What Makes Us Human

by Victor D.O. Santos, Anna Forlati (Illustrator)

A poetic riddle about language, history, and culture, released in partnership with UNESCO in honor of the International Decade of Indigenous Languages (2022-2032).  Can you guess what I am? I have been around a very, very long time. You hardly knew me as a baby, but now you cannot get me out of your head. There are thousands of me, all over the globe, and some of those forms are disappearing. I can connect you to the past, present, and future. Who am I—and why am I so important to humanity? Clever and thought-provoking,  What Makes Us Human  is an accessible introduction to how language connects people across the world. This unique book celebrates all the amazing ways communication shapes our lives, including through text messages on phones, Braille buttons in elevators, and endangered languages at risk of disappearing.

Genres: Picture Books, Nonfiction, Childrens, History, Language

48 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2023

Reviews

[Nercs · Rating 3 out of 5]

جالبیِ اینکه زندگیم اینطوری به زبان‌ها گره خورده که حتی وقتی یه کتاب رندوم توی کتابفروشی باز می‌کنم هم جلوم سبز میشن. 😌✨

[Aolund · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was troubled by this book. The illustrations and riddle-like format were appealing, but there was no acknowledgment of non-verbal humanity, and so it felt dehumanizing in that way to people who don't use language but are nonetheless human.

[ريم الصالح · Rating 4 out of 5]

لطيف، والرسوم رائعة.
تُرجم الكتاب حديثاً للعربية عبر مجموعة كلمات - الشارقة

[Sharondblk · Rating 4 out of 5]

I requested this children's book from NetGalley (thanks for the e-Arc!) because it was released with UNSECO and I thought it was about languages. In fact it's a poetic riddle that has us turning pages to find out what connects all humans. It raises interesting questions and challenges that humanity is facing right now - for example it mentions the predicted extinction of half of all human languages by 2100. This is well within the lifetime of children who might be reading, or having this book read to them now. This is a fairly distressing fact. It's also a children's book, so not a whole lot of scope for explaining genocide, centralisation, cultural imperialism, mass migration through climate necessity and so on. On a smaller level, I felt there needed to be a "what can you do" in order to empower children to assist, rather than just leave the problem sitting there. I didn't read this to a child, I suspect a child would look at the well drawn and interesting pictures, enjoy the text and move on.

[Josh Olds · Rating 3 out of 5]

What Makes Us Human? At first this seems like a simple enough question, but ponder it long enough and that’s when things begin to get a bit tricky—particularly when speaking from a purely secular and anthropological viewpoint. In collaboration with UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), children’s author Victor D.O. Santos and artist Anna Forlati, make the argument that it is language that makes us uniquely human.

Santos, a children’s author with a Ph.D. in Linguistics is the perfect author to express this sentiment—able to understand language at a very deep level but also communicate that in a way that is accessible to young children. Forlati’s illustrations are an excellent complement and the array of languages portrayed in the book give her ample reason to portray an array of cultural backdrops. Together they show that although our specific languages are many and varied, they also bring us together.

What Makes Us Human? isn’t quite upfront about its answer, however. The book is portrayed like a riddle. “I can show you love. But also hurt you,” says one panel. “Some people have tried to avoid me. But they cannot get me out of the heads,” says another. The answer to the riddle is found in the illustrations. A jaggedy text bubble coming out of a radio accompanies “But also hurt you” and Forlati fills is with scenes of war. “I can show you love” is paired with an elderly woman with a soft and rounded text bubble filled with scenes of beauty as she speaks to her cat. It’s a clever and harmonious pairing that perhaps, implicitly, shows an understanding that language can even be non-verbal. And in case you miss it, the final panels make it obvious: “I make you human. I am language.”

In a lot of ways, I loved this book. The writing, the illustrations, the way the two tie together—it’s all vey beautiful. But what I kept coming back to was the question of whether or not language was really the answer. One panel, talking about the passage of time, says that babies learn language while the elderly may gradually forget. If language makes us human, are babies and the elderly less than human? What about those who struggle to communicate or lack the physical or mental ability to do so. Are they less than human? Defining humanity in terms of a physical/mental learned skill means that some who are human are going to be left out of the definition.

