Radiant Child

Javaka Steptoe’s use of reclaimed wood from Brooklyn to create his art for “Radiant Child” demonstrates a commitment to authenticity in crafting illustrations that pay tribute to the subject, Jean-Michel Basquiat.  Steptoe distills the story to become one that children can relate to, especially Basquiat’s wanting to learn everything about art and artists while visiting museums in order to join their ranks and become a famous artist one day too.  I think students will also find his study of Gray’s Anatomy interesting while he studied the book and learned to draw body parts accurately and well in order to heal himself inside and out.  Photo credit is noted but a bibliography is not and I think this could be helpful for young readers to learn more who are interested in doing so.  I like that the motifs and symbolism of Basquiat’s work is included with an explanation of each.  Children could go back through the pages looking more closely for each throughout.

javaka.com 

Title: Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michele Basquiat

Author: Javaka Steptoe

Published 2016 by Little, Brown and Company

ISBN: 978-0-316-21388-2

This copy was borrowed from the public library for review purposes.

Freedom in Congo Square

I really enjoyed learning about Congo Square as a place designated for slaves to congregate in New Orleans to hold markets, dance, and socialize on Sundays.  Even the youngest readers can understand the progression through the days of the week counting down to Sunday and the anticipation involved for people who knew freedom no other day.  Older readers will connect the poetic prose to some of the known horrors of slavery and think more deeply about the idea that wood was kept on the fire around the clock by someone unseen, unknown.  The mere fact that there was a day of rest protected by law was somewhat remarkable considering slavery’s awful history.  The foreword and the author’s notes both give readers more information to understand Congo Square and slavery in New Orleans.  I would have loved for a bibliography to be included for readers to have sources identified to locate more information.

gas-art.com 

Title:  Freedom in Congo Square

Author: Carole Boston Weatherford

Illustrator: R. Gregory Christie

Published 2016 by Little Bee Books

ISBN: 978-1-4998-0103-3

The Legendary Miss Lena Horne

Anyone who has read my reviews of CYBILS nonfiction books in the past knows I am a particular fan of Elizabeth Zunon.  Her work on The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind makes it one of my all time favorites.  She does not disappoint with her work in The Legendary Miss Lena Horne.  As I’ve been getting started reading nonfiction books for this year’s CYBILS panel, I’ve been focusing on reading books with my children whenever I can to get their perspective.  My son gravitates to animal books and demands I read all of them to him, preferably books that feature multiple animals.  With my daughter, I’ve been reading any and all of the books about strong female figures and Girls Who Code.  She has been loving learning about these women through history and modern time along with me.  So, The Legendary Miss Lena Horne was one that we read together.

The book opens with a quote from Lena Horne that can apply to anyone: “You have to be taught to be second class; you’re not born that way.”  Lena Horne refused, with the support and backing of the NAACP to play roles that she viewed as being beneath her or portraying black women as second class citizens.

Included are an author’s note, bibliography, and sources for further reading, listening, and viewing.

Count Basie gave Lena advice that she seized later in her career, “They don’t give us a chance very often, and when they do, we have to take it.”

Take all the chances and risks life throws at you.

CBWeatherford.com 

LizZunon.com 

@ElizabethZunon

Title: The Legendary Miss Lena Horne

Author: Carole Boston Weatherford

Illustrator: Elizabeth Zunon

Published 2017 by Atheneum Books for Young Readers

ISBN: 978-1-4814-6824-4

This book was borrowed from the public library for review purposes.

Make a Picture of Me, James Van Der Zee!

Keith Mallett captures moments in time in acrylic just as James Van Der Zee captured them on film.  Andrea J. Loney brings Van Der Zee’s story to life just as he brought the stories of so many to life, especially during the Harlem Renaissance.  James Van Der Zee showed the world what he saw in his heart, he made his subjects comfortable and ensured they were ready before taking their picture.  He found his place in history through hard work and taking chances.  The afterword outlines some of the strategies that James Van Der Zee mastered to set him apart from other photographers of his time.  Photo Credits, a Bibliography and suggestions for Further Reading are all included.

andreajloney.com 

@andreajloney

keithmallett.com 

Title: Make a Picture of Me, James Van Der Zee!

Author: Andrea J. Loney

Illustrator: Keith Mallett

Published 2017 by Lee & Low Books, Inc.

ISBN: 978-1-62014-260-8

This book was borrowed from the public library for review purposes.

The Youngest Marcher: The Story of Audrey Faye Hendricks, a young Civil Rights Activist

So, this may sound strange but as I look over the first page again I’m reminded.  Why did Audrey call Martin Luther King, Jr. Mike?!  I checked and it’s not mentioned in the author’s note.  But it’s a lingering question that remains in my brain.  Was it to disguise him from others, so she wouldn’t mention he was at their house?  Or, did she just mispronounce his name because she was young?  Cynthia Levinson writes it was his nickname.  But why?  Clearly, this one nugget is not what I should be focused on.  And yet.

Audrey Faye Hicks’ story is an admirable one and a story worth telling and sharing.  The concept to fill the jails is certainly an interesting strategy and one that paid off in the end.  Once the jails were filled, they had nowhere to put people who would have, days before been arrested just for walking into a certain story or sitting at a lunch counter.  Many of the other “young” marchers were in high school, so Audrey was for all intents and purposes on her own inside jail.  What a frightening ordeal and yet, she came out stronger knowing she had made a difference.  Cynthia Levinson’s writing helps all of us, young and old, see how we might make a difference too and Vanessa Brantley Newton’s illustrations paint a pretty tough topic in bright tones bringing joy to the overall message of the cause.

@cylev

https://cynthialevinson.com/ 

http://painted-words.com/portfolio/vanessa-brantley-newton/ 

Title: The Youngest Marcher: The Story of Audrey Faye Hendricks, a young Civil Rights Activist

Author: Cynthia Levinson

Illustrator: Vanessa Brantley Newton

Published 2017 by Atheneum Books for Young Readers

ISBN: 978-1-4814-0070-1

This book was borrowed from the public library for review purposes.

Muddy: The Story of Blues Legend Muddy Waters

The title page, first page, and final page of Muddy all feature a river, a moving body of water.  As the water moves, so does McKinley Morganfield, but he also stays just as he is.  Without the water, he wouldn’t have always gotten muddy and earned his nickname.  Through the middle of the story, the river is absent and during that time, Muddy Waters is encouraged to change his style but he refuses.  With outside forces, he stays strong continuing to carve his own path, just as a river does.  Evan Turk’s illustrations capture the emotion of Muddy Waters’ music with jagged lines at times, bodies in motion and hands waving in the air.  Michael Mahin indicates that “He admires people like Muddy Waters who, despite great suffering, find the courage to be themselves in a world that wants them to be something else.” He hopes that his writing about such people will inspire children to always be themselves too.

Title: Muddy: The Story of Blues Legend Muddy Waters

Author: Michael Mahin

Illustrator: Evan Turk

Published 2017 by Atheneum Books for Young Readers

ISBN: 978-1-4814-4349-4

This book was borrowed from the public library for review purposes.