Moses Goes to a Concert

Review of Moses Goes to a Concert

A. Book Information

Millman, Isaac. 1998. Canada: Douglas & McIntyre Ltd.

B. Plot Summary

Moses who is deaf, goes to a concert with his class. After the concert his teacher introduces the class to the percussionist, Ms. Marjorie Elwyn. The class finds out that like them, Ms. Elwyn is deaf, having lost her hearing at age seven after an illness. Her heart was set on being a percussionist and she relates to the class, “I worked hard. Becoming a percussionist my heart was set and I did.” Moses takes with him the important lesson that if you set your mind to it, you can do or be anything you want.

C. Critical Analysis

The author has worked very hard to make this book’s illustrations, which depict the ASL (American Sign Language) precise and accurate. He consulted Dorothy Cohler and Joel Goldfarb, Deaf teachers at New York City’s J.H.S. 47 School for the Deaf. The author’s note appears at the beginning of the book to tell about ASL, and to educate the reader on how to read his illustrations. Young children will enjoy trying to sign with Moses during the story. At the end of the book, the ASL alphabet is included.

Cultural markers of the deaf community include the ASL used in this book, Moses feeling the vibrations of the music with his shoeless feet, and the students using balloons during the concert to feel the vibrations of the music. This gives young readers a glimpse into the deaf world, and while doing this, the author has included a universal message that is applicable to all readers, “When you set your mind to it, you can become anything you want when you grow up… A doctor, artist, teacher, lawyer, farmer, electrician, or actor. I (Moses) want to be a percussionist.”

D. Review Excerpts

From Publishers Weekly
The seemingly incongruous premise of this harmonious debut of 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. Back home, Moses tells his parents about his day, signing a message of universal value: "When you set your mind to it, you can become anything you want." 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.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 2 A group of deaf children is taken to a concert where the youngsters meet the percussionist, a friend of their teacher, and learn to their surprise that she is also deaf. She explains to Moses and his class how she became a percussionist even though she had lost her hearing and helps them understand that anything is possible with hard work and determination. She lets the children play on her instruments and feel the vibrations on balloons that their teacher has given them. 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

Review Accessed at:

http://www.amazon.com/Moses-Goes-Concert/dp/0374453667/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-2916387-4513423?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1183847629&sr=1-1

E. Connections

Other books for young people by Isaac Millman.

· Moses Goes to the Circus. ISBN 0374350647

· Moses Goes to School. ISBN 0374350698

· Moses Sees a Play. ISBN 0374350663