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. 

A Feast of Text and Illustration Celebrates Young Black Lives

  My recent post featured the important, little-known story of TEACHER HEROES in the Civil Rights movement in Selma Alabama. I hope you read the review and will check out this book. Then  share the JANE ADDAMS PEACE AWARD finalist with kids and adults, far and wide. Historic figures like Reverend F. D. Reeves and groups who summoned the courage to show up and stand up need to be widely recognized and appreciated. 

I concluded that post, though, with a short note and several links to titles that celebrate the equal importance of sharing books, stories, lives, and resources about contemporary figures, joyous childhood experiences, and the wholeness of BLACK LIVES.

I begin with this initial connection between schools and the teachers in them to raise the painfully true issue of the many ways in which schools do not treat all children equally. In fact, current public schools are staffed predominantly by teachers who are White and female. Too often, school routines and conventions actively erase, invalidate, or (to our shame) punish Black children more often and more severely than others. 

This is true for both boys and girls, but most harmfully so for Back boys.

Nancy Paulsen Books, 2020

The amazing (and multi-award-winning) team of author DERRICK BARNES and illustrator/fine artist GORDON C.JAMES again worked their magic to produce an astonishingly gorgeous picture book,      I AM EVERY GOOD THING.  

Their previous masterpiece, CROWN: AN ODE TO THE FRESH CUT (2018) was breathtaking in poetic voice, joyful and expressive paintings, and exclamatory content. I offered a brief review with other titles in celebration of the identities of Black boys in this post. I was far from a lone voice in singing its praises. During its award season this first collaboration earned enough awards to replace all the the stars on the cover with awards stickers, and it continues to win state and kid-choice and other recognitions in the years since.  

It is not surprising that publishers would encourage further creative collaborations. Surely, though, this new picture book exceeds any expectations about what would come next. It definitely exceeded my lofty hopes. 

If you were to hear even a short sample of text from this recent book on a radio program, no images available, you would certainly be grinning ear to ear and stand taller in your bones, whatever your racial or ethnic identity. 

For example:

"I am 

a nonstop ball of energy.

Powerful and full of light.

I am a go-getter, A difference maker.

A leader." 

You can listen to a recent NPR (10/24/2020) interview with the creators HERE.

Every child (and adult) would benefit from reciting such "I-statements" to begin the day, confront challenges, introduce ourselves to others, and view ourselves taking as having a rightful place in the world. 

On the face of it, an illustrator would be hard-pressed to add anything to such an empowering verse. But the art James created for these lines (and all the others) manages to magnify and internalize Barnes's potent text even further by revealing faces, scenes, perspectives, angles, and potentials of Black boys with a variety of features, skin tones, hair choices, postures, and attitudes. Each is an individual, and each interprets this brilliant text from inside out.

Interior Spread: I AM EVERY GOOD THING
Nancy Paulsen Books, 2020

In doing so, a brilliant anthem for Black males becomes an anthology of countless visual biographies. Specific and worthy and lovable lives are written in the eyes, encounters, and possibilities portrayed. Images like these provide a perfect integration of contemporary lives with the many centuries (millennia) of inheritance that produced these individuals and their stories. Whether that history is celebratory, courageous, or even tragic, it is far too often the SINGLE story of Black lives. If classroom inventories of books exploring Black lives were honestly evaluated, the bulk of titles would focus, in story and image, on the injustices, losses, endangerment, and eventual survival of people with dark skin. Most would be hauled out and shared during February, then packed away for another year. Few, if any, would reflect these exuberant, smiling, confident faces. 

Interior Spread, YOU ARE EVERY GOOD THING
Jane Paulsen Books, 2020

More celebratory and adventuresome and comical books featuring contemporary Black kids have been published in recent years. Many more are in the pipeline, but not nearly enough. This is, in part, why I AM EVERY GOOD THING is a must-have title, an anchor choice for classrooms of every age and color and identity. It provides a lens through which to view existing collections and a guide for additions to family and classroom and library collections. Each of those singular and important legacy titles must be kept in context, recognizing the heroism of Black youth (and adults) who summon the inner joy to face each day with an embrace of themselves, as voiced on the closing page:

"I am worthy

to be loved."

As someone who resists answering the inevitable "What is your favorite...?" questions, I will warmly and eagerly include this among the titles on my "One of my favorite..." lists. I hope you will, too.

THEME MONTHS: Break Those Boundaries!

Two reviews today are intentionally paired and featured to underscore the truth that THEME MONTHS are not designed as calendar limits on reading and sharing, but to serve as spotlights on outstanding books that might otherwise be overlooked. The best of these books should be showcased throughout the year and across various themes and purposes.
From the beginning of this blog (here, too) and stretching back through my long teaching career, I've struggled with the concept of theme months. As WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH ends and  BLACK HISTORY MONTH fades nearly out of sight in the rear view mirror, POETRY MONTH bounces through April's open window and into our hearts. In fact, there are plenty of books that intersect among two or three (or more) of these themes. Let these two titles remind you to share the best of ALL books ALL year long, and imprint that message on the minds of young readers.

I've long been a fan of reading and sharing AT LEAST ONE poem and AT LEAST ONE picture book per day. There are plenty of poetry anthologies that are NOT self-limiting to this one month of April, collections that feature poems about every day of the twelve months of the year. Many span all four seasons and countless topics. 
If that surprises you, I urge you to pause and  click this link to check out Lee Bennet Hopkins, the talented and esteemed author, editor, and anthologizer of poetry. If you try the link and never get back to this post, I'll understand. Hopkins's website makes my point for me: APRIL doesn't even scratch the surface of amazing poems meant to be enjoyed and shared all year round. 

