GO TELL IT; How JAMES BALDWIN Became a Writer

 I hope you read my post a few days ago, HERE. If so, did the underlying message come through? We are at a time in our nation's history when the effort to lie about truth and deny who we are and how we got to be here is openly admitted and promoted. This practice of denial and redirection has existed throughout our history, but now it is openly touted and enforced illegally. We who are not subject to suppression (that is, NOT people of color) must do more than feel empathy and offer sympathy. Being an ally is not enough. We must openly advocate, even when that endangers us. That is what "using our privilege" means. That did not save Pretti or Good and that means we who have felt "safe" must acknowledge that we have more in common with vulnerable folks than we previously admitted. That's why my approach here is to no longer just write "about books" and those who create them. My commentary going forward will not always relate to current events, but will do so more often and more directly.

Little, Brown, and Company, 2025

GO TELL IT: How james Baldwin Became a Writer is written by Quartez Harris with art by Gordon C. James. Named a Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award Honor book by the American Library Association, this biographic approach to Baldwin merits special attention. 

Why Baldwin? He's a well-known figure today to say the least, but biographic accounts for young readers can be challenging. The ways to convey facts varies from relating cradle-to-grave, or polarizing life events, or poetic/thematic text to capture the spirit of the subject, or childhood-only events, or focusing on pivotal career events and accomplishments.

Author Harris has chosen a distinctive approach that, I imagine, Baldwin would have embraced. The focus is on Baldwin's lifelong love of words, his recognition of the magical power of words to convey not only information but emotion and imagination. Words "clung to him like glitter", Harris writes. That line is only one example of the care given to create text that Baldwin might have written about himself. The author begins with that line and at the point in life at which Baldwin's reading life began. The earliest pages reveal the many responsibilities he fulfilled within his large family with few resources. With a loving mother and a demanding stepfather. 

James immersed himself in reading but also sought and absorbed the language and color and LIFE of his Harlem neighborhood. A reference to his vulnerability as a boy of color among White authorities is portrayed in powerful words and images, with realism but not exaggeration or excess. Facts are facts. Baldwin reacted with anger, an anger that drove him to write.

His writing, his words, creativity, and imagination healed James, to a degree. It empowered him to speak out at his step-father's pulpit while still a boy. To spread a message of love and brotherhood, in contrast to the messages of condemnation and darkness that filled the church. His oratory, the reception of the congregation, and later his labor in many jobs provided the confidence and earnings to move forward. 

This biography reveals the critical years in Baldwin's life in which he found his voice through books, local life, pain, acceptance, and finding an outlet for his intelligence and heart. The telling of those years is precise and compelling. Illustrations by inoperable artist Gordon C. James pair with that text to reveal the depth and richness of life inn that time and place. Baldwin is often known for his big eyes and wide grin, for the intensity of his gaze and the mindfulness of his words. All of that is captured on the page in ways that make him no less an icon that adult readers will recognize, but as a developing boy and early adult whose identity and independence were nurtured and tempered by both love and pain. His humanity shines through from the start. The final spread features his debut novel, GO TELL IT ON THE MOUNTAIN and credits him with revealing Black urban life in untold ways. Back matter adds further content and the work as a whole is a prompt to read more of Baldwin's work. This is one of those picture books that its ideal for younger audiences but also serves teen readers before launching a study of his works. 

In the opening note I urge reader to find ways to openly support Black History Month (and beyond). One suggestion is to flood libraries with requests for BALDWIN  titles, to purchase his books, if you are able, and to read them. His voice and eloquence will naturally lead to recommending them to others and encouraging discussions of ways his issues have changed in history, as well as the current events now unfolding. Take the lead. 

SO MANY YEARS: A Juneteenth Story

No, it's not the brutal midwest snow that has me sharing a JUNETEENTH picture book on February first. And it's not (only) due to this being the first day of BLACK HISTORY MONTH, a recognition of our full history as colonies and, eventually, as a nation, as steeped in Black history as it is in any-and-all verifiable facts. (If you are new to this blog, you can read my thoughts on theme months in a very early post, HERE. In fact, with current efforts to suppress aspects of our country's history that do not comport with a white-only perspective, I am now advocating for robust monthly themes that are sustained throughout the calendar and academic year.)

CLARION BOOKS, 2025

SO MANY YEARS: A Juneteenth Story features words by Anne Wynter and illustrations by Jerome Pumphrey. It was this week's ALA awards ceremony that prompted me to bump this one forward on my schedule. No, it did not snag one of those shiny medals, although its many starred and rave reviews had led me to hope it would.  

