Mildred L. Batchelder Award

"This award, established in [Mildred L. Batchelder's] honor in 1966, is a citation awarded to an American publisher for a children's book considered to be the most outstanding of those books originally published in a foreign language in a foreign country, and subsequently translated into English and published in the United States." (ALA website)

For a list of current and past award and honor books, click the link below.

http://www.ala.org/ala/alsc/awardsscholarships/literaryawds/batchelderaward/batchelderaward.htm

Review of SAMIR AND YONATAN

Carmi, Daniella. 2000. SAMIR AND YONATAN. New York, NY: Scholastic Press. ISBN 9-780-4391-3504-7

PLOT SUMMARY
In this 2001 Batchelder Award winner, a young Palestinian boy must go to the Jewish hospital for surgery. Samir has shattered his knee and only through a connection with his mother’s employer is he able to get a “special permit for an operation at the Jews’ hospital.” Though he dreads going to the hospital, Samir has experiences unlike any he has had in his village. A fellow patient, Yonatan, teaches Samir about space and they develop a friendship which will impact Samir for the rest of his life.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS (INCLUDING CULTURAL MARKERS)
SAMIR AND YONATAN begins as a story about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. A boy from the occupied West Bank, Samir fears Jews and blames them for his brother’s death. However, Samir takes a journey—not just a physical journey to the hospital, but also an emotional journey to a place of understanding, tolerance, and acceptance. Carmi uses setting and characterization to craft these journeys.

The setting varies in SAMIR AND YONATAN. Samir spends much of the book in a children’s ward in the Jewish hospital. This hospital is clean and quiet. Samir notes he would be able to concentrate better at school were it equally as quiet. This calm, bright atmosphere is juxtaposed with Samir’s village. As he lays in his hospital bed, Samir recalls the blackouts, curfew, hunger, and poverty of his home. Despite the difficulties, the familiarity comforts him, “If there’s a curfew I won’t…have to travel with Mom to the Jews’ hospital.”

Carmi’s use of characterization successfully shows Samir’s growth and acceptance of the people around him. He begins to draw connections between the people at the Jews’ hospital and his family and friends back home. This evolution can be seen in how Samir refers to the other characters. For example, a maternal figure in the story, his nurse is initially referred to as “the fat nurse.” Later, she is called Nurse Vardina. Finally, Samir refers to her simply as Vardina. Throughout the course of the story, Yonatan, an Israeli boy, becomes Samir’s friend. Often Samir does not understand Yonatan. However, the two develop a connection which has more to do with being boys than with the war-torn time in which they live.

The most drastic evolution is in Samir’s relationship with Tzahi. Tzahi is a rambunctious patient who runs around and boasts that his brother is a paratrooper. When given candies by his brother, Tzahi taunts the other children by eating them one by one and not sharing. He rarely looks at Samir, much less does he address him. Throughout the story, Samir’s view of Tzahi as “the other”—to be feared and mistrusted—evolves to a feeling of camaraderie. In the end, each boy accepts the other as a friend as together they share one last mischievous event before Samir is discharged from the hospital.

Carmi includes many cultural terms throughout the book. Originally published in Hebrew, the use of vocabulary such as pasha, dinars, kinnar, and narghile is to be expected. Inclusion of these words in the English translation keeps the cultural references in the forefront of the reader’s mind. A glossary defining non-English words is provided at the end of the book.

While this story is clearly set in Israel, the character growth could be generalized to cultural conflicts around the globe. Seeing groups as “the other” rather than inhabitants of the same planet allows fear and mistrust to fester. By living with each other, the children at the hospital discovered the common ground on which they stood. The frailty of human life is illustrated through the different ailments suffered by the patients in SAMIR AND YONATAN. Carmi’s facility for storytelling reveals that neither group is immune to this frailty nor are the children alone or forgotten in their suffering.

REVIEW EXCERPTS
Publisher’s Weekly notes, “A Palestinian boy comes to terms with his younger brother's death by an Israeli soldier in this slow-paced but affecting novel originally published in Hebrew in 1994.” (April 2002)
“The bitter suffering of a Palestinian family is at the center of this moving novel, eloquently translated from the Hebrew. ... {This is a} moving drama of individual kids who become friends and help each other through pain when they get a chance to know each other.” (Booklist, 2000)

Reviews obtained from Follett Library Resources and accessed at:
http://www.flr.follett.com/search?SID=c211074453f514ff63ced2a0fe154f24
and Book Review Digest Plus (an HW Wilson database).

