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Boy
本书讲述了：从前，有一位国王，他拥有高大的城堡、广袤的土地，还有许多勇敢的骑士。后来，一头喷火巨龙摧毁了王国里的森林。为了保护自己的领土，人与龙之间爆发了旷日持久的战争。直到有一天，一个听不见声音的男孩跑到了他们中间……
29 pages, Hardcover
Published May 1, 2019
1 person is currently reading
173 people want to read
About the author
Phil Cummings
65 books20 followersPhil Cummings had his first book published by Omnibus/Penguin in 1989 and has
since written over sixty books for children.
since written over sixty books for children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews
November 7, 2018
Living in a kingdom consumed by conflict between the local king and the local dragon, who has destroyed all of the forests on the mountainside, Boy is for the most part blithely unconcerned. Happy in his life with his parents, who understand his sign language, even if the villagers do not, he leads a quiet, gentle existence. Then one day he strays into the middle of a battle between the king's knights and the dragon, and being deaf, doesn't hear either side shouting at him. When he finally does realize where he is, his innocent question - "Why are you fighting?" - leads to some revelations that help end the conflict...
Originally published in Australia, this delightful original fairy-tale features a number of popular storytelling elements, from dragons to knights, and stars a winsome young hero who just also happens to be deaf. I found the story engaging and the artwork humorous and appealing. I appreciated the fact that Boy is able to communicate with the king, his knights and the dragons, despite not being able to speak with them directly, and I particularly liked that at the end, when his parents and the villagers are thanking him, they do so with sign language. This hints at a hopeful future in which more people learn the skills necessary to communicate with Boy. Recommended to anyone looking for children's stories about peacemaking and/or tales featuring deaf heroes.
Originally published in Australia, this delightful original fairy-tale features a number of popular storytelling elements, from dragons to knights, and stars a winsome young hero who just also happens to be deaf. I found the story engaging and the artwork humorous and appealing. I appreciated the fact that Boy is able to communicate with the king, his knights and the dragons, despite not being able to speak with them directly, and I particularly liked that at the end, when his parents and the villagers are thanking him, they do so with sign language. This hints at a hopeful future in which more people learn the skills necessary to communicate with Boy. Recommended to anyone looking for children's stories about peacemaking and/or tales featuring deaf heroes.
August 2, 2018
Main character is deaf and uses sign language to communicate. I love that the boy is a child, not someone with a disability in this book.
December 29, 2021
4.5 stars. This is a really great book about how conflict comes from misunderstandings and can be reasoned without through with violence.
May 22, 2019
Such a cute book! The story takes place in a medieval setting where a king is fighting a dragon. There is a small boy who is upset by the fighting so one day he runs out into the middle of the battle and writes in the sand "Why are you fighting?" His question makes the dragon and the king/knights stop and think about why they are fighting. They ultimately realized that they both did not want to fight and they would rather be living in peace. It was such a cute story about conflict resolution and awareness as to the reasons behind actions. Great illustrations and cute read for children!
August 4, 2018
The only reason why I didn't give this book 5 stars is I think the author missed an opportunity to have just one page in the back that can teach kids how to say a couple of the basic sign language phrases that were used in the book. Otherwise this is a great story with deaf child, even though the point of the story is more resolving differences than "being deaf and overcoming an obstacle." Well done and a great addition to a library collection.
April 10, 2022
This is a simple tale. Simple yes, but it twists all the conventions of kings and knights and dragons and spins something far more than just a mere reimagined fairytale. This story shows us exactly why it is not just good to have diversity, but why it is necessary. This story shows that everyone can and does contribute to a society, no matter your age, no matter your abilities. Absolutely beautiful.
October 25, 2024
Only gave this one a chance because it's by Phil Cummings. Books about knights and kings and dragons are never my thing, but this one was worth giving a chance. Boy lives in a village with constant, loud fighting of knights and the king and a dragon. Boy can't hear, and the townspeople can't understand how he speaks with his dancing hands.
Not being able to hear, Boy wanders right into the middle of the fighting. He doesn't respond when they yell for him to get out of the way. Finally he writes in the sand - "Why are you fighting?"
