A Leader For All Time: Paul ROBESON: OUTSPOKEN

 Added bonus: Teaching Guide from Candlewick! CLICK HERE.

If the name PAUL ROBESON elicits a nod of recognition, you may be closer to my generation than to that of digital natives. A new picture book biography goes a long way to revealing a hero and icon who could inspire them to greatness on many fronts to upcoming generations. As I think of the life of PAUL ROBESON as it might have played out in a time of widely-shared information I can easily imagine countless schools, auditoriums, and other monuments to his greatness that would sustain him in public awareness for all generations, for all time.

Candlewick, 2024

OUTSPOKEN- PAUL ROBESON, Ahead of His Time: A one-man Show, is written by the incomparable Carole Boston Weatherford and illustrated by Eric Velasquez. Those who are familiar with even part of Robeson's life and career will appreciate this beautifully elaborated portrait of his remarkable life and accomplishments. Everything about this book is exceptional, including the quantity of text, the gloriously detailed and revealing illustrations, the lyrical quality of the first person narrative, and the sense of the immediate presence of Robeson on the page, despite his absence from our physical world since his death in 1976. This account makes clear that the impact of his life resonates even today, whether we know of him or not.

I am generally skeptical of using first person voice in biographic presentations. It is rare that direct quotes can sustain a full accounting in those attempts. Without that validation, assuming the "I" voice for someone else gives me pause. And yet...in Weatherford's capable and respected hands, I trust the approach entirely and feel it serves an immeasurable contribution in producing that sense of Robeson speaking directly to readers on the page. Her channeling of his voice makes this a book worth reading for adults, too.

This book is also unusual in its length (48 pages, including useful and informative back matter, timeline, etc.) large format, high word count, and inclusion of personal elements throughout Robeson's complex and accomplished life. Each stage of his life is explored through  free verse poems or prose, utilizing lyrics of songs, repeated phrases and themes, and lyrical language. Beginning with reflections on the heritage of his ancestry (resistance and intelligence, from his enslaved forerunners), carrying through his childhood and every phase of life, the poems and narrative are superb individually and as a compilation of life-story. Each poem across several pages includes majestic, informative images, full-page and spot illustrations, to provide readers with a sense of the time, place, and emotional drama of these Robeson-voiced depictions. The effects of text and illustration together are powerful and moving, with an undeniable reflection of the dignity of the man.

I'll admit my awareness of him was limited to his career as an incomparable singer, a man whose experiences with injustice and assault to his dignity led to living in Europe to experience a higher degree of equality than could be found in this country. Over the years, I learned more through studies of the Civil Rights Movement, Black History Month programs, and some PBS documentary coverage over the years. Even so, none of those scratched the surface of this man's complicated life and layered accomplishments. While I held a deep respect for the man I thought I knew, nothing prepared me for the miracle of this impressive treatment. Weatherford's and Velasquez's deep research and thoughtful structuring of the book and its total design allowed me to know and appreciate Robeson more fully. I believe the same will be true for readers across many ages, with late elementary through middle grade audiences as its target audience. 

The public and private treatment Robeson faced in this country (as was true for most non-white people) throughout his life limited the degree of his contemporary fame and success. Nevertheless, he lived his life and shared his talents, intellects and leadership. That's not to say that residual impacts of those discriminatory patterns have disappeared. I am left with a sense of loss of the ways in which his life might have further enriched all of us, cementing him within our culture for all time. This book is so thorough and powerful that I feel my hope restored, imagining that the life of Robeson will rise in public awareness and, just possibly, elevate him to the honors and cultural appreciation he deserves in the generations to come. His life is a legacy and deserves to be appreciated by all of us.

Thank you to the publishers for sharing a very helpful teaching guide to encourage use of this book in the classroom. Be sure to click and check it out!

Did You Know This Booklover, JACKIE KENNEDY?

Sky Pony Press, 2023

 The name Jackie Bouvier Kennedy Onassis will always have a place in American history and likely in world history. As the wife of one of our most well-known presidents at the time (and since), Jackie Kennedy was a first lady whose short tenure in that role reshaped expectations of  the spousal-residents of the White House. 

In JACKIE AND THE BOOKS SHE LOVED, written by Ronni Diamondstein and illustrated by Bats Langley, readers will learn that a throughline of her life was her love of books. Reading books, talking about them, eventually writing and editing books, articles, and even becoming a photojournalist/interviewer. 

The roles played by books in her life, from childhood until her dying days, were less widely known by the general public than her roles in politics, fashion, or social circles. This cradle-to-grave account of Jackie and the ways books shaped and enhanced and supported here throughout her life makes it clear that knowing this central force in her life is essential to understanding who she was.

As iconic as her image has been for decades, and as admired and even idolized as she was globally, this is actually a very intimate view of the privacy, solace, and comfort she sought within the pages of beloved books and among those in her life who understood who she was. One  spread especially appealed to me, in image and in narrative. This segment references the time in her later life in which she edited and helped to launch the many books she supported in their making. 

Interior Illustration and text:
JACKIE and the BOOKS SHE LOVED
Sky Pony Press, November, 2023

"Even though she was very famous, for Jackie, 

the author was the star of every book. 

She made sure to stay in the background and let her authors shine."

As a once active and successful photojournalist, Jackie was well-aware that the subject of the spotlights and flashbulbs told a story in themselves, so it is her unlit face here that beams out at her starring author on stage. And at readers who may often feel those camera-aware selfies and smiles are the mark of greatness. With her approach, it is clear that Jackie invested in the editing and publishing process for the sake of the creation and celebration of fine books, not for the spotlight. Both front and back endpapers include short quotes from her career, including this one:

"If you produce one book, 

you will have done something wonderful

with your life."

