Southwest Children's Literature

Sun Logo


The Other Way to Listen

Book Review:

If only listening to a lizard sing to a rock were "the most natural thing in the world." The Other Way to Listen is a poetically written story of a boy who learns the secret of how to do it by sitting with an old man quietly for hours. The old man hints that patience and time are important but the trees, rocks, wind and creatures are his teachers. The old man once heard "wildflower seeds burst open beginning to grow underground." The boy goes off on his own to listen and listen until he finally sings to the hills and they sing back. The pictures illustrate beautifully how becoming part of a landscape is the way to begin to listen. Ink drawings accented with a yellow wash often depict the boy or the old man as part of a mountain or pathway. The relationship between the man, the boy, and the earth is well blended

 

to mainpage

About the Book | Book Review | Children's Voices | About the Reviewer