Title: Silent Days, Silent Dreams
Author and Illustrator: Allen Say
Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books, An Imprint of Scholastic Inc., 2017
Opening page: James Castle was born on September 25, 1899, on a farm in Garden Valley, Idaho. I think I knew him as well as anyone could know him -- which wasn't very much -- but I want to tell you how I remember him. He was my uncle.
Why I love this book:
This book reads like a picture book biography, but it is fiction. It is the story of an artist who was "deaf, mute, autistic, and probably dyslexic, yet he managed to teach himself to draw." Allen Say took all that he could learn about James' life and created a story that is told by James' nephew.
There is a beautiful Author's note about how the story came to be at the back of the book.
The illustrations are beautiful. They tell the story, show James' art work, and are enhanced by the short blurbs of text between and next to images.
This is a book that takes time and relooking to get the full impact.
The illustrations are beautiful. They tell the story, show James' art work, and are enhanced by the short blurbs of text between and next to images.
This is a book that takes time and relooking to get the full impact.
Activities and Resources:
My sister and I watched the movie The Peanut Butter Falcon. My sister is developmentally disabled. Because she processes the world around her more slowly than others, she enjoys movies, but tends to lose interest. Not with this movie. The morning after we watched Zack as The Peanut Butter Falcon, she said that she really liked the movie. I asked what she liked about it and she went on to talk about many parts of the movie.
My sister and I watched the movie The Peanut Butter Falcon. My sister is developmentally disabled. Because she processes the world around her more slowly than others, she enjoys movies, but tends to lose interest. Not with this movie. The morning after we watched Zack as The Peanut Butter Falcon, she said that she really liked the movie. I asked what she liked about it and she went on to talk about many parts of the movie.
It dawned on me how important it is for all people to see themselves in books and movies. I knew it from personal experience, but watching my sister watch a young man with disabilities acting in a story about living his dreams really brought it home. My sister could see herself and her abilities through the eyes of a movie character. It also reminded me of how capable and strong my sister and everyone who has disabilities really is.
We recommend this movie: check out the interview below.
Here's the movie trailer:
- Learn more about Allen Say
- Make art using found paper and utensils.
- Make puppets with cardboard and material.
What an amazing story of someone profoundly deaf finding a way of communicating and expressing himself in the world. Love true stories. I have a friend whose grandson is profoundly deaf and I will recommend this book to her.
ReplyDeleteLovely review & pairing. I'll be on the lookout for both!
ReplyDeleteSILENT DAYS, SILENT DREAMS sounds moving and fascinating. I can't wait to check it out!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE Allen Say's work! And this book looks just as beautiful and meaningful as his others. I'm so curious about the genesis of this book. Can't wait to find it and read it. Thanks for the rec! And the story of the young man with Down Syndrome looks wonderful.
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to look at this book. I love the unusual method of making a historical fiction in picture books. Thank yo so much for introducing me to this book.
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