It is noteworthy that Jackie wrote her own books as a child, as well as poetry. Anything she chose to write and submit would have found ready publication and promotion. But she actively resisted writing a memoir or other book under her own name throughout her life, although she wrote with and researched writings of others, including her husband Jack Kennedy, as well as the many authors she later edited. She chose to submerge herself into their work and into the readings and thinkings about other books that opened her to worlds beyond her own persona- past, present, and future. 

Back matter for this distinctive bio/profile includes a timeline of Jackie's life, an author note, more quotations, and a representative selection of the books professionally edited by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. Sources and credits are also included for this thorough homage to an iconic American woman.  

  

PEW! American History Never Smelled So Bad!

 My family hosted many holiday and special occasion gatherings when I was growing up. Dad contributed actual kitchen-support to help prepare and host those events. Among his responsibilities were his German-heritage favorites: braunschweiger and limburger cheese. Their combined odors mark my memories of those times and even now cause my nose to wrinkle and sniff. Actually, it may have been that odiferous effect of his favorites that led Mom to hand off those tasks.

Cheeses, like other foods and beverages that involve fermentation, yeast components, or other pungent ingredients, are often evaluated by their “nose”, the strength and quality of some particular/expected odor. Limburger is meant to be a notoriously “stinky cheese”, but most cheeses reserve such an extreme description for circumstances in which they have gone “bad”. 

 

Sleeping Bear Press, 2023

PEW! The Stinky and Legen-Dairy Gift from Colonel Thomas S. Meacham is written by Cathy Stefanec Ogren and illustrated by Leslie Breen. It’s the lively, cleverly humorous account of an historic cheese and its impact on our country, its president, and the WHITE HOUSE itself. This picture book offers enticements and satisfaction for those with interest in American history, patriotic pride, superb nonfiction backmatter, agricultural/rural characters and settings, informative and entertaining text and illustrations, and well-balanced wordplay/punnery! 

 

Ogren has done a masterful job of taking on a now obscure but very successful farmer from upstate New York whose pride in his own farming community inspired a lallapalooza of a symbolic gift-- to the President of the United States! The practice of sending gifts to political leaders was not new in the early 1800s and continues to this day. This proud gentleman intended to distinguish his gift of a wheel of cheese from anything else that might gain the attention of the president and those who visited our national home. 

 

Several opening spreads invite readers into glorious farm scenes, then reveal his growing intentions and the ways in which cheeses are routinely made, along with the adaptations that were needed to achieve his goal—a MONUMENTAL cheese that could never be equaled! Extra attention was given to the process, adjustments, wrapping, and delivery to the president. They embarked on a lengthy journey through the waterways along the coast of the middle Atlantic states, a splendid tour with crowds lining the way to gasp and admire such an achievement. Despite my prediction that such a massive gift might be declined or distributed to those in need, it was January on the low-lying Potomac peninsula. The winter climate allowed the cheese to be prominently positioned in the cool entrance hall of the White House, and to remain in good quality for many months of nibbling and serving guests.

 

What happened next to the remaining mass of uneaten cheese was directly due to the warm and humid summer that followed. With no refrigeration or air conditioning, the very ingredients that produced a desirable result transformed that warm cheese into a stinky nuisance.  How they attempted to resolve this issue, and the consequences that ensued, are as impressive and entertaining as the rest of the story. 

The design of the book does not disappoint, providing a bright, large-sized format with many double-spreads to enhance the details of the story. Expansive white backgrounds form a showcase for illustrations and text layout revealing many specifics of those times and places in American history. Characters are not caricatures, and the expressions, clothing, and body postures tell little stories of their own. 

 

Nonfiction picture books usually offer further details or insights, resources, etc. in back matter. Some books provide content aimed at adults who might want to access or verify related content. The very best nonfiction backmatter is as intriguing, entertaining, and curiosity-sparking as the main text is for their intended audience. PEW! The Stinky and Legen-Dairy Gift from Colonel Thomas S. Meacham provides this kid-friendly approach with a page of “More To The Story” and another of “Cheesey Facts”. Don’t overlook these tasty offerings!

 

How this dramatic and unforgettable story (once you know it!) came to the attention of the author intrigues me. Ogren has agreed to respond to some questions about that and more, so continue to follow here to read her interview responses within the next few weeks. Meanwhile, put this new title on your want-to-read list, library hold, or in-person/online orders. (Available for pre-order HERE.)

 

As a Wisconsin cheesehead, I struggle to believe that some people do NOT enjoy cheese (lactose-intolerant folks and vegans are forgiven). The fact that cheeses have been around for thousands of years makes it clear that I’m not alone in appreciating cheese. But tastes vary. Non-cheese folks are entitled to their own responses and opinions about cheese. In this case, though, no cheese-eating or -sniffing are required when reading this remarkable and colorful picture book about agricultural pride, celebration of our nation, and a presidential gift that was immeasurably memorable! You won’t need to hold your nose while reading, but you may be shushed if reading in a library due to the clever word play and punchlines that might have you laughing out loud. They are woven throughout with deft skill and timing to balance intriguing information with humor. Not a stinker among the puns!

Others have been chiming in with reviews and interviews. I think you'll  enjoy their insights and reflections here:

This Little Birdie Blog, February 10, 2023

Writing and Illustrating, March 2, 2023

Release date:   March 15, 2023   Preorder HERE.

Cathy Ogren also contributes to a blog featuring reviews and interviews with authors of children's books.  Check it out here: WRITERS' RUMPUS.