1. Art techniques
2. Book design
3. Communication
4. Disability
5. Language
6. Rivers and creeks
7. Sound
8. Visual literacy

The river is beautiful, it has silver foam, sweet water to drink and ripples that glitter but it has no sound. This did not worry the animals; they liked the peace of the quiet river. The river however was sad and tired of being silent. It longed to beat against the rocks and crash over waterfalls. It wanted to find its lost sound but which of its beauties would it need to sacrifice to gain that sound? The river decided to ask the animals what it should do.

Sarah Bertels wrote this highly original picture book for her deaf son. The book’s poetic text flows as beautifully and peacefully as the river. The text is accompanied by signed English language pictograms which provide an illuminating dimension to this allegory about silence and the inability to communicate without sound.

The river’s beauty and the emotions it feels are captured by Catherine Hewitt’s intricate and engaging illustrations. The colours border on psychedelic with swirls of light bright colour when the river is happy and darker muddier colours when it dreams of making sound. The use of geometric shapes, including a stylised hand that draws a connection to the sign language pictograms in the text, creates a landscape that reflects the emotions and beauty of the river and the allegorical nature of the story.

An interesting and unusual picture book that deals with a loss of sound in a highly original and visually intriguing way.

1. Signed English website. http://sign.com.au/
2. I sign. I wander. September 27, 2016. Sherrie’s blog, ’14 benefits of being deaf’. https://isigniwander.com/14-benefits-of-being-deaf
3. Deaf Children Australia. Book list featuring deaf or hard-of-hearing characters. https://www.deafchildrenaustralia.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/hearing-characters.pdf
4. LibraryThing. Book Awards IBBY Best of Books for Young People with Disabilities Jubilee includes ‘The River of Silence’ https://www.librarything.com/bookaward/IBBY+Best+of+Books+for+Young+People+with+Disabilities+Jubilee+Selection