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Looking for children’s books about Selective Mutism (SM) to read with your child or to spread awareness of SM to family, friends and classmates? Reading a story is an excellent way to start a conversation about Selective Mutism, which can be a difficult topic for children and adults to understand. Here are fourteen children’s books about Selective Mutism for preschool through young adult.

Maya’s Voice

This is the first children’s book about Selective Mutism that I read to my son. Even though the main character was a girl, he immediately identified with her. This picture book directly discusses the struggles of Selective Mutism at school in a kid-friendly way. It’s a great book to help a child with SM know that they are not alone and can aide in the discussion between a parent and child.

Lola’s Words Disappeared

Leo’s Words Disappeared

Both of these books are the same story, but one features a girl as the main character, while the other features a boy. In these books, the child discovers that they are unable to speak when starting school for the first time.

These books were created specifically for children with anxiety that manifests as Selective Mutism.

Lola’s words disappeared and came back: Activity book

Leo’s words disappeared and came back: Activity book

The activity workbooks listed below are designed to be used with these books to provide anxiety reduction and management techniques.

Unspoken Words: A Child’s View of Selective Mutism

This book is written by the daughter of our SM treatment professional, Dr. Elisha Shipon Blum (Dr. E.) Her daughter had Selective Mutism and wrote this as a teen for children with SM and those interacting with them.

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The Loudest Roar: A book about Selective Mutism

A simple book with cute illustrations that describes what it feels like to have Selective Mutism and how having SM does not stop someone from doing great things.

My Friend Daniel Doesn’t Talk

When outgoing Ryan meets Daniel, a boy who is too afraid to talk in school or other places outside of his home, he befriends the silent boy, defending him in school to the other children. A great book for helping children understand SM better.

Charli’s Choices

A story about a little girl who has Selective Mutism written by a licensed clinical social worker who works with selectively mute and anxious children.

Mute Dog

Mute Dog is a story written by 8-year-old twin girls who suffer from social anxiety and Selective Mutism. It tells a story of a dog starting puppy school and how everyone has different fears. It was written to help children with SM and social anxiety feel less alone. It is also meant to assist those caring for them to better understand their behavior.

Mary-Ellen O’Keefe’s Word-Speaking Diet

An entertaining story about an outgoing girl who has difficulty speaking at school.

Too Shy for Show-n-Tell

This was one of my son’s favorite books in kindergarten because he had trouble with show-n-tell due to Selective Mutism. It is not specific to SM, but is a great story that lends itself to discussions about emotions and fears.

Willow’s Whispers

A sweet picture book about a very soft-spoken little girl’s ultimately successful struggle to find her own voice.

Alvin Ho Series

This funny chapter book series follows the every day adventures of a smart and creative boy named Alvin who has Selective Mutism. The book is narrated by Alvin who is very candid about the fact that he cannot talk at school.

After Zero

A middle-grade novel that sheds light on anxiety and Selective Mutism. The book follows eighth- grader Elise, who through a series of social missteps is convinced that remaining silent is preferable to saying the wrong thing and looking foolish.

A Quiet Kind of Thunder

A young adult book about a girl with Selective Mutism who has learned sign language to help her communicate. When a deaf boy comes to her school, she is asked to help him adjust to the new environment and a romance blossoms.