaborate versions of It’s No B BB Bother, containing his poetry, for older children and adults who stammer.

Importantly, Mr Taylor wants to produce books that don’t focus on stammering, but include a character like Sloth, to normalise the speech impediment.

“Normalisation removes stigma,” he explained.

He hopes that Sloth will become a recognisable character for stammer awareness.

Producing the book ties in with Mr Taylor’s other work. He currently runs lectures about stammering at schools and universities, and advises Sheffield Speech and Language Therapy on how best to support the children and young people who access their services.

He hopes to be a positive role model for children who stammer in these roles, after his own negative experiences at school, where teachers tended to avoid situations where he would have to speak.

He hopes his book will raise awareness of how to react to stammering, and make people realise that it really is “no bother”.

You can purchase It’s No B BB Bother and see Alex’s other work on his website.

Follow his journey and see future book releases on Instagram: @alex.the.illustrator.