It turns out that everyone was just misunderstanding each other, and no one wanted to fight at all. So they apologized, compromised, and stopped the fighting. And all the townspeople said "thank you" with their own dancing hands.
Somehow feels apt in light of the middle eastern conflict that has recently been intensifying. I wish peace was as simple as it is in this book. Me and Boy both think it should be.
Not being able to hear, Boy wanders right into the middle of the fighting. He doesn't respond when they yell for him to get out of the way. Finally he writes in the sand - "Why are you fighting?"
It turns out that everyone was just misunderstanding each other, and no one wanted to fight at all. So they apologized, compromised, and stopped the fighting. And all the townspeople said "thank you" with their own dancing hands.
Somehow feels apt in light of the middle eastern conflict that has recently been intensifying. I wish peace was as simple as it is in this book. Me and Boy both think it should be.
December 31, 2021
Disability visibility!
February 25, 2023
Library Date ♡
June 12, 2020
The illustrations always make or break my review of children’s book and these illustrations by Shane Devries are just too cute! (I particularly love the dragon). However, even with the adorable illustrations, the storyline is what makes this book so special. Boy is a deaf child and is misunderstood by the people in his village until he uses his observational skills to save the town. The ending is sweet and shows the villagers thanking him using sign language which the book calls “dancing hands.” I love that description.
May 31, 2017
"Boy couldn't hear, but he was happy. He spoke with dancing hands and he drew pictures in the sand."
A wonderful story that both Miss 2 and I enjoyed. The main character is deaf and manages to stop a war by teaching the king, knights, and dragon a little something about communication.
A wonderful story that both Miss 2 and I enjoyed. The main character is deaf and manages to stop a war by teaching the king, knights, and dragon a little something about communication.
July 18, 2023
It’s often said that reading improves children’s emotional intelligence and increases empathy. It helps kids better understand others, especially those who have different life stories.
Reading also helps us better connect with other perspectives and human experiences. It helps improve children’s capacity – and that of adults – to appreciate what others are thinking and feeling.
Empathy starts early, and it starts by listening as a genuine attempt to make contact, to reach out across real and imagined barriers that separate “us” from “them”. Without listening, we cannot begin to comprehend.
This is an important lesson from Boy, winner of the 2017 Children’s Peace Literature Award, an Australian literary prize awarded biennially by the Australian Psychological Society. The award encourages the dissemination of information related to “peaceful means of resolving conflict and promoting peace at the global, local and interpersonal level”.
Published by Scholastic Press, Boy is written by Phil Cummings and beautifully illustrated by Shane Devries, It tells the story of a boy who is deaf.
Boy lives in silence: “He spoke with dancing hands and he drew pictures for people in the sand.” Boy’s parents understand him perfectly, but those in his village think him “strange”
Worse, near the village is a forest that has been burnt out by a dragon’s fiery breath. Angered by the loss of the forest, the King has fought many battles against the dragon.
“Boy couldn’t hear the battle cries, but he had seen the fear in his mother’s eyes and felt it in his father’s hands when he held him close.”
The war goes on and on – until one day Boy unknowingly steps right into the middle of it. Here’s the turning point as he writes in the sand: “Why are you fighting?”
The finger-pointing begins, as expected. However, this is the first time the King and his numerous knights as well as the dragon get to stop what they’ve been doing and to truly listen to each other’s point of view.
And that changes everything.
The book has perhaps the cutest dragon in the world, with perhaps the most adorable excuse for having descended upon the King’s domain. It’s also full of special sound effects that will surely delight both children and adults throughout the reading, from “ROAAAR!” and “CHAAARGE!” to plenty of “CLING CLANG CLONG”,
More importantly, the book is gentle and subtle about so many things. As observed by Romi Sharp from Reading Time, children’s book news and reviews from The Children’s Book Council of Australia:
“[Boy] connects with those around him using a variety of tools, including sign language, drawings, the written word, and a sense of emotion. It is these perceptive qualities that make him the perfect candidate for facilitating awareness, acceptance and community inclusion.”
In 2021, Boy was chosen by the International Board of Books for Young People as one of the Outstanding Books for Young People with Disabilities – a well deserved honour. The book is highly recommended for children aged four and above.
Note: This book review was originally published under the title “The importance of listening” by Ranges Trader Star Mail on January 18, 2022, P.9.
