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librariandest's review against another edition
4.0
Five stars for art, no doubt. Kadir Nelson is really a genius illustrator, particularly his portraits, which are captivating and have this epic quality. How can an illustration just seem important in and of itself? I don't know, but these illustrations do. They're powerful.
Now on to the text: I love that Nelson took over 400 years of history and told the story in under 100 pages. To sit and read this book in one go feels like the entire history of this country is flashing before your eyes. The scope of it is awesome.
Of course, you can't really squeeze the whole "Story of America and African Americans" into 100 pages, can you? Not without leaving the reader feeling a little dizzy. And that's where I think the text runs into trouble. You have to skip over big stuff, and not really explain most things to satisfaction. It can be a little confusing and it has some bumpy transitions. Despite my complaints, the overall impact of the book is impressive.
Now on to the text: I love that Nelson took over 400 years of history and told the story in under 100 pages. To sit and read this book in one go feels like the entire history of this country is flashing before your eyes. The scope of it is awesome.
Of course, you can't really squeeze the whole "Story of America and African Americans" into 100 pages, can you? Not without leaving the reader feeling a little dizzy. And that's where I think the text runs into trouble. You have to skip over big stuff, and not really explain most things to satisfaction. It can be a little confusing and it has some bumpy transitions. Despite my complaints, the overall impact of the book is impressive.
ruthann_blundell's review against another edition
5.0
Excellent read aloud history text! Balanced and beautiful.
jennyp0208's review against another edition
5.0
The paintings are beautiful, and the writing carries you along. It's a solid book for the elementary years. Nelson covers the hard topics of race from the beginning of the country through the Civil Rights act of 1964. If I have any complaints, I wish there'd been one more chapter to touch on recent history - at least Obama's election, if not the ongoing issues. It's mentioned in passing in the epilogue but not by name.
I'll be using selected chapters in my 2/3rd grade classroom
I'll be using selected chapters in my 2/3rd grade classroom
dereadergal's review against another edition
5.0
Vivid and amazing, life-like detailed illustrations with wonderfully told stories. A must read.
mbincolor's review against another edition
4.0
Beautiful illustrations, once again, by Kadir Nelson. Great overview for young readers.
beccalarose's review against another edition
4.0
I highly suggest reading this book along with the audio book. The voice actor makes it far more authentic than my brain could.