In fact, I was rooting for the Caldecott category, which celebrates picture books that superbly execute the role of those various and sundry pages of pictures, i.e....

... that illustrations are not "matching:" the words but should be doing heavy lifting in storytelling, mood and tone-setting, in clarifying background and essential information, and in illuminating words that are necessarily minimal so that they shine and shimmer in our hearts.

it remains to be seen if Juneteenth, having finally achieved status as a national holiday, will continue as such under the current government trends. It should. It does, in fact, recognize that post-Civil-War government emancipation news was suppressed for two years or more in Texas. 

The text of this glorious book is, as mentioned above, minimal, although back matter and supplementary text are provided. The brief lyrical phrases adopt a Q&A approach, putting readers into the mindset of those who would receive such news, eventually, and recognize a need for, and right, to celebrate. And yet, 

"How would you dress

after so many years

of mending your clothes with rags"

At midpoint, the questions are simply answered with "Oh, how you would dress..." and eat and sing and otherwise embrace the reality you always knew to be true-- that you were human, not property, that right was right, and that all this was finally recognized as truth.

It's text like this that astounds me and puzzles me as a writer. Each word is precisely, exactly, upliftingly the exact choice, phrasing, and pacing to suit such a profound account. It opens minds to actual and difficult history for those whose heritage lies on either side of the injustices revealed. It carries readers of any background into the depth of joy and relief that freedom provided. The puzzle I experience has to do with how many (or few) art notes were included in the text-only submission. Just to say, there are countless collaborations among the editor, illustrator, and art director, occasionally including the author, during the process of developing and producing a picture book. But in this case the end result feels as if a single entity accomplished everything. The vibrantly sunny endpapers confirm immediately that this is a  joyful tale, and the framing of the history prior to/after the Juneteenth announcement is developed brilliantly. 

Let it be said the illustrator Jerome Pumphrey is half of the acclaimed PUMPHREY brothers creative team whose work has received awards in the past and will continue to do so (I confidently assert). Some have been reviewed HERE, and HERE. In the first half, facing pages illustrate the questions posed by presenting dramatically black-toned reflections of painful enslavement history while the images on the right are saturated, light-infused scenes of family celebrations and satisfying feasts. The stylized historic scenes reveal reality, harsh truths, while allowing the freedom-story contrasts and ensuing scenes provide faces, gfigures, features, fashions, and fun that humans (once free) can experience and convey. 

I adore this book and hope that you will seek it out and consider the images and text. Carefully. With care. Fully. It is a worthy and entertaining and uplifting book that shares history in a creative, lyrical way. No doubt I'll link back to it in future posts for the coming Juneteenth Day.  Please, though, consider it several times through and discuss it with young people. bring nut the reality that a government can attempt to do good but meet resistance. Just as governments can operate outside the law,mor impose illegitimate laws ands rules, but be met with resistance. Share it and discuss it with kids growing up in our media-saturated world, kids who are bombarded with horrific images and words, kids who wonder if our country is falling apart. That means all kids. It matters that they hear about ways in which our country has fractured and attacked itself in the past, that healing is possible, that the timing is rarely what we would wish, and that individual people play a role. 

And seize this BLACK HISTORY MONTH to put ALL stories of history into the hands and hearts of ALL young people, including those of any background. Everyone can feel empathy, none need to feel personally guilty, but ALL can feel responsible for building a better present and future.

Please.

Yo-Yo Ma: A Gift For Music

Last week I shared notes about a charmingly imaginative picture book starring a scullery-maid ferret and her love of jazz. If you missed it, click HERE. It's a lively fantasy but encompasses some essential truths about the transformative power of music.

THE MUSIC INSIDE US; Yo-Yo Ma and His Gifts to the World is written by James Howe and illustrated by Jack Wong. (Side note, James Howe was the co-author for the timelessly popular and fanciful  BUNNICULA, along with its series, spin-offs, and television programs.) In contrast, this biographic profile is vividly and lovingly realistic. 

ABRAM BOOKS FOR YOUNG READERS.2025.

It's never too early to try new things, nor too late. Howe took up cello lessons in sixth grade and gave it up not long after. More than fifty years after that, inspired by several performances by Yo-Yo Ma, Howe returned to the cello. I learned this in the author note, along with more insights from Howe and Wong. The core of their individual back matter notes reveals that they attempted to capture the brilliance of the cello and music produced, superb in every way, but both found the man behind the cello was the important element in each impressive performance and image. 