Reading also helps us better connect with other perspectives and human experiences. It helps improve children’s capacity – and that of adults – to appreciate what others are thinking and feeling.
Empathy starts early, and it starts by listening as a genuine attempt to make contact, to reach out across real and imagined barriers that separate “us” from “them”. Without listening, we cannot begin to comprehend.
This is an important lesson from Boy, winner of the 2017 Children’s Peace Literature Award, an Australian literary prize awarded biennially by the Australian Psychological Society. The award encourages the dissemination of information related to “peaceful means of resolving conflict and promoting peace at the global, local and interpersonal level”.
Published by Scholastic Press, Boy is written by Phil Cummings and beautifully illustrated by Shane Devries, It tells the story of a boy who is deaf.
Boy lives in silence: “He spoke with dancing hands and he drew pictures for people in the sand.” Boy’s parents understand him perfectly, but those in his village think him “strange”
Worse, near the village is a forest that has been burnt out by a dragon’s fiery breath. Angered by the loss of the forest, the King has fought many battles against the dragon.
“Boy couldn’t hear the battle cries, but he had seen the fear in his mother’s eyes and felt it in his father’s hands when he held him close.”
The war goes on and on – until one day Boy unknowingly steps right into the middle of it. Here’s the turning point as he writes in the sand: “Why are you fighting?”
The finger-pointing begins, as expected. However, this is the first time the King and his numerous knights as well as the dragon get to stop what they’ve been doing and to truly listen to each other’s point of view.
And that changes everything.
The book has perhaps the cutest dragon in the world, with perhaps the most adorable excuse for having descended upon the King’s domain. It’s also full of special sound effects that will surely delight both children and adults throughout the reading, from “ROAAAR!” and “CHAAARGE!” to plenty of “CLING CLANG CLONG”,
More importantly, the book is gentle and subtle about so many things. As observed by Romi Sharp from Reading Time, children’s book news and reviews from The Children’s Book Council of Australia:
“[Boy] connects with those around him using a variety of tools, including sign language, drawings, the written word, and a sense of emotion. It is these perceptive qualities that make him the perfect candidate for facilitating awareness, acceptance and community inclusion.”
In 2021, Boy was chosen by the International Board of Books for Young People as one of the Outstanding Books for Young People with Disabilities – a well deserved honour. The book is highly recommended for children aged four and above.
Note: This book review was originally published under the title “The importance of listening” by Ranges Trader Star Mail on January 18, 2022, P.9.
October 2, 2018
Boy is a heartwarming book about a young boy who is deaf who lives in a village full of fighting and destruction. Since he can not hear or speak, he communicates through his "dancing hands." One day, Boy marches right into the battle, although everyone is shouting at him to leave, he can not hear them. The king marches over to him and asks him why he is there. Since Boy can not communicate with them, he writes in the ground, "why are you fighting?" The king and the dragon then figure out that it was all a misunderstanding and Boy is pleased to see everyone coming together again in peace. The town then responds to Boy by using their dancing hands, "Thank You" they say.
The themes in this book could include differences, disabilities, and conflict resolution.
I loved this book because I have not read many books who have the main character be shown as deaf. I thought it was so creative to describe his way of communicating through his dancing hands to show his use of sign language.
I recommend this book because it introduces children to others who may have disabilities but also shows them that they are still completely able to succeed and communicate through different ways.
The themes in this book could include differences, disabilities, and conflict resolution.
I loved this book because I have not read many books who have the main character be shown as deaf. I thought it was so creative to describe his way of communicating through his dancing hands to show his use of sign language.
I recommend this book because it introduces children to others who may have disabilities but also shows them that they are still completely able to succeed and communicate through different ways.
September 10, 2019
"Boy" is a great fantasy read that is engaging and has a lesson of peace and acceptance to tell it's readers.
The protagonist is a deaf boy who ends a war in his kingdom by getting to the heart of the conflict rather than being distracted by all the "noise" in the situation.
The book is a good one-on-one and group read, allowing the imagination to run wild while still having a grounded, meaningful lesson children and adults can apply to everyday life. The illustrations are large enough for group story-time, but the actual story is more appropriate for ages four and up. The text is also a great starting place for beginning readers wanting to practice decoding in a more challenging manner, most likely for ages seven and up.
