During reading articles about the censoring of A Birthday Cake for George Washington I came upon a blog from the author Don Tate titled Writing Enslaved Narrative posted on November 17, 2015 in TheBrownBookshelf.com. I found his words moving. He portrays his characters as they felt/feel at the moment of the story which the illustration depicts. Their facial expressions are appropriate for the events. I then read his book POET: The Remarkable Story of George Moses Horton. The book is also available as a You Tube video which is a recording of the author reading the story himself! A beautiful picture book about a remarkable human being. This biography tells the story of a slave's life from young to adulthood, who became a published poet. The illustrations are warm and inviting.
From there I was linked to many other picture book titles all concerning important figures in the struggles African Americans faced. I believe they should be included in every classroom library from elementary through middle school. These should not be read just during one particular month, instead they should be read as model texts. These titles should be books available to students in a complete library.
Further, YouTube videos are available of many of these titles read by the authors. Most include reference pages to link you with resources the author's used and can encourage research.
Another blog which proposes important, interesting words for thought is americanindiansinchildrensliterature.blogspot.com article written by Debbie Reese which asks us to consider how Native Americans are portrayed in literature also. Even though it is not specifically about African Americans, this blog proposes important ideas for critical readers to consider.
Finally, the works listed below contained well written text from well practiced authors who used many text conventions to support the reader in gaining the most information possible while catching the attention. For example, bold letters are used to aid in understanding the changes of point of view or tone. Enough appropriate pictorial support is provided to aid in supporting the reader to comprehend the message and to understand the setting, era, and characters without distracting.
Picture Books.
A- Alan Schroeder/I- Jerry Pinkney,Minty,1996, biography, elementary-middle school A colorful biography of Harriet Tubman as a child. Her personality is beautifully brought to life and many children will be able to identify with her trials while learning about the era, slavery, and the language of the day. The illustrations are pieces of art. Not for independent read for lower grades, but by fourth grade possibly. The story can be read with middle school as the pages on one side are filled with text that is often not supported by the illustration. A- Cole Henry,Unspoken: A Story from the Underground Railroad,2012, wordless, historical fiction picture book for all ages Through its depiction of the events on a farm when a girl finds a slave hiding in her barn, the reader is allowed to take in visual details and appreciate the reality that faced those involved without the distraction of text. The illustrations are detailed and meticulous allowing the mind to enter into the world of the rescuer and the escapee. A great introduction to the topic and to allow for brainstorming of what we know before the unit study then compare to an after the unit response. A-Don Tate, Poet: The Remarkable Story of George Moses Horton, 2015, biography, all ages Illustrations are insightful and lend depth to the text. A great read aloud for early elementary students, text includes content not explicit in the illustrations, and independent for later. Since the language includes samples of poetry Mr. Horton wrote, this book could also be used in middle school. Further, it also includes many non-fiction references, it may serve the high school students well also. The reader has a personal connection to Mr. Horton when they are done reading. He comes to life through the story. A great resource for summarizing events and causal relationships or discussing the importance of character development. A-Carole Boston Weatherford/I-Kadir Nelson,Moses,2006, historical fiction, all ages This book is a portrayal of Harriet Tubman's journey from slavery to freedom and her role in the Underground Railroad. The dark colors serve to set the mood of the text and she is depicted with great clarity. Mixed in to the narrative are personal narrative she would have had with God and author breaks through as if talking to her personally. Very thought provoking! Read aloud to younger elementary as the conversations with God and the break through responses make the text more complex. As the reader views her sleeping in the grasses and in another scene begging God for strength, one cannot help but feel her desperation at the time. Yet, she continued forward. A summary of the events and her reactions is a great application of the novel. |
Picture Books A-Andrea Davis Pinkney/I- Brian Pinkney, Sit-in How Four Friends Stood Up By Sitting Down, 2010, non fiction narrative, elementary grade
Story of the February 1, 1960 sit in at Woolworth's. The text is an example of using text features to convey the emotion of the day. Meaning is conveyed through bold letters and simple sentence structures. The illustrations are captivating due to the colorful presentation and the mood that is represented is excitement. It is a large book which allows a reader to truly experience the art work and feel the energy of the day. For a second grade student this may be an independent read as the text is short, but the illustrations may not support the reader enough if the content is unfamiliar. Third grade should be independent read. A-Ellen Levine/I-Kadir nelson, Henry's Freedom Box: A True Story from the Underground Railroad, 2007, biography, elementary grades Henry Brown was a slave who after watching his family be sold and lost, decided to send himself to the north in a box. The scene in which he sees this occurring is poignant for the reader. The story describes his trip with text, along with illustrations, in a heartfelt manner. One can feel his agony as he is tossed and turned along with his fear, suffering, and finally relief at being freed. A read aloud will provide the tonal drama the student may not be able to apply in the younger grades to communicate the intensity of the situation yet but by second grade this may be an independent read. A teacher could provide the text describing the experience in the box and have students draw the sequence of events then compare to the actual illustrations. A-Laban Carrick Hill/I- Bryan Collier, Dave the Potter, 2010, biography, all grades This true story of an artist is immeresed in beautiful illustrating. The text is written as if it were poetry with lines ending at key words to lend a rhythm to the prose. Considering the vocabulary and style, this is a read aloud up through fourth grade and can be used in middle school. High school students may appreciate the picture book in writing class to analyze style and organization. Possibly to be labeled novel in verse. I had to reread to make sure it was not poetry. Pull out pages capture the imagination and support comprehension with fine details about creating pottery and how delicately his hands worked at the art. A great lesson might be to provide the text and have students draw what they believe Dave looked like then provide the illustrations or possibly the opposite to practice writing skills. |
Chapter book A-Yuna Zeldis McDonough/I- Lauren Mortimer, What Was the Underground Railroad?, 2013, non fiction informative, elementary - middle school
A source for information about different aspects of the Underground Railroad. Contains reproductions of photographs from the era along with pencil drawings to accompany text. Some detailed pictures about the transportation of slaves without gruesome details. Includes biographical information about important figures from history and events along with information about laws that were enacted.As this is an expository informative text, this will be read aloud through fourth grade. Considering the topic, 2-4 are appropriate grades for this text. Can be used in middle school as a source of research. A- Doreen Rappaport/I-Shane Evans No More! Stories and songs of slave resistance, 2002, mix genre, k-12 This text is a mixture of biographical text accompanied by folktales and songs. On some pages the songs are written in the old English of the era. Some of the stories can be shared with early elementary students but the majority is for older students and can be used just as a tool for understanding history better or a thorough study of the content. There are specific biographical pieces about important leaders of the resistance included along with research resources and stories. Choose pieces of the text for younger students such as a song to discuss or study an important figure. Provide the whole text for older students and use the resources provided to do fiurther research. |