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dragonlady91's review
5.0
How do you tell a hard story? My answer would be TRUTHFULLY? I’m sure this was a very hard book to write especially for children but to hope for a better tomorrow we have to tell about a horrific past.
Side note : The illustrations were amazing
Side note : The illustrations were amazing
jdsniadecki138's review
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
This is an important, necessary picture book, perfect for the classroom. Teachers and librarians should add THIS American Story to their shelves and read it aloud with their students. To be a true American, we need to acknowledge the America of the past and strive to be what we may become in the future — better humans.
The book names a teacher who is sharing history with her students, starting in Africa before slavery. Over time, Americans stole these humans and made them slaves. “For Free” is one repeating line, and other multiple-meaning words add to the feeling and the depth (and the horror) of the times. Kwame Alexander’s poetic language shows the dark past, but also reveals that African Americans refused to stop telling stories and loving each other, and fought for their freedom.
In the middle of the story, the teacher cannot go on. She doesn’t know how to teach the students THIS history. Her students say, “But, don’t you tell us to always speak the truth, Ms. Simmons, even when it’s hard?” Kwame Alexander wants us to know the truth and share it. We cannot escape the past or pretend like history didn’t happen. “You can’t change the past, but you can do better in the future.” Mr. Alexander allows us to hope and dream and act to change the world. The book has two specific purposes: to educate the reader and provide a way to share uncomfortable facts in order to move to a more hopeful, inclusive future.
Dare Coulter’s fabulous, rich colors provide life and meaning to Alexander’s words. (Pay attention to the colors that alternate the POV throughout the story.) She uses mixed-media techniques that invite readers in and command attention throughout the book, from the cover to the end pages. Her art captivates the reader and brings one closer to the historical account being told in a way that cannot be done with only the words. The pages are all gorgeous, riveting, sad, and hopeful. This book is truly a meaningful collaboration between Alexander and Coulter that should not be missed, and I’m going to follow the news about this book into next awards season, too.
An American Story is a text that needs to be read and shared widely. Adults, please read with your young ones. Recommended for ages 8 and up.
The book names a teacher who is sharing history with her students, starting in Africa before slavery. Over time, Americans stole these humans and made them slaves. “For Free” is one repeating line, and other multiple-meaning words add to the feeling and the depth (and the horror) of the times. Kwame Alexander’s poetic language shows the dark past, but also reveals that African Americans refused to stop telling stories and loving each other, and fought for their freedom.
In the middle of the story, the teacher cannot go on. She doesn’t know how to teach the students THIS history. Her students say, “But, don’t you tell us to always speak the truth, Ms. Simmons, even when it’s hard?” Kwame Alexander wants us to know the truth and share it. We cannot escape the past or pretend like history didn’t happen. “You can’t change the past, but you can do better in the future.” Mr. Alexander allows us to hope and dream and act to change the world. The book has two specific purposes: to educate the reader and provide a way to share uncomfortable facts in order to move to a more hopeful, inclusive future.
Dare Coulter’s fabulous, rich colors provide life and meaning to Alexander’s words. (Pay attention to the colors that alternate the POV throughout the story.) She uses mixed-media techniques that invite readers in and command attention throughout the book, from the cover to the end pages. Her art captivates the reader and brings one closer to the historical account being told in a way that cannot be done with only the words. The pages are all gorgeous, riveting, sad, and hopeful. This book is truly a meaningful collaboration between Alexander and Coulter that should not be missed, and I’m going to follow the news about this book into next awards season, too.
An American Story is a text that needs to be read and shared widely. Adults, please read with your young ones. Recommended for ages 8 and up.
etiberland's review
emotional
informative
medium-paced
5.0
I read one of the best books of 2023 in 2022, as a galley at ALA. An American Story by Kwame Alexander, illustrated by Dare Coulter, is an exceptional work of art. I can only imagine how breathtaking & brilliant this moving informational picture book is as the final book. It shows the power of a picture book to talk with readers, weaving Kwame’s precise & inquisitive poetry with Dare’s mixed-media art that compels readers to pause, ponder, & ask questions. I am eager to learn about their process to create it! Put it on your Caldecott 2023 list now.
Sparked by a conversation in Kwame’s daughter’s classroom, this book is a necessary addition to our curricula, classrooms, & collections & offers an invaluable way to have conversations about slavery. As Kwame shared during an SLJ interview, “I tried to write this book so it would carry the weight that's necessary to lift our kids out of ignorance when it comes to the history of our country. Teachers, librarians, parents: All you have do is read the story. Literally, just read the story. Stop every few pages, or stop when you get to the points in the book where the students ask questions of the teacher & let your students ask questions. This book is a teaching tool. I wanted it to be engaging and educational, informational & inspirational. Let the book do the heavy lifting, & just read it to your kids, read it with your students. And be open to the discussion, because the book is really about a teacher who doesn't know how to teach slavery. And that is an issue we all face—parents, teachers, librarians, all of us—at some time or another.”
As Kwame wrote in A Note from the Author, “I believe An American Story can help give us a way to speak the truth to children, so we can all stop being afraid, so we can start moving closer to our better selves.”
The final pages read:
“How do you tell a story this hard to hear, one that hurts and still loves?
"You do it by being brave enough
to lift your voice,
by holding
history
in one hand
and clenching
hope
in the other."
An absolutely vital and necessary purchase for all collections.
Sparked by a conversation in Kwame’s daughter’s classroom, this book is a necessary addition to our curricula, classrooms, & collections & offers an invaluable way to have conversations about slavery. As Kwame shared during an SLJ interview, “I tried to write this book so it would carry the weight that's necessary to lift our kids out of ignorance when it comes to the history of our country. Teachers, librarians, parents: All you have do is read the story. Literally, just read the story. Stop every few pages, or stop when you get to the points in the book where the students ask questions of the teacher & let your students ask questions. This book is a teaching tool. I wanted it to be engaging and educational, informational & inspirational. Let the book do the heavy lifting, & just read it to your kids, read it with your students. And be open to the discussion, because the book is really about a teacher who doesn't know how to teach slavery. And that is an issue we all face—parents, teachers, librarians, all of us—at some time or another.”
As Kwame wrote in A Note from the Author, “I believe An American Story can help give us a way to speak the truth to children, so we can all stop being afraid, so we can start moving closer to our better selves.”
The final pages read:
“How do you tell a story this hard to hear, one that hurts and still loves?
"You do it by being brave enough
to lift your voice,
by holding
history
in one hand
and clenching
hope
in the other."
An absolutely vital and necessary purchase for all collections.
yapha's review
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
Lyrically written and beautifully illustrated, this powerful and important book is a must have for every library. Highly recommended for grades 3 & up.
hanna41's review
4.0
The last illustration of the ancestral woman holding up the chin of a girl from today was very powerful. Loved that message!
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