"The Boy Who Said Baa" tells the story of a little boy with a vocabulary consisting of one word. His parents are concerned, and mean people make fun of him. But he's not quite ready to speak more words. Then Christmas arrives, and when his church Nativity play dissolves into chaos, he saves the day with his one word and makes a joyful noise heard around the world. Written in humorous verse by Judy Dryden with charming illustrations by acclaimed British artist Rosie Brooks, "The Boy Who Said Baa" is a sweet story of personal triumph, inspiring not only to children with delayed speech issues, but to any child struggling with feeling “different." In "The Boy Who Said Baa: A Christmas Story," Judy Dryden and Rosie Brooks give us an utterly delightful story presented in a fun Dr. Seuss-like style. The lilting rhyme adds an enjoyable cadence to the narrative. The full-color illustrations superbly capture the characters and plot. When the story began with parents struggling to support a child with delayed speech, I was curious about how this topic could be presented in an imaginative way for younger children. I wasn't disappointed. The triumphal "Baa heard around the world" had me cheering for the boy who plays his part to perfection, despite everything around him being turned upside down. This charming story is an important reminder to us all about accepting and appreciating our differences. -- Readers' Favorite Reviews "The Boy Who Said Baa" by Judy Dryden is a hilarious story with an underlying message of empathy told through Rosie Brooks' vivid illustrations that will make children laugh and think simultaneously. The book offers a humorous look at a boy's slow speech process, with an underlying message about not discounting anyone's worth because of disabilities. The amusing illustrations enhance the narration. - " Nothing But Picture Books" Reviews "The Boy Who Said Baa: A Christmas Story" is about a child who is selected for the small role of a sheep in a Nativity play because the only word he can say is "baa." But everything goes awry during the play. The other kids flubtheir lines and drop their props and the set comes crashing down. The only performance that comes off perfectly is the boy in the sheep's role, whose "baa" saves the day and reverberates around the world, bringing joy to all who hear it and giving the boy confidence for the first time. -- Wilton Bulletin As Christmas 1988 approached, Judy Dryden was beside herself with worry. Her first son had been speaking in full sentences by the time he was 12 months old. But her second son, at 30 months, had a vocabulary of only a few words, one of which was "Baa," the word he had originally used when he wanted his bottle and was then using to describe almost everything. "He was frustrated and had meltdowns just because he couldn't communicate and they were noticing it at nursery school," said Dryden. "One day as my husband was leaving for work, my son saw apple juice and started screaming 'Baa.' My husband said, 'There once was a boy who would only say Baa.' And that thought stuck in my head." So she wrote a little story about a boy who said "Baa." Her older son was in a Nativity play that was so charming, so she just concocted this little plot about a boy who could be a sheep in a play. That is the only part he could do and he could excel. When she read it to her husband, he suggested she publish it. "It's easier said than done," she said. The story just stayed in her drawer. Dryden's younger son just needed a speech therapist and after two years once or twice a week this problem was erased. By the time he was in kindergarten, he was fine. He didn't need the speech therapist anymore. In the past year there's been a lot of publicity in the aftermath of COVID, how children are suffering speech delay and speech development problems because they had to wear masks; they weren't as socialized because of lockdown. "My husband said, 'Let's get this story published, it's timely,'" said Dryden and they did it over last summer. They found an artist based in London, Rosie Brooks, who is an experienced children's illustrator. The result? "The Boy Who Said Baa," a 36-page Dr. Seuss-y silly, sweet and inspirational picture book about a child who is relegated to the unimportant role of a sheep in a Nativity play because the only word he can say is (you guessed it) "Baa." Everything goes awry during the play. The other kids flub their lines, stumble, drop their props and the set even comes crashing down. The only performance that comes off perfectly is the boy's, whose "Baa" saves the day and reverberates around the world, bringing joy to all who hear it and giving him, for the first time, self-confidence. "I've been overwhelmed with the feedback. People have been very positive, very encouraging. They're sending me clips of their children: "My little toddler daughter wants to listen to this seven times." As adults themselves, Dryden's son who had the sp