What a powerful book! I can't imagine making a book that introduces the idea of political prisoners to children, but somehow Amnesty International did it. A man is in prison, but letters of support and love keep coming until the man is able to free himself on wings made of letters. It's an incredible book.

One of many picture books written for young adults and adults. I chose not to buy this for my library due to the dark and disturbing subject matter enclosed in a format for young children.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC. This well-illustrated book is thought provoking and stays with you long after you turn the last page. I recommend it.

Wordless books are an interesting genre. On the one hand they can be enjoyed even by the illiterate. But this doens't necessarily make them a good choice for the very young. THey rely on visual interpretation skills that small children often don't have. I'd love to use this one in ta group setting, discussing the meaning of various panels and the design choices.

Wow. Wow. Wow. Such a powerful wordless picture book. Get it and share it.

Amazingly gorgeous and beautiful book. I'm just shocked at how well this story was able to convey such a story without saying a word. Definitely would recommend this!

5 star rating - Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to read this outstanding graphic novel in exchange for a review.

Letters to a Prisoner is a graphic novel told in pictures written for Amnesty International's "Write for Rights" campaign, supporting those who have been imprisoned for expressing their ideas.

The premise of the book - shown only in picture form - is the arrest of a man when he takes his daughter to a protest. Thinking he has been forgotten he finally receives a letter from his daughter. The guards destroy the letter. However he continues to receive letters, many many letters, more than the guards can handle. His freedom is found in the wings of all those letters.

The imprisonment of political prisoners is the bases for the letter writing campaign of Amnesty International. People who are unjustly imprisoned for their beliefs and ideas.

I loved this! I’m always impressed when authors can tell stories without words, but this was especially powerful.

The idea that people can be imprisoned for disagreeing with the government makes me shudder. Though it seems like that’s what our current (U.S.) administration would like to do.

But the idea that we can make a difference in these people’s lives by something as simple as writing letters is amazing.

It made me want to start writing letters.

If you like sequential art of any kind check this out. Or, if you don’t, check it out anyway; you might like it.

This wordless picture book is almost a graphic novel in style. A father and daughter head out with protest signs marked with red circles that match the little girl’s red balloon. Waiting for them though are police in deep blue, who speak with blue squares. The red circle protesters are beaten with batons and taken away to jail. The girl’s father is held in isolation, dreaming about his daughter and their time together. Suddenly, the man gets mail but the guards don’t approve of it. More and more mail arrives from the mice and birds. The guards burn the letters, but the scraps fly into the air to be found by others around the world who write more letters in response. Soon the jail is buried in letters and the letters form wings that carry the man back to his daughter.

Based on the letter writing campaigns of Amnesty International, this picture book/graphic allows young readers to not only understand that people are jailed wrongly around the world but also to have a way to help. The illustrations have a wonderful energy to them. They show the despair of the jailed man but not without small glimpses of hope in the form of small animal friends. A strong message of unity and working together for justice pervades this book. Appropriate for ages 6-9.

This wordless picture book communicates quite a bit through a story of a man who is arrested for peaceful protest, and is encouraged (and eventually freed) with the aid of letters written by people around the world.

The story is understandably simplified, with the opposing political factions in the beginning simply denoted by different-colored shapes. Letters become symbolic of flight and freedom all through the story, and a lovely fantastical image helps to illuminate this idea even more at the end.

A note at the end explains that this story is meant to illustrate what can happen (and has) during Amnesty International's Write for Rights events. I had never heard of this before, so I went and looked into it more after finishing the story.

I definitely felt inspired after reading this, though it also serves as a reminder that not everyone in the world has the same rights that many of us enjoy. I probably would not read this to a preschooler (the images show people being hit and the man being separated from his young child in a fight, which might be upsetting for young children), but it's easy enough for an adult reader to preview for age-appropriateness.

A beautiful picture book inspired by Amnesty International's Letter Writing Campaign. This heart touching story shows how people need to come together to help the innocent prevail. I really want a physical copy of this book to add to my bookcase. I was lucky to get a digital copy from NetGalley. I will highly recommend this book to everyone of all ages.

'Letters to a Prisoner' by Jacques Goldstyn is a wordless picture book inspired by Amnesty International's letter-wrting campaigns.

A young girl is with her father at a protest. He is arrested and thrown in jail for the protest. He thinks he has been forgotten, but he gets a letter from his daughter. That letter is found and destroyed by the guards, but when more letters keep arriving, the guards can't keep up.

There are no words, so the story could be read alone The illustrations feel a bit cartoonish, which helps the book maintain a light look, even as it deals with a dark subject. It definitely ends in hope and the power of others to affect change.