CONNECTIONS
Other Batchelder Award Winners:
Delacorte Press for The Pull of the Ocean written by Jean-Claude Mourlevat and translated from the French by Y. Maudet. (2007)
Arthur A. Levine Books for An Innocent Soldier written by Josef Holub and translated from the German by Michael Hofmann (2006)
Delacorte Press/Random House Children's Books, for The Shadows of Ghadames by Joëlle Stolz, translated from the French by Catherine Temerson. (2005)

Children’s books on Israel & Judaism:
Waldman, Neil. 2003. The never-ending greenness : we made Israel bloom. Honesdale, PA : Boyds Mills Press. ISBN 978-1-59078-064-0
Oberman, Sheldon. 2005. The always prayer shawl. Honesdale, PA : Boyds Mills Press. ISBN 978-1-59078-332-0
Krensky, Stephen and Greg Harlin (Ill.). 2006. Hanukkah at Valley Forge. New York: Dutton Children’s Books. ISBN 0-525-47738-1

Review of MOSES SEES A PLAY

Millman, Isaac. 2004. MOSES SEES A PLAY. New York, NY: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. ISBN 978-0-374-35066-6

PLOT SUMMARY
In MOSES SEES A PLAY, a class at a special elementary school for children who are hearing impaired prepares to see a play. A class of hearing students also joins them for the occasion. The reader follows the children as they make welcome posters for the actors, watch the play, write thank you letters, and begin doing some acting of their own. The focus of this story is the event of seeing a play rather than the students’ abilities.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS (INCLUDING CULTURAL MARKERS)
Deafness, unique among physical impairments, has its own culture. Isaac Millman creates a story which incorporates deaf culture without overemphasizing the disability itself. MOSES SEES A PLAY fosters acceptance and understanding, incorporates interlingualism, and avoids focusing on the disability; thus creating a sensitive yet valuable peek into deaf culture.

Millman fosters acceptance and understanding throughout MOSES SEES A PLAY. When the hearing children come to Moses’ classroom, both the hearing and non-hearing teachers sit in front of the class reflecting equal authority. Moses also meets a new friend who, like him, does not speak English. Manuel is new to his class and only speaks Spanish. Millman’s correlation between the difficulties experienced by second-language learners and hearing impaired children provides a valuable perspective. “Moses knows how lonely it can be when no one understands you.”

The language used in this story is predominantly English. However, American Sign Language (ASL) is interwoven throughout. This use of interlingualism adds to the flavor deaf culture in the story. Millman includes a “How to” section on making the signs to facilitate the reader’s ability to discern the movements. The use of interlingual ASL also adds an interactive component to read-aloud presentations of this book.

Another positive feature in this book is what its focus is not. Deafness is not the primary subject matter. Moses’ and his classmates’ hearing impairment are details of character development. The characters are not seen as pitiable, nonsexual or even disabled. All of the children participate fully in classroom activities: creating posters, enjoying the play, and acting. When the teacher suggests the children put on a play of their own, one little girl signs, “I want to play Cinderella! And I want [Moses] to be the Prince.” This scene could easily happen in any elementary school classroom—as could Moses’ shocked expression!

This story of a typical class successfully incorporates people with differing abilities, all of whom are capable of “participating fully in everyday life” (Vardell, Lecture Notes, 2007). The story is enjoyable and flows nicely up to its ending. However, the literary quality falters when a wordy, technical description of a communication device is tacked onto the story’s ending.

REVIEW EXCERPTS
“Despite the inclusion of a synopsis of the play, there's not much drama in this story. Small panels showing Moses signing certain phrases are incorporated into the illustrations.” (Horn Book, 2004)
“This book not only familiarizes and sensitizes children to the culture of the deaf or hard-of-hearing community, but also tells an appealing story. Millman draws a parallel between the challenges faced by ESL students and those who do not hear and in so doing raises youngsters' general levels of awareness and empathy.” (School Library Journal, 2004)

Reviews obtained from Follett Library Resources and accessed at:
http://www.flr.follett.com/search?SID=c211074453f514ff63ced2a0fe154f24

CONNECTIONS
Other “Moses” books by Isaac Millman:
MOSES GOES TO SCHOOL, ISBN 978-0-374-35069-7
MOSES GOES TO A CONCERT, ISBN 978-0-374-35067-1
MOSES GOES TO THE CIRCUS, ISBN 978-0-374-35064-2

Other stories about children who have hearing impairments:
Heelan, J. R. and Nicola Simmonds (Ill.). 2002. Can you hear a rainbow? : the story of a deaf boy named Chris. Atlanta : Peachtree Publishers.
Miller, M. B. & George Ancona. 1991. Handtalk schooL. NY : Four Winds.

