Drawn Together
By Minh Lê
Illustrated by Dan Santat
Disney Hyperion, 2018. Picture Book
Have you ever had to talk to someone and you didn’t know what to say? Think of that particular moment and then think about what it would be like if you couldn’t even speak the same language as that particular person.
In this story a young boy is dropped off to spend a day with his grandpa. Only, they don’t speak the same language. The boy speaks English and the grandpa speaks Thai. They try to converse, but find it difficult and (thanks to the brilliant illustrations) we know that they are both a little frustrated. Finally the boy pulls out some paper and markers from his backpack. Grandpa’s face lights up and he hurries off to get his ink and brush. Soon the two are enjoying spending the day drawing together—and eventually both start to appreciate the different artistic style of the other.
This is a fantastic book! The illustrations are amazing (with fun styles that are more classic Asian-inspired as well as a touch of more modern, kid-inspired color sketches complete with various scribbles). This rockin’ read will help people realize that they don’t have to speak words to understand each other. And not only that, there just might be a lot more that people have in common than what they see at first glance. Seriously. This is one to go put on hold at the library right away—if you don’t go out and buy it that is…
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