Moses Goes to a Concert --- Heather Stott

Heather Stott

Children’s Literature Review: Theme 3- Special Needs

Title: Moses Goes To A Concert
Author: Isaac Millman
Age: Reading Level: 2^nd grade
Interest Level: K-3^rd grade

            The book shows Moses playing his new drum. Moses is deaf and cannot hear the drum, but he can feel the vibrations made from the drum. Moses even takes off his shows so he can feel the vibrations. Mr. Samuel, Moses’ teacher, takes his all deaf class on a field trip to a concert and brings a bag with “surprises in it. At the concert, the teacher explains what a percussionist is. Moses notices that the woman who is playing percussion is not wearing shoes. Mr. Samuels tells Moses that Ms. Marjorie Elwyn is deaf too. Mr. Samuels pulls out balloons for all the students and tells them to hold them in their laps to help them feel the music. After the concert, the class gets to talk to Ms. Elwyn. She told them, through sign language, that she worked hard to become a percussionist because her heart was set on it. Ms. Elwyn then allowed all the students to try playing different percussion instruments. At the end of the book, Moses signs to his parents and tells them about the concert. He says that when you set your mind to it, you can become anything you want to be when you grow up. He finishes by saying that he wants to be a percussionist. The book also has the alphabet in sign language in the back.

            I chose this book for the theme of special needs because I thought the book was interesting and talked about something that students may not think of when they think about special needs.