Described as a “poetic riddle” emphasizing the importance that language holds in our lives today, and the fragile position that it increasingly occupies, What Makes Us Human is a book filled with gentle surprises.

Beginning with a time when the idea of a language was still new, to the breathtakingly beautiful spread that shows how deep and close-knit one’s ties with a language may be, the narrative takes a reader on a journey through different spaces, guided by the text of a riddle. I have been around for a very long time. Longer than toys, dogs, or anyone you know.

From the noisy expanse of a city to the hush of the inside of an elevator, where a girl is seen holding her white cane as her guard dog looks on, the text whispers: I am sure you saw me today. Or heard me. Or felt me. In another portion of the book, we see two people signing to each other, exploring a world of languages that are not just spoken or heard.

The book moves on to eloquently depict the intimate connection that we have with language as individuals, with the visual metaphor of a spool of thread that we grow acclimatized to as we grow, and eventually wear down in our old age. From the poignant and the philosophical to the present-day, the narrative travels to the omniscient visual of a gathering taking in the language of screens on their mobile phones.

Proceeding to tenderly remind us of the power of language both to hurt and to heal, the book shows us how languages are scattered to the winds today, each functioning as a grain of hope in a vast sky, living out the very real possibility today that they may not be seen again in 50 years, unless we work urgently to prevent this from happening.

And when one of me disappears, a culture may also disappear. A unique way to view and understand the world. Gone. Forever.

This is a book that beckons its readers to embrace the gift of language: remember it, cherish it, and share, wild and free.

What Makes Us Human
Written by Victor D.O.Santos
Illustrated by Anna Forlati
ISBN: 9780802856258
Published by Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, in association with UNESCO

You can buy a copy here* or find it at a library.

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Karthika Gopalakrishnan is the Head of Reading at Neev Academy, Bangalore, and the Director of the Neev Literature Festival. In the past, she has worked as a children’s book writer, editor, and content curator at Multistory Learning which ran a reading program for schools across south India. Prior to this, Karthika was a full-time print journalist with two national dailies. Her Twitter handle is g_karthika.