Letters to a Prisoner

Explaining Amnesty International's letter-writing campaigns to a child is no small task. It requires describing oppressive military governments, defining free speech, and recalling the influence that letters have had on the fates of prisoners. In a nearly wordless book, French author-illustrator Goldstyn achieves all of this with a light ink line and a big heart. A man at a political demonstration with his daughter is detained and imprisoned alone; a guard marches around his cell. Initial letters sent to the man are burned, but the wind carries their fragments ("We are with you"; "No te olvidamos") to all points of the world, calling for help. A wild assortment of characters writes letters urging the prisoner's release: a cowboy, a circus clown, a construction worker sitting on an I beam. Goldstyn's sweet-tempered, loopy drawing style takes much of the sting out of the story's sadness--his humans have big bulbous noses, and small, cheerful animals abound. Yet he isn't afraid of strong emotion, and many readers will find themselves tearing up. This deserves to be everywhere children are learning about the wider world. Ages 5-up. (Sept.)

Gr 2-5--In this wordless picture book about the power of communication and the plight of political prisoners, a man and his daughter march in a protest. A bright red circle symbolizes their cause (and matches her balloon). Riot police, their thoughts and opinions expressed by a black square, hit the father on the head, pop the girl's balloon, and take him away to a desolate prison, where letters begin arriving to the prisoner by way of a bird and mouse. When the letters are burned by the prison guard, the smoke carries the message across the world, which results in enough letters pouring in to create wings for the prisoner to fly away to reunite with his daughter. Goldstyn's watercolor, ink, and colored pencil drawings in a loose style on a white background, reminiscent of the work of Matthew Cordell, are expressive and don't need words. The wordlessness and nonspecific issues make this book universal with a magical realism twist. The story roots itself in real-life issues through back matter about the author's experience with Write for Rights, Amnesty International's global letter-writing campaign to people with authority or people fighting for human rights, and the book is dedicated to Raif Badawi, a Saudi activist and political prisoner, and his family. VERDICT An elegant picture book tribute to the power of organizing and the plight of political prisoners, best suited for older readers. A first purchase.--Lisa Nowlain, Nevada County Community Library, CA