This is a chronological account of Ma and his lifelong pursuit of music and its purpose. Born into a musically gifted family, surrounded by opportunities to learn and develop his rare talent, Yo-Yo was seen as a prodigy, performing as a child at levels few adults could achieve. I was enthralled with the ways he was fully a child: bouncing like a frog, teasing his sister, mouth agape in the canyons of New York City streets. His aptitude with the cello was transformed into musical magic by his intense connection to his inner voice itself, making the strings sing for the music he felt in his heart.

Encounters with various "greats" over time contributed to and encouraged his development, but so did his college anthropology courses on human societies, his teen music camps with peers, his appearances with muppets and children across many media and global locations. The soft-edged and richly-hued illustrations tap into the everyday fellow that Ma was throughout these various experiences. 

Entirely by chance I had viewed an interview with Ma on a talk show the night before reading this book. In that conversation he was continuing to explore his lifelong question: What is the purpose of music?  

He said this: Music is what's inside us, what makes us human. Not everyone's talent may be to perform music, but everyone does have talent, and that is their music. He values being human first, then being a musician, then being a cellist, even though that last is how he is best known. 

He challenges us all: What can we do with our music, our gifts, to make the future better for everyone?

The timeline in back matter combines with the author and illustrator notes to fill in  further details and invite readers to read more, to listen to Yo-Yo Ma's performances, and to accept the challenge to use their now gifts. After watching that interview and then reading this book, my pre-existing condition (a deep-seated appreciate for Yo-Yo Ma and his music) was furthered. I spent time before writing this to listen to several of his performances, from classical to Sesame Street, and will do so even more often than before. With his central message in mind, the tone in his strings sounded more lyrical than ever. Try for yourself.

CALDECOTT! NEWBERY! MY Annual Geek-OUT!

DRUMROLL PLEASE!

This post slides from my usual Tuesday schedule to Monday in honor of  this once-a-year extravaganza.  

The American Library Association's YOUTH MEDIA AWARDS!

If you are reading this in time, you can watch the full awards program LIVE at this link, on Monday, January 27 at 11:00 AM Eastern time.  But  if you miss it live you can view it as a recording within a few hours of the event. Either way, pour yourself some tea or coffee or cocoa, sit back, and savor excellence in books for youth.

What in the world am I writing about? For the full description, click on YOUTH MEDIA AWARDS above. My take, though, is that this is the annual book party for readers from birth to twenty. It celebrates the books and their creators, curators, educators, and  circulators.Everyone enjoys awards programs, although we can acknowledge that great art and creativity should not be in competition with itself. But we know that is always the case. The Oscars, the Emmys, the TONYs, and even the  People's Choice are viewed with glee. And on and on. We all get an adrenaline rush when seeing our own favorites gained wider recognition through awards. And we ache a bit for those that seem to have been overlooked.

Anyone reading my posts can imagine that watching a room full of other book-lovers, perching at the edge of seats and screaming in glee over each announcement of winning and honored books in each category, is a high point in my year. When I had my own classroom of book-lovers, we would hype this during the months ahead by sharing as many prime candidates as possible, offering our personal awards predictions and reviews, and many other award-related activities that engaged kids with a wide range of high-quality reading options. 

These days, I consider readers here as my audience to cheer for various superb books throughout the year, landing on this decision day with hopes that one or more of my recommendations might be selected. Some of the more widely-read book advocates post predictions, and I urge you to read theirs HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE, just to get a sense of the convergences and divergence of opinions. There are no wrongs and rights, but be prepared to take notes for your library hold lists, wishlists at your favorite indie bookstore, and gift lists for young readers you know and love. The links  to predictions focus on Caldecott (illustration award) and Newbery (Youth literature award), but the morning announcements incorporate multiple categories that will excite and impress viewers. The specialty awards are each worthy of a program of their own. Taken together, this is an adrenaline-inducing experience that I hope many will view, live or later. 

Some that I expect you might hear mentioned (this is as close as I'll come to making award predictions) have been featured in posts during the past year. I'm sharing only a few of the titles I'll be rooting for, but they are a great sample of why such choices are hard to make. SO. MANY. GREAT. BOOKS. Truly. Click any of the following to see what i had to say about them.

Nonfiction: 

FROM BAM TO BURP!    SCRATCHING THE SURFACE  

IN THE WORLD OF WHALES, 

CALDECOTT (Illustration):

WHEN NIGHT CAME CALLING, DEAR ACORN, LOVE OAK, 

WHERE DEER SLLIP THROUGH, TO SEE AND OWL.

There are categories for graphic novels, audio books, beginning readers, and so much more. Enough reading here for now. Get over to that link, live or as a recording, and experience the excitement for yourselves.