LS 5903 MULTICULTURAL LITERATURE

Review of MOSES GOES TO A CONCERT

A. Millman, Isaac. MOSES GOES TO A CONCERT. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux for Frances Foster Books, 1998. (Millman is the illustrator as well as the author.)

B. PLOT SUMMARY

Moses is a deaf student and he goes to a concert with kids from his school who are also deaf. Moses plays the drums at home and he can’t hear them like a child with good hearing but he feels the vibrations in his hand as he plays. At the symphony the lead percussionist is deaf. The children did not know ahead of time that the star of the show was deaf and that she would perform in her sock feet because that’s how she picked up the vibrations of the melody and harmony. The class uses sign language during the performance just as others might whisper before the show starts. Their teacher, Mr. Samuels is a dedicated one and he wants to maximize each child’s potential for learning, for fun, and the ability to participate by blowing up a balloon for each student. They can feel the vibrations of the concert in their balloons. After the show they get to ask the percussionist, Ms. Elywn about music. Elywn lets the kids take turns banging on her snare drums, bass drums, xylophone, etc. The whole ordeal turns out to be a marvelous day for everyone.

C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS (WITH CULTURAL MARKERS)

I just first have to start with the fact that I think this is a rare and exceptional picturebook. The pictures are vivid and appropriately bright without overdoing it. The pictures Moses’ room full of toys that are just a little bit messy, of the yellow school bus, the bus drivers expression, the children skipping and holding hands are so on the money. The expressions of the teacher as he turns his head to count the students on the bus and model good behaviors are done extremely well, very true to life.

This book would be very well received by almost any child Pre-school through at least grade 2. I think this would be an exceptional cream of the crop book for “Children with disabilities” week, etc. It would be so extremely effective because for the most part it’s just a bright, exciting picture book that anyone can enjoy. I think that is it’s biggest strength.

Now considering that the book is full of American Sign Language could be a pleasant aside or it could be the primary reason for selecting the book. The introduction to the book gives information on ASL: American Sign Language. There is a rather straightforward chart at the beginning of the book that teaches “How to Read the Arrows and Symbols” used in the book. Each double spread page has Moses signing a sentence at the bottom of the page on the right. The arrows help to show words and sentences that would contain more than one static symbol so children could easily practice some simple 1st grade level words. The back page is so very beautiful. It’s entitled “The Hand Alphabet” and shows a clear picture of the sign. On the :hand alphabet” page Millman has drawn subdued and very detailed pictures of each letter to show how more often that not the hand signal letters resemble the letter they are portraying.

The book does a really special thing by making “special education” children look just like regular children. These kids get excited, some of them wave at the percussionist rather than clapping. The students on the bus with Moses are black, white, dark, fair, wear braids, pigtails. There is a character or two that may be Asian Pacific Americans but it is hard to be certain. Nonetheless, the children are close to reality of what a class of deaf children would normally be, pretty much equal numbers of boys and girls, and many ethnicities represented. A small but powerful thing that creeps in at the very end of the story when Ms. Elywn is talking about her job is that the children could begin to see that they will be able to go into most any career field they are interested in, despite their handicap. People, including many teachers say we spend way too much time dealing with “self esteem” but for kids that don’t have much a little goes a long way of allowing them to think of themselves in different positive roles at work, of encouraging them and reminding them that they have unlimited potential. The part of the book that says it all, that sums up the beauty and message of the story is when Moses shares with his parents about the concert: “When you set your mind to it you can become anything you want when you grow up…….a Dr,. Artist, Teacher, Lawyer, Farmer, Electrician or Actor. I want to become a Percussionist.” The other thing that is so noteworthy is that the percussionist is in love with life. From her hot pink and black tuxedo top, traditionally colored black pants and hot pink socks, Ms. Elywn is special. She rocks, rolls, dances, and her sense of play is catching and uplifting to the children. I like the “something about the author” portion on the back jacket where it tells us of Mr. Millman’s ethnicity……..born in France to Jewish immigrants for Poland before becoming U.S. citizens. Millman also mentions his military career, his family, and his degree from the prestigious Pratt Institute.

There is just no stereotyping, no labeling, making children’s faces look less than intelligent, or like a Down Syndrome Child. Sign language makes this kids powerful and their potential limitless. Having a teacher like Mr. Samuels would be most special indeed. The field trip was very special to each child but for Moses who already loved to play the drums at his house at such an early age this positive meeting with another percussionist is the kind of story that middle aged men and women talk about “changes their lives.” Bravo to Tillman. I already want to read it again.

On the first page Max has a dog, a Dalmatian. He is not on a leash but something that looks a bit like an old cloth jump rope has them together in a circle within it’s arms. Little things are important in this story too. You can’t quite tell if the buses are ‘short buses” (which children automatically associate with Special Ed.) or regular size buses. I just can’t find a thing I would ask Millman to improve. I’ve got to see if this guy has written any other books!

So a wonderful story with lovely pictures that ALSO JUST HAPPENS TO BE ABOUT DISABILITIES. Hurray!

Ah, ha. I’ve just found out this is a series of books………..Moses goes to school, Moses sees a play, etc.

D. REVIEW EXCERPTS:

Well, I guess here we go with the disagreements about “insider knowledge” and authenticity.

An amazon customer review:

Since this book was not written by a hard of hearing person, it does not give an appropriate view of the hard of hearing world. This book could not apply to deaf people becasue deaf people cannot hear music -- only feel the vibrations. The book gives a clear view of how hearing people view the heard of hearing world. It is a beginning, but it is not the best book.

School Library Journal comments,

“Cheerful watercolor illustrations show the multiethnic children enjoying themselves at the concert, while smaller cartoon strips feature Moses's 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.?Sally R. Dow, Ossining Public Library, NY

Cheers from Publisher’s Weekly:

“The seemingly incongruous premise of this harmonious debut a class of deaf children attends an orchestral concert leads to a revelation for readers who may well have assumed that the ability to hear is a prerequisite for enjoying music. Holding balloons that their teacher passes out to help them "feel the music," Moses and his classmates are thrilled to pick up the vibrations. Afterward, they visit with the orchestra's deaf percussionist, who, intriguingly, performs in stocking feet so she, too, can feel the beat. She lets the students play her instruments and, using American Sign Language (precisely illustrated in easy-to-read diagrams), explains how she worked hard to achieve her career goal…..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.” Ages 5-up.

Reviews accessed from:
http://www.amazon.com/Moses-Goes-Concert/dp/0374453667/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-7575722-4136600?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1186282720&sr=1-1

D. CONNECTIONS:
The above other books in the series would be my first choice. Besides the titles mentioned above there is also MOSES GOES TO THE CIRCUS.
I really don’t know another “Special Ed.” book, certainly not another book about deaf children that can hold a candle to Millman’s work.