Review of BEST BEST COLORS

Hoffman, Eric and Celeste Henriquez (Ill.). 1999. BEST BEST COLORS. St. Paul, MN : Redleaf Press. ISBN 9-7818-8483-469-1

PLOT SUMMARY
Nate struggles to decide which color is his “best, best.” Along the way, he chooses a favorite mamma—first one, then the other, then neither. When he cannot decide who his best friend is, he wonders, “Do I have to pick just one?” Finally, after making a rainbow flag with his mammas, Nate realizes he doesn’t have to choose just one. They can all be his “best, best.”

CRITICAL ANALYSIS (INCLUDING CULTURAL MARKERS)
BEST BEST COLORS is a story which illustrates a typical conundrum for young children: the exclusivity of choosing favorites. As Nate capriciously chooses favorites throughout the story, he is surrounded by a diverse assortment of family and friends. Among the diversities addressed are ethnicity, family structure, and abilities. This diversity is primarily conveyed through the illustrations rather than overtly discussed in the story.

The ethnicities represented in BEST BEST COLORS are African-American, Anglo, Asian-American, and Hispanic. Three of these cultures are represented within the family of the main character, Nate. Nate and Mamma Laura are black, Mamma Jean is Anglo, and Nate’s sister is Asian-American. While none of these ethnicities are discussed in the text, Henriquez uses coloration and facial features to portray non-stereotypical examples of each. Another important facet of this book’s multicultural appeal is the fact that it is bilingual. In fact, the entire series of which it is a part, “Anti-Bias Books for Kids,” has been translated into Spanish.

Hoffman also addresses diversity in family structure. This diversity is alluded to in an unobtrusive manner. Nate refers to his mammas, but not the fact that he has two mammas. Nor is it mentioned that other families might not be the same. The only overt textual reference to gay and lesbian culture is when his mammas are showing Nate a rainbow flag, “Look what we got for the Pride Parade.” Even this reference to gay culture could be overlooked by young readers or older readers who are not well-informed. Another example of diversity in family structure is Nate’s sister, who is most likely adopted. She is seen but not heard. Indeed, the reader is aware of her existence solely because of the illustrations.

Finally, differently-abled diversity is included in BEST BEST COLORS. One of Nate’s friends, Mandy, uses a wheelchair. Again, this representation of a parallel culture is known only because of the illustrations. No mention of her handicap is made in the text. Mandy’s use of a wheelchair is not so much a character development tool, rather it is a detail in the illustrations.

Rather than promote diversity, Eric Hoffman’s primary thrust appears to be helping readers deal with the issue of choosing exclusive favorites. On the other hand, Henriquez’ primary intention is to imbue the story with diversity and multiculturalism. Being part of the “Anti-Bias Books for Kids” series is most likely the rationale behind the plethora of cultures represented in BEST BEST COLORS. However, it is a bit heavy handed. Just as a book about any ethnicity can be overwhelmed by too many cultural references, so too may be a book about diversity and tolerance in general.

REVIEW EXCERPTS
“The engaging story is enhanced by lively full-page illustrations depicting a multicultural cast of interesting characters” (Day, p. 5).
“A ‘Note to Parents, Teachers, and other Caregivers’ at the end of each book suggests follow-up activities and discussion topics. Overall, these purposeful titles meant to encourage readers to think about these issues fall short in the execution of their mission. (Library Journal, 1999)*

*Note: The author of this review, Kristina Aaronson of Bethel Elementary School Library in Vermont, includes examples from three of the four titles in this review of the Anti-Bias Books for Kids series. BEST BEST COLORS is not mentioned.

Day, Frances Ann. 2000. Lesbian and gay voices: An annotated bibliography and guide to literature for children and young adults. Westport, CN : Greenwood Press.

Library Journal review obtained from Amazon.com and accessed at: http://www.amazon.com

CONNECTIONS
Other books in the Anti-Bias Books for Kids series:
PLAY LADY, ISBN 978-1884834615
NO FAIR TO TIGERS, ISBN 978-1884834622
HEROINES AND HEROES, ISBN 978-1884834684

Related website:
A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE® Institute

http://www.adl.org/bibliography/default.asp