The Sound of All Things

Gr 1–5—Set in 1930s Brooklyn, this remembrance by the author provides a sentimental view of a hearing child growing up with deaf parents. The story describes one day at Coney Island when the family rides a roller-coaster and the father begs his son to tell him how the wheels of the coaster sound. As they walk along the boardwalk, the father also asks about the sound of the ocean waves, and the boy tries his best to describe the sounds, but his answers feel too simplistic. He longs to express sounds to his father and mother but lacks the words. It is after a thoughtful librarian introduces the boy to poetry and "every word I would ever need" (author's note) that the boy feels he can capture the sounds that his parents would never hear. This picture book is an emotional experience, replete with stunning imagery of the roller-coaster, arcades, and boardwalk of Coney Island; the spectacle of the evening fireworks; and the innocence of a family sharing a hot summer day together. The artist's renderings of the period architecture and fashions of the day are portrayed in impressive gouache and acrylic, just indistinct enough to suggest a memory. Extensive author and illustrator notes complete this lovely tribute to a bygone era and a boy's commemoration of his parents.