SEAN MOSES IS A SUPER SPELLER

A language-loving boy with a lisp wins his school spelling bee in this autobiographical picture book from Sean and Moses Powe.

Sean Moses, a cheerful Black boy attending a predominantly Black primary school, has an unusual and distinctive way of speaking: “He makes ‘S’ sounds / in such a way, / he sounds just like a snake, / some say.” Sean’s classmates are mostly accepting of this difference. The school is about to hold its spelling bee, and all of the kids are excited to participate. On stage, Sean announces the start of the competition, and while his ‘s’ sounds provoke laughter from the audience of schoolkids, this is a good-natured response rather than anything spiteful. Sean wins the trophy—to much applause—and nobody mocks or begrudges him: “The other children smiled, / and said quietly, / ‘Sean Moses is no different, / from you or me.’” Sean is embraced by his parents, and the three of them drive off into the sunset. The authors tell Sean’s story via non-metered rhymed text, rendered in a friendly bold font and positioned (mostly unobtrusively) in the blank spaces of Kaplan’s two-page-spread digital illustrations. The pictures capture, in a number of ways, the inherent wonder and enthusiasm of preteen kids in a nurturing school environment, highlighting the students’ expressions, their simple, colorful clothes, the hazy, high-spirited atmosphere of the auditorium, and the vibrant swirls that surround Sean whenever he speaks. One slightly distracting element is how Kaplan favors disproportionately large heads when emphasizing how young the kids are, especially when depicting Sean. However, this doesn’t detract overmuch from what is, at heart, a positive and empowering story. The book concludes with an 8-page photo album of young Sean at the actual spelling bee, along with a list of resources for parents of children needing help with their speech development.

A joyous celebration of supportive learning environments.