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Silent Movie | June 12, 2013

by Avi and illustrated by C.B. Mordan (Atheneum Books for Young Readers/Simon and Schuster Children’s Division, March 2003)

This week I discovered a new-to-me picture book, Silent Movie, which came out just over ten years ago. The story follows a Swedish family who immigrates to New York City in 1909.  It’s set up like a silent movie, sparse on text with freeze-frame images which move the story along at a quick pace; on several pages, the illustrations even carry the narrative of their own accord. Not only is the layout reminiscent of film, the plot also takes an appropriate twist: the boy, Gustave, winds up being recruited from the streets to be in a movie himself. It’s no matter that he only speaks Swedish—movies in 1909 are silent, after all. Gustave’s sudden success is inspiring, of course, and there’s also a feel-good family reunion.

In addition to being an interesting slice of history and depiction of the American dream come true, this picture book is an excellent example of how text and images can work together seamlessly and richly. Reading this book  translates the experience of watching a silent film remarkably well to the page. It’s also nice to see a different side of Avi, who is likely known better for his novels among today’s readers.

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