Moreover, What Makes Us Human focuses almost exclusively on the spoken word. Sign language is noticeably explicitly absent in the text, though it does show up at least one in an illustration. I saw no examples of AACC communication. There really needed to be more clear examples of non-traditional communication in the text. Lastly, Santos doesn’t seem to consider that many non-human animals have forms of language. Obviously, these language forms are different than our own but the truth remains that communication is inherent across all species.

What Makes Us Human falls into the trap of trying to define humanity by one natural thing. Even saying that language is *part* of what makes us human would avoid the problematic implications that book perhaps inadvertently gives. And maybe I’m digging too deep into semantics, but what better topic to nitpick semantics than a book about linguistics? This is still a good book and I would definitely use with an upper elementary school class, but I would also use this as a time to teach critical evaluation and examination. How could the author have been clearer? How could they have done better? Have they overstated their claim? If we problematize their claim, what issues arise? So while not a perfect book, What Makes Us Human is one that will make you think.

[Debra · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an impressive picture book with incredible illustrations. It is a book I want all my teacher friends to know about, especially when working in areas without diversity. Art teachers will find so much in these pages illustrated by Ann Forlati. I imagine there could be many projects from this one picture book. The uniting of all cultures, communities, and countries is woven lyrically by Victor D. O. Santos. Language is that piece that differentiates us and connects us all. The fact that so many languages are nearly extinct now is horrifying. It is an impressive goal by the UN General Assembly chose to label 2022-2032 the international Decade of Indigenous Languages. Language is most certainly a connection to past and future, a connection to cultures, civilizations, and offers much to our world. I hope that many find this unique picture book and revel in it's magnificence.

I do not know that I can add this to my elementary libraries, but I will tell people about this book as it is worth sharing.

[TheRetiredSchoolLibrarian |Mrs. Ferraris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brief summary: What is it that makes us human? As the book progresses, young readers will slowly learn that the answer can be written, signed, spoken, or felt. It has been around for thousands of years and effects everyone today. Some are disappearing, while others are more popular.

Comments: The illustrations are created with collage and digital materials.

Part of the author's royalties will be donated to organizations working to preserve languages around the globe.

I would ask students, "What Makes Us Human?" and then read the book, reminding them that if they think they know the answer, they should keep it a secret until it is revealed at the end. 

Rating: 5/5 --📗📗📗📗📗

*I received a complimentary copy of this picture book in exchange for an honest review.

[Karen Gedeon · Rating 4 out of 5]

What Makes Us Human – written by Victor D.O. Santos, illustrated by Anna Forlati – a beautifully illustrated picture book written in first person asks readers of all ages what the one thing is that makes us human. Through rich colors, muted with brown, Forlati’s art gives visual clues to the riddle’s answer. When the answer is revealed on the final page, readers will immediately go back through each page looking for those clues. Included are author and illustrator bios, a Note from UNESCO and The Theme of this Book which describes the importance of saving all world languages and their cultures. Written for readers as young as second grade, readers of all ages will enjoy soaking up this well-crafted book.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A slow, quiet buildup of a riddle. What is it that makes us human? It ends up being language, and there are some nice notes in the end about the future of the languages on earth. Ultimately, the outlook is not good, but you can expand your knowledge and help keep some of them alive.

While I had seen this book and was intrigued by the cover, it was not until this popped up on Betsy Bird's 2024 Knitting Books list that I finally determined to pick it up. Knitting placement was not bad, and the rest of the book was a pleasant surprise.

[Theediscerning · Rating 4 out of 5]

Connected to UNESCO, this is a tribute to what makes us human, which in this reckoning is language. We never go through life without at least one, but more is preferable, and we have to take note of the many that are dying out, especially when you consider how few inventions we as a species would have made without having that one first. This is an easily read, and pretty, picture book, but perhaps something too worthy to really be entertaining – it doesn't drum its message in, but it isn't exactly the ball of fun some young readers would need.