I wish the author would have included more signs in the book or dedicated two pages at the end of the book to teach readers some basic sign language so they too can have "dancing hands" and communicate with friends who cannot hear or speak.
The protagonist is a deaf boy who ends a war in his kingdom by getting to the heart of the conflict rather than being distracted by all the "noise" in the situation.
The book is a good one-on-one and group read, allowing the imagination to run wild while still having a grounded, meaningful lesson children and adults can apply to everyday life. The illustrations are large enough for group story-time, but the actual story is more appropriate for ages four and up. The text is also a great starting place for beginning readers wanting to practice decoding in a more challenging manner, most likely for ages seven and up.
I wish the author would have included more signs in the book or dedicated two pages at the end of the book to teach readers some basic sign language so they too can have "dancing hands" and communicate with friends who cannot hear or speak.
May 5, 2021
Re-read
It was lovely seeing a representation of a deaf character where the character was neither a source of pity nor a superhero. Boy is just a regular kid doing regular kid things. I also appreciate that the story touches on some of the challenges Boy faces due to his deafness, specifically communicating with those who do not understand sign language, and the inability to hear danger. Don't worry, it's shown in a very light-hearted way!
I rather liked the art style, and the subtle (signed words) in the illustrations juxtaposed against the LOUD NOISES of the knights etc were a nice touch.
I initially thought it was odd that the book didn't have some basic sign language words for the reader to practice. However given that there is no universal sign language even among countries that speak the same language, perhaps including such a feature would be confusing.
It was lovely seeing a representation of a deaf character where the character was neither a source of pity nor a superhero. Boy is just a regular kid doing regular kid things. I also appreciate that the story touches on some of the challenges Boy faces due to his deafness, specifically communicating with those who do not understand sign language, and the inability to hear danger. Don't worry, it's shown in a very light-hearted way!
I rather liked the art style, and the subtle (signed words) in the illustrations juxtaposed against the LOUD NOISES of the knights etc were a nice touch.
I initially thought it was odd that the book didn't have some basic sign language words for the reader to practice. However given that there is no universal sign language even among countries that speak the same language, perhaps including such a feature would be confusing.
May 31, 2023
I kid you not, I was on my way out yesterday and saying how rare it is to find little kids’ (preferably board books, but picture books are great too) books about kids with disabilities. And then I found this!!
Absolutely beautiful-cute art. I was a little weirded out at first that the boy didn’t have a name, but then quickly saw that NOBODY had a name, it was just a cute basic fairy tale-esque story.
So sweet, I liked seeing how even though we couldn’t tell what the character was signing, there was a tiny label for a couple of words. Art helps bring people together after a misunderstanding. People learn to be kinder.
And of course, by the end, people who thought the joy was strange and didn’t understand him
learned a little of how to communicate with him and learned to appreciate him more.
Great stuff!
Absolutely beautiful-cute art. I was a little weirded out at first that the boy didn’t have a name, but then quickly saw that NOBODY had a name, it was just a cute basic fairy tale-esque story.
So sweet, I liked seeing how even though we couldn’t tell what the character was signing, there was a tiny label for a couple of words. Art helps bring people together after a misunderstanding. People learn to be kinder.
And of course, by the end, people who thought the joy was strange and didn’t understand him
learned a little of how to communicate with him and learned to appreciate him more.
Great stuff!
May 29, 2020
Genre: Fantasy/Picture Book
Grade Level: Primary (2-3)
Boy has "dancing hands". He can't hear. He uses his hands to talk and draws pictures in the sand. He sees the battle and doesn't like that his mom is sad. When he runs in the middle of the battle to save his lizard, everybody stops. He gets them to listen to him and they call a truce. A little child shall lead them is a scripture I'm fond of. Children can make all the difference in the world. Sometimes we adults need to do just that. We must use our dancing hands instead of our fighting hands and bring peace to those around us. I also like this book because I assume he is deaf and his dancing hands are sign language! Something else I love!
