Reviews for Moses Sees a Play

The average rating for Moses Sees a Play based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2010-10-25 00:00:00 Robert Mann In this incredibly informative picture book, Moses is a student at a school for deaf children. The author, Issac Millman, has written other books about Moses in different situations. In this story, Moses attends a performance of the Little Theater of the Deaf at his school. His teacher, Mr. Samuels, invites a fellow teacher and her class to attend the presentation as well. Ms. Morgan's students are not deaf. In several ink and water-color illustrations, the reader sees the classroom and the children interact. Unless a child is signing, the differences between the children are not apparent. Instead -- the two groups of children blend together seamlessly, listening to stories, working on homework/projects, and eating lunch. On many pages of the text, the author/illustrator includes cartoon panels of Moses signing activities included in the larger picture. These cartoon panels include a word translation, but also arrows and numbers labeling the movements so a reader can learn to sign along with Moses. The very first page of the book includes a key that explains how to read or to interpret these arrows and symbols so the signing will be accurate. The "message" of the book is clear; deaf children are just like other children. The performance by the Little Theater of the Deaf suggests that deaf children can grow up and be anything as well, a wonderful concept to share with all children. The book also has an additional plot about Moses meeting a student from Ms. Morgan's class who does not speak English and does not know how to sign. His native language is Spanish. However, Moses and Manuel become fast friends, emphasizing the notion that children without preconceptions can and want to find ways to communicate with one another, to share their lives and stories. Inspired by the theater performance, the two classes (Ms. Morgan's and Mr. Samuels') decide to put on plays for each other, continuing this message about the power of story and art to help us find our shared humanity. I think that this book is appropriate for many children. Young kids may just enjoy the story, perhaps excited to see or to create their own play too! Kids who are more kinesthetic learners might appreciate the opportunity to imitate or to mimic the movements in the text. I loved reading all the displays on the bulletin boards in Moses' classroom. Other readers may like to express themselves through writing, demonstrated in the book through the letter describing his school day that Moses "types" to his grandparents. Overall - a very interesting book about a community I don't often see in picture books.

Review # 2 was written on 2016-05-18 00:00:00 Robert BESSETT Cute story, and a diverse cast! Lots of skin tones, characters who communicate using ASL, Spanish and French, and various gender presentations. I'm also delighted by how much signs make SENSE. "Horse" is twitchy ears, "Carriage" is holding reins, "Elephants" is a trunk, etc.