Moses Goes to School

Citation: Millman, Isaac. 2000. Moses goes to school. New York, NY: Frances Foster Books.

Plot Summary: Moses attends a special school for the deaf. The story takes the reader through the typical day of a deaf student and his school. Moses takes us on his journey of school with the help of American Sign Language prompts at the bottom of each page. He shows us that he does the same things as a child with hearing. He has friends, goes to school and sings songs. It is a very enlighting and enjoyable book.

Critical Analysis: Moses Goes to School, is a great book for children being introduced to students with disabilities. Set in an urban setting Moses is just like any other kid, other than the fact that he is deaf. Millman's beginning explanation to the reader is helpful when trying to explain disabilities/handicaps to young children. Seeing them with as much normalcy as possible is key. "The children stop playing and line up with a partner. But they don't stop signing. They haven't seen each other all summer they have a lot to say." This shows children that people with disabilities are not as different as themselves. A key to this book is that it goes through the explanation of ASL (American Sign Language) and its' differences in compared to Standard English. This is important to people to know these differences. The sign language illustrations are helpful in making connections to readers of both of the languages.

Reviews Accessed: From School Library Journal Kindergarten-Grade 3-Moses, who debuted in Moses Goes to a Concert (Farrar, 1998), is back. Here, he and his classmates, all of whom are deaf or hard of hearing, head back to their special school after summer break. The text explains that in addition to standard curriculum, these children first learn American Sign Language and then learn to read and write spoken English. Computer technology plays an important role in this class, as does music. Just as in the first book, this story reminds readers that even though these children may not be able to hear in the traditional sense, their appreciation of music and song is very enthusiastic. Child-friendly cartoon illustrations do a marvelous job of emphasizing the normalcy and charm of these youngsters. The variety of ethnicities and nationalities represented again emphasizes that special-need children come from all cultures. From Booklist As in Moses Goes to a Concert (1998), this joyful picture book tells a story in written English and also in American Sign Language (ASL). This time the focus is directly on how deaf children learn at their special public school--in the classroom, on the playground, and on the school bus. The warm line-and-watercolor illustrations show the diversity of Moses' city classroom, the fun the children have together, and the special way they learn. There are small diagrams of Moses signing simple sentences on almost every page. Millman explains in an introductory note that ASL has its own handshapes, movements, and facial expressions, as well as its own grammar and syntax. Moses types a letter on the computer and learns to translate it into spoken English.

Connections: Aseltine, Lorraine. I'm Deaf and It's Okay. ISBN: 0807534722. Lowell, Gloria Roth. Elana's Ears, or How I Became the Best Big Sister in the World. ISBN: 1557985987. Millman, Isaac. Moses goes to the circus. ISBN: 0374350647.