THE INVISIBLE STORY

A self-conscious book meets its perfect reader.

Unlike the library’s more well-known stories, which boast stunning illustrations or golden letters, the titular book has never been read. Shelved in a dark corner, it shies away from readers’ glances, chanting, “I’m just a ghost, nobody can see me.” But one day, a blind girl specifically seeks out the book. It vehemently protests as she starts to open it…and finally it confesses that it’s blank. Undaunted, the girl reveals that the book isn’t meant to be read via sight. Its seemingly blank pages are written in braille, “the language you read with your fingertips.” Happily, the book realizes that “no one story [is] better than any other, that they [are] just different.” Chen’s cut-paper illustrations are striking. Most objects and people, the blind girl included, are the white of the page, which evokes a sense of invisibility, while jewel-toned creatures suggest enticing adventures as they swirl from open books. Sadly, mixed messages mar this tale, translated from Spanish. The book’s being “hidden away” implies that it’s been segregated from the other titles, which feels incongruent with the morals of inclusion and acceptance. While the girl’s “crystal” voice and “bright as a butterfly” laugh suit the story’s fairy tale–esque tone, they may also evoke the trope of portraying disabled people as angelic. Though informative backmatter correctly defines braille as a writing system rather than a language, this important distinction is unfortunately omitted from the primary text.

A well-meaning and eye-catching work that nevertheless misses the mark.