Talking To Angels

Talking To Angels

Product Description A poetic tribute to the authors autistic sister, Christa, explains why autism is not a barrier to love or friendship and celebrates the special world in which the young girl exists. From Publishers Weekly Billed as a tribute to Watsons autistic sister, this debut work is unlikely to strike a chord with young readers. Its minimal text consists of a dozen or so statements about the narrators sister Christa: When she puts her hands on my cheeks and looks in my eyes, I repeat every word she says. That makes her laugh. She hears what I say, only she answers back in her head. She doesnt speak to me out loud. Christa, whom the narrator hears softly talking to angels, is meant to seem very special, and only on the penultimate spread is the term autistic introduced (it is never defined). The art, however, suggests a more disturbing story. Disembodied heads float on abstract backgrounds. Eyes are ringed with huge spiky eyelashes; a nose appears where an ear might be; tears leave tracks like snails. The artist simulates the unformed draftsmanship of a child, but her work doesnt show much appreciation of childrens sensibilities. While Watson may hope to teach respect for people who are different, neither the text nor the pictures give kids the information or insight they need to build understanding. Ages 5-8. Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. From School Library Journal Grade 1-4?This personal, tender depiction of the author/artists young autistic sister treats the girl as a person with a rich, responsive inner life despite her inability to behave and communicate normally. Christa loves to copy Esthers words and actions, feel a kittens softness on her cheek, and play in water. She cringes from loud noises and cries when others cry. She seems to hear and see things within her head and murmurs as if talking softly to angels. The large-print text is simple, with only a sentence or two per page. Opposite it are full-page, mixed-media illustrations done in an unusual style thats half childlike and half Picassolike. Mouths are huge and full of teeth, spiky-lashed eyes are unmatched, hands have abnormally large numbers of fingers, arms are long and snaky, and colors are mostly primary. Yet the pictures are moving, dynamic, and expressive, reflecting how Christa might see the world. This artistic, loving tribute to a child who is sensitive and joyful despite her disability truly helps dispel some misunderstandings about autism.?Patricia Pearl Dole, formerly at First Presbyterian School, Martinsville, VA Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Booklist Ages 5^-8. Sophisticated in design, with illustrations that combine the innocent look of childrens sketches with the pull of abstract expressionism, this book is one of the few picture books that tackles the subject of autism. There is no story in the traditional sense. Rather, in minimal text, Watson introduces her autistic sister, Christa, and the circumscribed world of sensations in which the child seems to live. Autism is not sharply defined. In fact, young children may find many of Christas feelings (Christa loves the way water looks. She also likes the way kittens feel on her cheek ) difficult to distinguish from their own. Its the naive-style, mixed-media artwork that indirectly conveys the rest. Scattered across the pages are an assortment of faces, serene and affectionate, fierce and terrible, that add a compelling dimension to the unusual portrait. A subtle book best shared with grown-ups. Stephanie Zvirin From Kirkus Reviews A book of beautiful mixed-media illustrations, with the look of childrens scribbles: painted and repainted, scratched and drawn-over. The characters in the pictures are arms attached to heads, with six and seven fingers per hand. Watsons sense of color, shape, and composition is perfect; the first impulse is to hang the pictures on the wall. Th