Author: Trudy Ludwig
Illustrator: Patrice Barton
Genre: Fiction Picture Book
Prime Audiences: Children Struggling to Make Friends
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
Publication Year: 2013
Brian feels invisible— invisible to his peers and even his teacher. But when a new student named Justin joins Mrs. Carlotti's class, Brian uses his artistic talent to make him feel welcome. And in return, Justin reciprocates with friendship and helps everyone truly see Brian.
Trudy Ludwig and Patrice Barton's The Invisible Boy is a quiet call and applause for kindness and friendship. The story begins with the narrator asking the reader, "Can you see Brian, the invisible boy?"— Brian is symbolically colored in black and white, while the other characters are in full color, and as the narrative unfolds and Brian finds friendship, he becomes fully colored too.
Children who feel themselves to be invisible will enjoy this book and be encouraged to themselves take the first step towards making friends, and children who are able to notice the "invisible" peers around them will be encouraged to reach out to those peers and prove that somebody does indeed "see" them.
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