Moses Goes To A Concert
by Isaac Millman
A. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Millman, Isaac. 1998. MOSES GOES TO A CONCERT. New York: Frances Foster Books/Farrar, Straus and Giroux. ISBN 0374350698.
B. SUMMARY
Moses, a young boy who is deaf, attends a concert with his class and teacher. He meets a professional percussionist, plays on her instruments and decides that is what he wants to be when he grows up.
C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
MOSES GOES TO A CONCERT is one of several books by author Isaac Millman that addresses the issue of deafness in children. Moses and his class attend a concert and are able to experience feeling the music by holding balloons in their laps. This book does a great job of demonstrating that deaf children can do anything that hearing kids can do, perhaps just a little differently. This concert is not just for children who deaf, "Children from all over the city are coming to the concert."
by Isaac Millman
A. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Millman, Isaac. 1998. MOSES GOES TO A CONCERT. New York: Frances Foster Books/Farrar, Straus and Giroux. ISBN 0374350698.
B. SUMMARY
Moses, a young boy who is deaf, attends a concert with his class and teacher. He meets a professional percussionist, plays on her instruments and decides that is what he wants to be when he grows up.
C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
MOSES GOES TO A CONCERT is one of several books by author Isaac Millman that addresses the issue of deafness in children. Moses and his class attend a concert and are able to experience feeling the music by holding balloons in their laps. This book does a great job of demonstrating that deaf children can do anything that hearing kids can do, perhaps just a little differently. This concert is not just for children who deaf, "Children from all over the city are coming to the concert."
The entire story is a cultural marker in and of itself. Moses and his friends look and act like typical elementary school kids, going on a school fieldtrip, riding the bus, enjoying the music and being excited about meeting a musician. This musician happens to be a percussionist who plays in her socks. She, too, is deaf. American Sign Language is displayed throughout the book, with the entire alphabet at the end, for readers to enjoy and learn.
The watercolor cartooned illustrations will capture the attention of and delight most any child in the suggested age range of 4-8 years. This book would be a nice addition to any collection, whether a deaf child is in the school or class or not - all children would benefit from this story and the other Moses books by the same author.
D. REVIEW EXCERPTS
Kirkus Reviews: “The power of Millman's book comes from the simple fact that he levels the playing field; of course deaf children go to concerts, but conveying how they enjoy music removes yet one more barrier between those who can hear and those who cannot. Moses also appears in inset boxes, signing comments aimed at readers and encouraging them to attempt signs. A few spreads are given over entirely to signed conversations, with effectively diagrammed hand movements and facial expressions. The final page illustrates the signed letters of the alphabet.”
Publishers Weekly: “An introductory note explains how to interpret the sign-language diagrams, which are integrated throughout the clear and colorful illustrations. Fiction and instruction make beautiful music together on these cheerful pages.”
School Library Journal: “Cheerful watercolor illustrations show the multiethnic children enjoying themselves at the concert, while smaller cartoon strips feature Moses' additional comments in sign language. A page displaying the manual alphabet and a conversation in sign language in which Moses tells his parents about his day enhance the upbeat story.”
E. CONNECTIONS
The watercolor cartooned illustrations will capture the attention of and delight most any child in the suggested age range of 4-8 years. This book would be a nice addition to any collection, whether a deaf child is in the school or class or not - all children would benefit from this story and the other Moses books by the same author.
D. REVIEW EXCERPTS
Kirkus Reviews: “The power of Millman's book comes from the simple fact that he levels the playing field; of course deaf children go to concerts, but conveying how they enjoy music removes yet one more barrier between those who can hear and those who cannot. Moses also appears in inset boxes, signing comments aimed at readers and encouraging them to attempt signs. A few spreads are given over entirely to signed conversations, with effectively diagrammed hand movements and facial expressions. The final page illustrates the signed letters of the alphabet.”
Publishers Weekly: “An introductory note explains how to interpret the sign-language diagrams, which are integrated throughout the clear and colorful illustrations. Fiction and instruction make beautiful music together on these cheerful pages.”
School Library Journal: “Cheerful watercolor illustrations show the multiethnic children enjoying themselves at the concert, while smaller cartoon strips feature Moses' additional comments in sign language. A page displaying the manual alphabet and a conversation in sign language in which Moses tells his parents about his day enhance the upbeat story.”
