My silent world by Nette Hilton and Vincent Agostino
Lothian Books, 2009. ISBN
9780734410375.
(All ages) Recommended. A deaf girl has a
rich inner life. She knows
music and feels it 'in the rush and thud' on her chest. She
can see the birds in the park and feel the 'thrust of the waves'. She
knows about everything, but she is afraid of the
unseen monster that fits in her ear - a cochlear implant,
but she is brave and knows that she will learn
sound too.
What a demanding but outstanding story this is. I needed to read it
aloud first
before I quietly concentrated on the beautiful text, initially
disregarding the
illustrations as I worked out what the story was telling me. Reading
the free
verse carefully I discovered the rhythm of
the words and ideas. I found Agostino's very
busy, bright illustrations, dominated by the figure of the little girl,
and the
different colours of the text, to be a distraction on the first read,
but very
compelling as an extension of the story on further examination.
This story will give readers an understanding of the richness of the
world that
deaf children can inhabit and could lead to some interesting
discussions about
how it could be better or different not to be able to hear. It gives a
wonderful sense of all the feelings and experiences that being deaf can
bring
and how it must be difficult to get used to all the noise that
surrounds us
today. It deserves a place in every library.
Pat Pledger