[Lisa Davidson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is gorgeous and important! There are over 7,000 living languages, and experts are predicting that we're going to lose many of them in the not so distant future. When those languages are gone, that might be the last of those cultures.
You can see so many different kinds of people in this little picture book. Language is so important to humans but we don't think about it. I recommend this for everyone, adults and children.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

In partnership with UNESCO, this picture book asks thought provoking questions about the importance of language. Showing the ways that language builds our culture, and protects it from being destroyed -- this book touches on what happens when language is not protected. This is a lovely and beautifully illustrated book that would work nicely for elementary school children in thinking more about social sciences.

[Barbra · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book from UNESCO, The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, is a picture book that opens up the topic of Language. Younger readers will have to have some guidance and some explanation. It will provide conversations about communication by words and speech, how it differs from the world but connects us all. Older reader can also delve into language history and present and future use.

[Lydia Lukidis · Rating 5 out of 5]

WHAT MAKES US HUMAN kept me engaged- with each page turn, this poetic riddle had me wondering, as children will wonder, what what this element is that connects us together. Author Victor D.O. Santos found a creative way to celebrate language and its importance in history, culture and human connection. The illustrations by Anna Forlati are equally mesmerizing.

[Rachel Nahabedian · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars

This is a beautiful story about language and how it connects everything and anything. It's a wonderful poem that would get children to think about how if nothing else all humans communicate and how we communicate.

The blurb at the end about how many languages are active/dead and the reminder that not all language is written and spoken was a nice touch.

[Julia Shelburne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book so much. It is clever and informs readers about the role of language in culture. This engaging book will make children think, learn, and hopefully appreciate other languages.

Thank you NetGalley and Wm. B. Eerdman’s Publishing Company for this advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

[Abbigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book sort of reads like a riddle which would be fun and interesting to read with older kids. I think the length of this book and the satisfying resolution make it have a satisfying reread immediately after finishing. Beautiful illustrations and a little bit of additional information in the backmatter.

[BiblioBrandie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This playful picture book challenges readers to guess a mystery subject through a series of simple clues. It concludes with informative back matter that explores the cycle of language growth and decline, alongside a special note from UNESCO highlighting the objectives of the International Decade of Indigenous Languages (2022-2032).

[Conceição Puga · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Estou em toda a parte. Em cada país, em cada cidade, em cada escola e em cada casa. (…) No início, eu era apenas uma. (…) podes encontrar-me em vários formatos e aspetos diferentes. As minhas diversas formas existem aos milhares no mundo. Algumas são jovens; outras, bastante velhas. (…) Algumas estão a desaparecer rapidamente.”

[Mary Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

The points brought up in other reviews about the limits or flaws of saying that it is language (and language alone) that makes us human are valid. I still may read this with my after school kids, but with the added discussion about WHAT ELSE makes us human? And are babies and old people less human?

[Libby · Rating 4 out of 5]

A picture book geared for older kids, the text reads like an extended riddle - what is it that Sandos thinks makes us human? Whether or not you agree with his premise, this book will cause readers to think more deeply about language. A book that could lead to a lot of good discussion.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

A better but clunkier title might be: What do most humans do? Answer: communicate with language.
The book was intriguing and thought provoking, but not one I will purchasing for our school libraries.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

The reveal could have been half way through

[Dewi · Rating 4 out of 5]

And when language dies, a culture may also die with it.😢

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Caldecott contender

[Colleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do you know the answer to the question? A thoughtful exploration illustrated with Pencils that give each page rich texture and weight.

[Lesli · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like the message and how important language is throughout all cultures and people.

[Meredith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of interesting. Kind of weird. And was there really just one in the beginning? Are we to take the Tower of Babel as fact? (I think that's what the illustration is?)

[Caro · Rating 4 out of 5]

lido no kobo plus

[Adam Gutschenritter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book on the importance of language.