The story is appropriate for young readers, , but if I were a small child, I might have questions. I might also be afraid of a story that puts a parent in jail for seemingly no reason, so it's probably best to read together or offer to answer any questions after the book is read.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Owlkids Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.

This is the story of a man unjustly accused and falsely imprisoned under harsh conditions. It may sound too harsh to be a children's picture book, but as a wordless book, it's up to the reader to create the story. As a wordless picture book, it is beautifully told and very easy to understand. 

It speaks volumes for those who are sent to prison under pretenses, and in this day and age, we need stories out like this more than ever. "Letters to a Prisoner" beautifully highlights the importance of Amnesty International's letter-writing campaign and shows us how one small gesture can bring about enormous change. 

This is a poignant and beautiful story of the power of people and never giving up hope, even when it may seem like all hope is lost. 

With all of the events surrounding the right to protest, this is a perfect book to highlight the dangers of living in a place where the government does not allow its citizens to exercise their rights. If you are looking for a book to tie in current political events in a child-friendly format, this is it. 

Recommended: All Ages

Letters to a Prisoner is getting rave reviews, with good reason. The wordless picture book, inspired by the letter-writing campaigns of human rights organization Amnesty International, is so impactful, so relevant, and so necessary. A man is arrested during a peaceful protest, injured by a soldier who also pops the man's daughter's balloon. The man is thrown in a solitary jail cell, where he befriends a mouse and a bird. When letters arrive, the guard takes joy in burning them in front of the man, but the joke's on the guard: the smoke from the burning letters serves as a worldwide beacon. Groups of people all over send the man letters; they arrive, en masse, and turn into wings with which the prisoner soars above the helpless, infuriated guard. The watercolor over black ink sketches adds an ethereal feel to this beautiful story of hope and social justice. The book's wordlessness allows for every reader to come together, transcending language, to take part in this inspirational story. An author's note tells readers about Amnesty International's inspiration. Display and booktalk with Luis Amavisca's No Water, No Bread, and talk with little ones and their parents as you display the book during social justice and empathy themed storytimes. Letters to a Prisoner has starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, and Quill and Quire.

I'm never sure about wordless picture books. I know they have their role, but quite they often don't quite wash with me. Letters to a Prisoner, however, is one of those standouts. It is that much more powerful because of the lack of words. Of course, it helps that the illustrations are just lovely - so simple, but so meaningful. Nothing needs to be said. It's truly a a beautiful little book.

This book is the perfect example of not needing words, to tell a story. Compelling, moving and beautiful. This wordless story truly touched my heart.

This book made me cry...it's touching story, of a man unjustly accused during a peaceful protest and sent to prison, resonates more than ever. Told mostly through pictures, you first see the man's anger at his imprisonment and, as time passes, his despair and sadness. Then the letters come! The man receives thousands of letters from all over the world with messages of hope and strength and solidarity, creating wings that lift him through the bars and carry him to freedom. Written in honor of the Amnesty International Write for Rights program, the author has added information at the end of the book about this program and how you can participate. Lovely book with a positive and thought- provoking message.

This is a short and beautiful story told only in pictures, but easily understood. It speaks about the people unjustly imprisoned for their ideas or speaking up against those who would impose their opinions on others. It also speaks about the importance of reaching up to those imprisoned people, and the effect of reaching up. A very poignant and beautiful story.

This wordless book tells the story of a man who held political views in opposition to the government. The differences between the two stances are portrayed symbolically by people carrying signs with orange circles and an army with black squares. During a peaceful protest the man was arrested and thrown in prison.

The illustrations show us what it was like for him in solitary confinement and capture his descent from anger to despair.

His memories while in prison show us the man as an ordinary person with a loving family. It is a reminder that, "there but for fortune, may go you or I."

All kinds of people, old & young, famous and ordinary, from across the globe write letters in many different languages to the man in prison. When the prison is bombarded by these letters, the prisoner is finally freed.

The book ultimately highlights the importance of Amnesty International's Write for Rights campaign and shows us the power of letter writing to make change. It does this by bolstering hope and reminding prisoners that they are not alone. Ultimately it can force governments to release people and change their policies.

At the end of the book is a letter from the author providing more information about Amnesty International's Write for Rights campaign.

I really enjoyed Letters to a Prisoner and the point it makes simply and beautiful.
Letters to a Prisoner was inspired by the Amnesty International Program Write for Rights, a letter writing campaign to try to help people who are imprisoned for their alternative beliefs. The book is mostly wordless and shows in simple but beautiful illustrations how thinking differently can lead to imprisonment and how writing to the prisoner and his government can lead to freedom.
The book is very inspirational and easy for children of any age to understand. It promotes individual thinking and simplifies the war on freedoms that go one around the world so it is understandable in early life.
This is a book I will have for my children and will gift to others to help empathy and love grow in the next generation.