Grade Level: Primary (2-3)
Boy has "dancing hands". He can't hear. He uses his hands to talk and draws pictures in the sand. He sees the battle and doesn't like that his mom is sad. When he runs in the middle of the battle to save his lizard, everybody stops. He gets them to listen to him and they call a truce. A little child shall lead them is a scripture I'm fond of. Children can make all the difference in the world. Sometimes we adults need to do just that. We must use our dancing hands instead of our fighting hands and bring peace to those around us. I also like this book because I assume he is deaf and his dancing hands are sign language! Something else I love!
October 24, 2024
We did bring your favorite picture book to book club and read them out loud. This book was new to me but I loved it. Boy is deaf and talks with dancing hands and pictures. The kind and his knights are battling a dragon who set the woods on fire. Of course boy comes through and wins the day and helps the kind and dragon become friends. What I liked was a young kids perspective of dancing hands. No one understood the dancing hands but they knew he was trying to talk to them with his hands. Which I feel like is exactly what little kids would think.
June 3, 2018
What an uplifting story! It was so nice to see a story of someone who is different be the hero. I thought it did a great job of explaining differences in an age appropriate way. It also explained how sign language works (they called it dancing hands) and made my boys want to learn more about sign language. I appreciate a book that excites my children and sparks their curiosity to learn more about a topic.
January 30, 2025
In a village lived a young boy who couldn’t hear. The king and his knights kept battling a dragon, and one day the boy got caught up in the battle because he couldn’t hear it. He tried to sign to them, but they couldn’t understand, so he wrote them a question, why are you fighting? Through that it was realized there had been a huge misunderstanding between the villagers and the dragon. Great story and wonderful illustrations.
September 24, 2018
This book is great! It is about a boy who happens to be deaf. He lives in a village where there is fighting, but he can't hear any of the loud noises and doesn't realize how bad it is until he sees the fear in his families faces. He shows everyone how peaceful this can be by communicating with his hands and drawing pictures.
January 14, 2019
‘Boy couldn’t hear, but he was happy. He spoke with dancing hands...’ When I read this sentence I was hooked.
Boy is the tale of a boy who cannot hear and how he brings warring parties together to truly listen to each other.
The illustrations enhance the text. A great story to share with readers young and old as it provides plenty of opportunities to discuss language and human nature.
Boy is the tale of a boy who cannot hear and how he brings warring parties together to truly listen to each other.
The illustrations enhance the text. A great story to share with readers young and old as it provides plenty of opportunities to discuss language and human nature.
May 30, 2020
Loved this book about a deaf boy that manages to solve a conflict which was hurting the entire kingdom. The issues related to his disability are seamlessly intertwined with the story, making this a highly entertaining read. We need more books like this where the disability is not the main focus of the story, but part of it.
October 28, 2020
I really enjoyed this book. I think it was a really cute story about a boy who can't hear and it doesn't only talk about his disability. The story actually shows that his disability was used for "good" in the village and that to him the fighting looked unnecessary and once he explained that the knights and dragon realized the same thing and everyone became friends.
March 6, 2021
My son and I both loved this book! It is about a Viking boy, named Boy, who can't hear and "makes his fingers dance" to talk. He lives in a kingdom where there is constant fighting between the kings men and a dragon. The story is one that teaches children about adversity and how to help each other. We will be rereading this book many times.
March 8, 2018
Props for a book with a deaf hero. Props for a book with a boy character who works to make everyone get along and understand each other. I wish it weren’t quite so heavy handed, but it is a good message to get hit over the head with.
March 11, 2018
A great story to teach children about diversity, in this case, being deaf & using ASL. I love the illustrations & love how BOY doesn’t give up when others don’t understand him. BOY is a wonderful book 💕
April 6, 2018
A sweet story about a boy who calls out adults on their misbehaviour. Brilliantly and importantly, Boy is a child, instead of a deaf child - it is not a story about being disability but about difference.
September 4, 2019
Great story! Fighting brought to an end by a boy asking a simple question. "Dancing hands" to describe his mode of communication is a lovely phrase that satisfied my CoDA sensitivities. Loved the illustrations too.
April 4, 2020
I cheated and found an ASL storyteller who "read" the book "aloud" (performed it in ASL) and they did a great job. The story itself it charming with the main character (Boy) being loved by his parents and communicating with them.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews