African-Americans

Review: Chocolate Me! by Taye Diggs

| Tasha

chocolate me

Chocolate Me! by Taye Diggs, illustrated by Shane W. Evans

The main character of the book, who goes unnamed, is teased because he is different than the other boys in the neighborhood.  Compared to the white kids, his skin is darker, his hair more poofy, his nose is wider, and his teeth shine brighter.  He returns home in tears, because he wants to fit in.  His mother talks to him, telling him how special he is and how perfect he is.  She tells him that his skin is like “velvet fudge frosting mixed in a bowl.”  She gives him a t-shirt that says “Chocolate me!” and he starts to rethink things as do the other kids.

The focus of this book is self-acceptance and self-love.  The universal theme of trying to fit in and feeling different than others will speak to all children.  Diggs writes with a smoothness and natural rhythm.  The book reads as confident poetry, though it does not rhyme.  Evans’ illustrations have a great organic feel as well.  They are bright colored, rough lined, and filled with motion. 

Share this with a group of children discussing self-esteem or diversity.  It will also be one of those books that children pick off the shelves thanks to the sunshine bright cover.  Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from copy received from Feiwel and Friends.

One Crazy Summer

| Tasha

One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia

Eleven-year-old Delphine has looked after her two younger sisters, Vonetta and Fern, ever since her mother left them soon after Fern’s birth seven years ago.  Now she and her sisters have traveled across the United States from Brooklyn to Oakland, California to see the mother they barely remember.  Once there, they discover a distant woman who won’t let them into her kitchen, feeds them only takeout, and insists that they are gone outside all day.  She sends the girls to a summer camp run by the Black Panthers where they are educated about revolution and black rights.  Set during in 1968, the girls see first hand the changing times.  Written with a depth of character, pitch-perfect dialogue, and a great deal of warmth, this book is an amazing work of children’s fiction.

Williams-Garcia has outdone herself with this novel.  Her portrayal of the girls, their mother and the Black Panthers is done even handedly and with appreciation for what was being done.  Cecile, the mother, is a complicated figure with a complex history and a fractured relationship with her children.  Williams-Garcia’s depiction of her is captivating in both good and bad ways.   This book reads as though it is about real people, with real personalities living during real times.  The characters grow convincingly throughout the story, with no one leaving behind their personality for sudden, simple change.  It is all deeper and more honest than that.

Highly recommended, I would expect this book to garner Newbery attention as well as Coretta Scott King Award interest.  This would work well in a classroom, since it is filled with moments worth discussing.  It would also make a fantastic summer read.  Appropriate for ages 9-13.

Reviewed from library copy.

Also reviewed by The Goddess of YA Literature, Bib-Laura-graphy, A Patchwork of Books, Muddy Puddle Musings, Fuse #8, A Chair, A Fireplace & a Tea Cozy, and Young Books.

The Beatitudes

| Tasha

The Beatitudes: From Slavery to Civil Rights by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Tim Ladwig

Weatherford has taken Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount and created a poem that follows African-American history from slavery through to the election of Barack Obama.  The poem affirms that God has been with people even in slavery, during the Civil War, during the civil rights movement, and continues to be with them now.  Readers will discover historical figures from various times in the book, including Rosa Parks, Emmett Till, Ruby Bridges and Martin Luther King, Jr.  There are a wealth of heroes here, all surrounded by the strength of faith.

Weatherford’s words are strong and ringing.  They both celebrate and mourn, moving ever onward to a brighter future.  The book shines with a beautiful combination of faith and history.  Ladwig’s illustrations add to that shine with strong people shown in moments of strength.  Many of his paintings have interesting perspectives that make the book even more lovely.

Highly recommended, this is a book that truly captures the strength of a people.  Appropriate for ages 6-10.

Reviewed from copy received from publisher.

Visit Carole Boston Weatherford’s website  and Tim Ladwig’s website.

Back of the Bus

| Tasha

Back of the Bus by Aaron Reynolds, illustrated by Floyd Cooper

It is a winter afternoon in Montgomery, Alabama.  A boy and his mother are riding the bus home after a long day.  The boy is playing with a marble, letting it roll up the aisle.  When a hand snatches the marble, the boy sees Ms. Parks smiling at him and she rolls the marble back.  The bus gets more crowded and then there is a commotion.  The bus remains stopped until the police arrive and take Ms. Parks away.  There is something in her eyes and the way she holds her head though, that show the boy that something big is happening.  And he can see the same spark in his mother’s eyes now.

Here we see a moment in history captured through a young boy’s perspective.  Reynold’s poetry is languid with the warm afternoon and the bumps of the bus.  His poetry allows us to see more deeply into the boy and his mother as he calls attention to small details:

Mama shakes “no” at me,

and I hold it snug in my hand.

She’s got them worked-all-day eyes,

but she’s got her strong chin on.

Very accessible to children, the poem is filled with an honesty and truth.  Cooper’s illustrations are filled with afternoon sunshine that illuminates this moment in history.  He has captured the small world of the bus, yet the poem and his illustrations reveal far more.  Warmly lit, detailed and beautifully done, his illustrations are glowingly lovely.

Highly recommended, this book takes history and bring it to life through poetry, image and one boy.  Appropriate for ages 5-8.

Reviewed from library copy.

We Troubled the Waters

| Tasha

We Troubled the Waters by Ntozake Shange, illustrated by Rod Brown

It takes a very special picture book to leave you with tears standing in your eyes.  This is that book.

This book of poems takes readers from slavery through Jim Crow to the KKK and the battles of the Civil Rights Movement.  It is a visual and poetic trip through African-American history, a journey that evokes the emotions, the cruelty, the hate and the oppression.  It lifts only at the end speaking of modern life in America with a hopeful tone and a unity that sees beyond color.

Shange’s poems are powerful, unflinching looks at historical moments.  They celebrate victories while continuing to honor the slain and victimized of the past.  She writes with an honesty that elevates these poems beyond simple historical facts, creating emotional and honest portrayals of what people felt and experienced during those times. 

Brown’s art is equally powerful.  His portraits of Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and Rosa Parks speak to the people themselves and their message even more than their outward appearance.  They are beautifully rendered in deep colors, a tribute to the history and the people.

Highly recommended, this is a book that is ideal for February’s Black History Month but should be used all year long.  This is our history no matter our color.  It is a history we should all be aware of so that it never repeats itself.  Appropriate for ages 8-12.

Reviewed from library copy.

Also reviewed by TheHappyNappyBookseller.