E. CONNECTIONS
Other books by Isaac Millman:
Moses Goes to the Circus, ISBN 0374350647
Moses Goes to School, ISBN 0374350698
Moses Sees A Play, ISBN 0374350663
The House You Pass On The Way
by Jacqueline Woodson
A. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Woodson, Jacqueline. 1997. THE HOUSE YOU PASS ON THE WAY. Delacorte Press: New York. ISBN 0385321899
B. SUMMARY
Born to a white mother and a black father, 14-year old Staggerlee deals with her blossoming sexual identity while also coming to grips with being the only bi-racial family in their small southern town of Sweet Gum. Staggerlee, born Evangeline Ian Canan, lives with her family in the former home of her famous grandparents. Staggerlee feels isolated and yet seems to enjoy herself. At one point, she kisses another young girl and likes it. When her cousin Trout comes for a summer visit, Staggerlee think she has found a soulmate. Staggerlee shares her kissing experience with Trout and they deal with their own mutual attraction and family race issues. Summer comes to an end as does Trouts visit. She promises to write Staggerlee. Finally, months later, Stagger recieves a letter from Trout who shares that she has fallen in love with a guy. Staggerlee starts high school with a renewed sense of who she is, comfortable in her own skin, in her family and herself.
C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
This young adult novel, while only 114 pages long, hits a lot of different issues, including race, gender and family issues. THE HOUSE YOU PASS ON THE WAY will resonate with readers as many will recognize themselves in the storyline. Staggerlee is a strong female character experiencing what everyone goes through at some point, wondering who she is, where did she come from and where she fits in this world.
The cultural marker of gender identity and sexual awareness is gently explored when Staggerlee kisses a girl, Hazel, from her class and her attraction to Trout. This is as far as the author takes, it however. The issue of race is delved into as Staggerlee tries to figure out if she's black or white. “Her father had married a white woman. … The only mixed race family in Sweet Gum, maybe in all of Calmuth County.” When people asked her how it felt to be black and white; she shrugged and answered 'fine'”. Staggerlee also deals with a family that is content, to a certain extent, being isolated from neighbors and even her extended family.
D. REVIEW EXCERPTS
Publisher's Weekly: "The daughter of an interracial couple, 14-year-old Staggerlee is already an outsider when she wonders if she is gay, too. This a "poignant tale of self-discovery" and praised Woodson's "graceful, poetic" prose." Starred review.
School Library Journal: "This richly layered novel will be appreciated for its affecting look at the anxious wonderings of presexual teens, its portrait of a complex interracial family, and its snapshot of the emotionally wrenching but inarticulate adolescent search for self. It's notable both for its quality and for the out-of-the-way places it goes."
E. CONNECTIONS
Visit Jacqueline Woodson online:
Other books by Jacqueline Woodson:
Woodson, Jacqueline. BEHIND YOU. ISBN 0142403907
Woodson, Jacqueline. FEATHERS. ISBN 0142411988
THINGS NOT SEEN
by Andrew Clements
A. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Clements, Andrew. 2002. THINGS NOT SEEN. New York: Philomel Books. ISBN 0399236260.
B. SUMMARY
15-year old Bobby Phillips is a typical teenager. Well, typical until he wakes up one February morning and can't see himself in the mirror - and it's not because he's blind - he's invisible. Bobby's life is suddenly turned upside-down while he tries to live as normally as possible being invisible. His parents and those of his new-found friend, Alicia, try to solve the mystery of his condition. Alicia happens to be blind so Bobby being invisible isn't an issue for her. Bobby and Alice, working together, figure out and solve Bobby's problem as their friendship deepens.
C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
This novel, from award-winning writer Andrew Clements, is the kind of book that grabs the reader and keeps them coming back for more. THINGS NOT SEEN, set in Chicago, is an engaging young adult novel that borders on science fiction. Written in first-person perspective, the story is told by 15-year old Bobby. This character, like so many others from Clements, is written with a refreshing honesty and teenage voice. Besides feeling isolated and disenfranchised, Bobby struggles with being "invisible" to the popular kids at school, "I don't know. You said you were pretty popular before. The popular kids at my school don't even know I'm alive," he shares with Alicia, his new-found friend. Alicia puts a different spin on the story as she is blind from an accident two years earlier.
This entire story is a cultural marker but doesn't come across as a sad story about an invisible boy and a blind girl. It is an engaging story about two teenagers who discover that, despite their problems, they actually see each other for who they truly are and a beautiful friendship develops and deepens. Alicia's blindness, while a disability that she is learning to live with, gives the reader a perspective not usually seen in young adult novels. There are moments when this secondary character demonstrates anger, sadness, happiness, etc. that plays off of Bobby and his condition. The friendship the develops between the two is realistic and sweet but not sappy.
D. REVIEW EXCERPTS
Kirkus Reviews:"A readable, thought-provoking tour de force, alive with stimulating ideas, hard choices, and young people discovering bright possibilities ahead."
School Library Journal: "Clements's story is full of life; it's poignant, funny, scary, and seemingly all too possible. The author successfully blends reality with fantasy in a tale that keeps his audience in suspense until the very end."
E. CONNECTIONS
Visit Andrew Clements' website at:
