Celebrate!
By Patricia Broderick

February's celebration of Black History month usually provides wonderful opportunities to catch up on some great trade books and teaching aides. This year is no exception.

ellington was not a street
This 40-page picture book is a reflective tribute to the African American community. The art is drawn from the perspective of a young girl who saw the greats; W.E.B. DuBois, Duke Ellington, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, Paul Robeson and others from the fields of music, politics and sports – and it's beautiful.

The importance of the individuals presented positions them as individuals who "changed the world." All of these artists lived and worked at a time when being Black was a tremendous handicap to having their art and skills accepted.

The book was written by Ntozake Shange, award-winning dramatist, and the author of the picture book, Float Like a Butterfly. This is published by Simon & Schuster and is $15/95 at your local bookstore.

Promises to Keep – How Jackie Robinson Changed America
This 64-page winner has terrific photos, with the majority of them in black-and-white.

Now, for the dynamite: the book is written by Sharon Robinson, Jackie Robinson's daughter. Imagine reading non-fiction that starts "My great-grandparents were slaves; my grandmother was a sharecropper; my father was born into a segregated world." It's an immensely powerful book, and not only because of its content. Sharon Robinson is a very skilled writer.

Middle schoolers, in particular, will love this book. The author has included a timeline covering Black history, starting with the first slaves brought to Virginia in 1619. She provides wonderful social context for the migration of Black people after the first World War, tracing her grandmother's move with Jackie and his four siblings to California.

There's much included in this book that was not generally known about Jackie's life, yet some things we did know are clarified. This book really moved us. Scholastic is the publisher. $16.95 at your local bookstore.

Wake Up Our Souls: A Celebration of Black American Artists
What an incredible resource! We can't imagine a school without this book. The books explores the work of more than 30 Black artists. These include such giants as Joshua Johnson, William H. Johnson, Augusta Savage, Gordon Parks – and wonderful Faith Ringgold! (Remember Tar Beach?) More than 45 works of art are reproduced in this book along with extended captions and photographs of the artists.

There are examples of a wide range of medium from photography, painting, sculpture and Faith Ringgold's story quilts. Some of the works are realistic, some are abstract.

The book has three main sections: Early Strivings, Great Awakenings and Upward & Onward. For each artist written about, there is an illustration of his or her work with explanatory text below it.

Besides tracing the history of Black artists, this well-written book gives a comprehensive feel for the social context of the eras spanned by the content. Tonya Bolden is the talented author. Wake Up Our Souls... is just $24.95, 127 pages. There is an exhibition schedule of the art featured in the book as well, starting with the Cincinnati Art Museum from January 8 to March 7, 2003. Check with the publisher, Abrams, for more information on the exhibits. Contact Jason Wells at jwells@abramsbooks.com Publishing date is February 2004.

Another Don't Miss...
A Good Night For Freedom is the story of a young girl's dilemma when she sees two runaway slaves who were hiding. She's conscience-torn between her Father's position and doing what her heart knows is right. A nice book for a values discussion. 32 pages, $16.95. Holiday House.

February, 2004, Vol.34, No.5