The Deaf Musicians

Seeger, Pete, and Paul Jacobs. The Deaf Musicians. New York: G.P. Putman’s Sons, 2006.

The picture book The Deaf Musicians is about a boy who slowly is going deaf. Lee plays the piano but as his hearing becomes impaired he gets kicked out of his band. Lee then learns about the school of the deaf. He then creates a band where they played instruments with their hands. As the story progresses their band plays on the subway. The passengers are so impressed by their ability that they would miss their spots in order to watch the performance. Lee’s old band members praise his performance, telling him how fantastic his new band is. He learns to compensate for his deafness but is still able to do what he really enjoys doing.

This book helps one realize they are able to overcome obstacles as well as the various ways to hear and enjoy music. Children learn from this book to not give up on their dreams and let others tell you what you can or cannot do. Once Lee became deaf, the musician’s in his first band told him that he was unable to play music. However he did not give up on his dream and continued to play music.

The pictures throughout The Deaf Musicians are lively and full of color. The notes and music played are bright ultimately making the sounds come to life. This novel earned the Schneider Family Book Award from the American Library Association in 2007. Pete Seeger was an “insider” on the subject because he would attend a music festival each year called the Clearwater’s Great Hudson River Revival. This festival has sign-language interpreters on all the stages. His Father, Charles Louis Seeger, was also deaf.