Book Review: “Moses Goes to School” by Isaac Millman

Recommended reading age: 5 to 8 (though kids of all ages can enjoy reading this with their families)

What Makes This One of the Best Children’s Books

Moses’ first day back to school looks much the same as any other kid’s.

He greets the crossing guard. He eagerly fills in his classmates about his summer fun. He writes a letter to his school-assigned pen pal.

There’s just one more detail to add: Moses goes to a public school for deaf children. Isaac Millman’s heartwarming book, “Moses Goes to School” allows readers a valuable glimpse into the daily life of a deaf child, by taking them through Moses’ school day among his peers, who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Following along with Moses demonstrates how he and his classmates are, of course, simply fun-loving kids who have a great deal to say, and who do some things a little differently than their hearing counterparts.

Millman also uses Moses’ busy day to educate readers about the various ways that children who are deaf or hard of hearing communicate with the world around them. For instance, as the structure of American Sign Language (ASL) differs from spoken English, Moses and his classmates use a computer program to rephrase the letters they’ve written to their hearing pen pals.

Best of all, the book teaches a new sign-language word on every page – and even breaks down the signs for the entire song “Take Me Out to the Ball Game.” Moses and his classmates love this tune, which they dance to while feeling the vibrations of the song as it plays on a boombox.

This book’s most significant lesson is an important one: Moses’ life really isn’t so different from that of a child who can hear.

By the end, young readers will not only be able to communicate basic information with the sign language they’ve learned – they will also appreciate that people with disabilities can live active and happy lives.

How My Child Reacted to This Book

My son, who is in preschool, was delighted with reading this book (to note, we are both members of the hearing community). He always seems fascinated with the lives of other children, so watching another kid go to school proved a strong hook. I expect that elementary students would enjoy drawing comparisons between their school day and Moses’.

At first, my son felt shy about attempting the sign language featured on each page, but he grew so excited watching me that he ended up practicing most of them. He also requested me to sign “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” several times.

Activities and Conversations to Pair with This Book

Learning and practicing the sign language taught in this book offers a great activity for families to challenge themselves with, especially learning to sign “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” together. They can also continue practicing the sign language taught in this book, by trying to incorporate basic signs like “baby” or “playtime” into daily conversations.

This book can also serve as a jumping-off point for a bigger conversation about people with disabilities.

I chatted with my son about the many different kinds of disabilities people can have, which they might have for a variety of reasons, and how individuals with disabilities can still live full lives, just like Moses. I also played songs for him by Beethoven and Stevie Wonder, to demonstrate that people with disabilities can achieve great things.