My People

My People by Langston Hughes, illustrated by Charles R. Smith Jr.
2010 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award

This book features a poem by Langston Hughes illustrated with photographs of black people. The poem is short and simple--- only 33 words! But written in the 1920's when the words must have meant a lot, celebrating the beauty of the black people inside and out. The black and white photography that illustrates the poem are lovely, moving, silly,  beautiful, young and old and you wanna like all the people in the book.

Jimi Sounds Like a Rainbow; A Story of Young Jimi Hendrix

Jimi Sounds like a Rainbow; A Story of Young Jimi Hendrix by Gary Golio, illustrated by Javaka Steptoe
2011 Coretta Scott King Illustator Award

I enjoyed learning more about this legendary electric guitar player and innovator, still considered by many to be the greatest guitarist in musical history. This picture book tells about his life, growing up knocking about the city of Seattle in difficult circumstances, but drawn to art and music and wondering if he could play the sounds and colors of his world on a musical instrument. Trying first on a one string ukele in the house, and later on a $5 guitar.

Self taught, couldn't read music and rose to incredible fame in about four years time.

The pictures are cool colorful drawings/collages.

The story does not tell about his death at age 27, but there is a thoughtful afterward that does tell about the end of his young life as a result of a bad mix of prescription drugs and alcohol and gives resources for getting help and learning more about drugs and addiction. The author is a clinical social worker who has worked with lots of people on issues of substance abuse and addition.

Beautiful Blackbird

Beautiful Blackbird by Ashley Bryan
2004 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award

I love this author/illustrator, Ashley Bryan. He shows up at storytelling festivals sometimes because his reading/writing style is very much based on oral storytelling in the African tradition. He's a fun person to hear, and I have liked his books a long time. In fact he has had quite a few Coretta Scott King awards over the years, and when I checked and realized that he had NOT ever won a Caldecott Award, I was surprised.

Anyhow, Beautiful Blackbird  is illustrated in brilliantly colored paper cuts. The story is told in both regular storytelling with little rhyming songs interspersed:
"Beak to beak, peck, peck, peck,
Spread your wings, stretch your neck.
Black is beautiful, uh-huh!
Black is beautiful, uh-huh!"

The story is based on a traditional tale from Zambia. It tells the story of how the birds got their markings. They started all the colors of the rainbow, but no markings at all, each bird was a single color "From the tops of their heads to the tips of the tails. . . " The rainbow colored birds all thought Blackbird was the most beautiful and asked Blackbird to color them black.

Blackbird said, "Color on the outside is not what's on the inside. You don't act like me. You don't eat like me. You don't get down in the groove and move your feet like me. But come tomorrow to the Sun-Up Dance. I'll brew some blackening in my medicine gourd."

And next morning he decorated them all. But before he did he said "We'll see the difference a touch of black can make. Just remember, whatever I do, I'll be me and you'll be you."

Fun tid bit---- the scissors that is collaged in with the paper cuts on the end papers is the scissors that his mom used when she was sewing and embroidering, and the scissors he now uses for his paper cuts.

If I had to recommend ONE Ashley Bryan book, this wouldn't be the one, but I do like it. Dancing Granny is my personal favorite and I don't think it ever won any awards at all! I also like Beat the Story Drum, Pum Pum. 

Rosa

Rosa by Nikki Giovanni, illustrated by Bryan Collier
2006 Caldecott Honor Book
2006 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award

More poets should write history for children. This is a splendid and powerful book. And beautifully written. I suspect that Nikki Giovanni was able to talk with Rosa and others in the story personally. The text is full of intimate details about what people were thinking and doing through out first days of the historic events of the bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama.

 "Jo Ann Robinson was at the PIggly Wiggly when she learned of the arrest. She had stopped in to purchase a box of macaroni and cheese. She always served macaroni and cheese when she baked red snapper for dinner. A sister member of the Women's Political council approached her just as she reached the check out lane.
 'Not Mrs. Parks!' Mrs Robinson exclaimed. She then looked furtively around. 'Pass the word that everybody should meet me at my office at ten o'clock tonight," she said."

I love the person of Rosa Parks. Her long life lived with dignity and strength.

Pete Seeger tells a story about being at a training for civil rights activists at the Highlander Folk School in Tennessee. On the last day, they went around the circle and everyone said what they were going to do when they got home. Several "movers and shakers" were there, and each person spoke about their plans. But one woman, when it was her turn, said she just didn't know what she would do. That, was Rosa Parks.

She wasn't just a worn out seamstress. She was an activist making a choice. A spontaneous choice! But one very much in keeping with her participation in the movement.

Here is a link to her website: Rosa Louise Parks Biography

The illustrations strong and luminous, by Bryan Collier, someone who has won a bunch of awards before and since. I like his work and his choices about what he illustrates, often powerful stories from African American History. Here is a link to Bryan Collier's website. I enjoyed learning about him, especially his dedication to community service and empowerment of young people. Bryan Collier | Bio

I personally liked this book a bit better than the 2006 Medal winner! And would definitely recommend it!

Dave the Potter, Artist, Poet, Slave

Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave

by Laban Carrick Hill, illustrated by Bryan Collier

2011 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award

2011 Caldecott Honor Book

This is a picture book. I found it in the picture book part of our library, although it is a biography. It tells the story of Dave the Potter. A slave who made pots, they estimate he might have made 40,000 pots in his lifetime. Unique to his artistry, and especially surprising under his circumstance, he wrote little poems on many of the pots, and signed his name. Tiny 2-4 line poems, and it is from these poems that much of his life story is pieced together. He was also one of only 2 potters known to that time who could make really LARGE pots --- up to 40 gallons.

This book describes his life and the process of making pots---- from dirt, to wheel, to glaze, with simple lovely words and beautiful illustrations. A great book to share with young children and older ones.

Love, Louise

PS I shared this book with my daughter age 6 last night. We had an excellent discussion about slavery. My son (now 10) LOVED biographies from pre-school on and we discussed slavery, the civil rights movement, etc. etc. from age 3 forward. My daughter hasn't been so inclined towards non-fiction, and we haven't talked about history as much. I've started dedicating a half an hour to read with her each evening, just the two of us. It's a very sweet time, not related to bedtime, just a special time for us! And I realized last night that I'd like to sneak more historical/biographical picture books into the mix. The jumping off points for discussion from these books are SO invaluable.

My children are African American. I am of mixed heritage--- Japanese on my mothers side, Russian Jewish on my fathers side. My husband is European American. My son's sense of self in terms of his racial identity and African American heritage, and his perceptiveness about race dynamics in our daily experience, I think is very strong, and I believe the books that we read and talked about were a big contributor to this. Other stuff also contributed! Books alone wouldn't take care of this. . . . but they were a very positive factor!

Anyhow, I want to up this part of my daughters education and sense of self! So . . . bring on the books!