Nosy Crow, 2018

A fine example, and a recent one, is this coffee-table-worthy book that deserves daily living space with a family or classroom like yours. SING A SONG OF SEASONS: A NATURE POEM FOR EACH DAY OF THE YEAR offers poems collected by Fionna Waters and pages delightfully illustrated by Frann Preston-Gannon. The unifying theme of nature provides the focus for these selected  poems, a balanced blend of  all-time classics (including ones by the prolific Anonymous) and contemporary creators. The poems are organized chronologically and arranged following monthly, date-labeled tables of contents. The back matter is an invaluable resource (author index, title index, and first line index). The language is enhanced brilliantly by the remarkable illustrations throughout. 
And how about this... my copy includes a page-marker ribbon, something that makes my heart smile.

With this book, I proudly unfurl my flag and march in the "POEM-A-DAY" parade, challenging one and all who would dare to stop sharing poems when April ends. 
Pssst...Learn more about some exciting poetry-related activities HERE, but promise to use them all year long. Please.

Carolrhoda Books, 2019

Just to keep my rabble-rousing, theme-bucking mood going, here's an important and thrilling  non-fiction title I've been saving (and renewing) since the first week of February. It popped up in more than one blog post during Black History Month, earning multiple starred reviews. As much as I loved it, I waited to share it until that theme had blown away on a gusty March wind. LET 'ER BUCK: GEORGE FLETCHER, THE PEOPLE'S CHAMPION is written by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson and illustrated by Gordon C. James. If ever there were a hidden history story that needed to be told, this is it. This dramatic account reveals the amazing life (and skills) of African-American George Fletcher, who grew up in the Pacific Northwest in the first decades of the twentieth century. He learned early to weather the  taunts (and worse) from white neighbors, finding friends on the Umatilla Indian Reservation where he learned the ways of the horses, rough-riding and bouncing back regardless of how tough the landing.
This depiction of his early years and the 1911 Pendleton Round-Up stars George, but also nods to the talents and roles of Jackson Sundown (Nez Perce tribe), John Spain (the judges' favorite contestant- who just happened to be white) and Sheriff Tillman Taylor (with a strong sense of justice). 
This book deserves attention for the vivid depiction of a dramatic time and place, for the page-turning tension of the culminating events, and for the densely saturated colors and action-packed scenes that leap from the pages like a 3-D movie. 
Only better. 
Each page feels like it could be framed as fine art, yet it urges readers onward to follow George's compelling life. James is as adept and artful with hoof-flinging, muscular horses, tails flying and nostrils flaring, as he is when rendering a full-page foreground image of young George's beaming smile while riding all-out down the dusty main road in town. You will want to fly through these pages, and you should do so. Then, reread and linger in the notes at the back, revealing even more details about the various players and the research that provides the foundation for the book. 
Finally, return again to savor the art.

But you're not through yet. This is one of those powerful picture books that can be pulled out time and again for many reasons, including poetry month. It is not written in rhyme or verse, but "boy howdy" the language captures the time, place, and personalities with humor and brilliance. The author adopts a voice that drips with colloquialisms that fit the story like a glove but could also serve as mentor text for poetry, figurative language, or any genre. At times it reads as intentionally gaudy and humorous, then drops into subtle expressions that beg to be read aloud: 

• Life at home was no bushel of peaches.
• George took to their ways like a wet kitten to a warm brick.
• Life in the saddle and riding rough were all George hankered for.
• He rode the buck out of the bruiser but... their dance spilled onto the sidewalk.

Capturing and balancing just the right tone in word choice, direct narrative, and authentic language is enhanced by the art designer's shifts in font, sizing, page layout, and text colors. This is a book you shouldn't miss. I'm risking a prediction here that the ear-tickling text and eye-candy illustrations will have this title rounding up lots of attention (and medals and honors) come award season. Once you read it, I'm betting you'll be recommending it, too. In February, in April, and all year long.

BLACK BOYS: THREE Fresh Looks to Celebrate

When I began working on today's post, I was excited to notice for the first time that the total page views since I began posting six years ago have topped 150,000! That's hardly a tsunami of readers but it is more than I could have imagined back at the start of this journey.
And that landmark was passed during the week I shared thoughts on BALDERDASH and the ALA Awards, which you can watch on video if you missed it live last week. I was excited, of course, but not nearly as thrilled as I've been to see the wide success of three recent releases celebrating black culture: two picture books and one film. 

Agate Bolden, 2017

One of the books that garnered MANY awards and honors during the ALA awards last week was also a finalist in my CYBILS category for poetry: CROWN: An Ode to the FRESH CUT, deftly written by Derrick Barnes and gloriously illustrated by Gordon C. James. A series of short poems unfold in a cumulative homage to the power of a skilled barber to shape a life:

"You came in as a lump of clay

a blank canvas, a slab of marble.

But when my man is done with you,

they'll want to post you up in a museum!
That's my word!"

The flow of each phrase, image, and page-turn draws readers on to a flourishing conclusion, providing for some a pure revelation of the culture of a barbershop focused on maximizing the unique qualities of African American hair. For others this will be a mirror of their own lives, revealing every angle and sheen with each turn of phrase and shift of perspective. The density of color and tone, the finesse of positioning and perspective, and the subtle depth and humor in this picture book make the individuals spring to life and claim their place in the world, far beyond the world of a barbershop. They are both specific and universal, entirely complex and appealing, and unforgettable.

Penny Candy Books, 2018

This second picture book may garner similar awards for the coming year. THIRTEEN WAYS OF LOOKING AT A BLACK BOY, is written by Tony Medina in tanka poetry form, with each spread illustrated by a noted, often award-winning, black illustrator. Each spread reveals a specific facet of young black boys'/men's experience. As with CROWN (above), these poems and images will reflect or reveal to readers aspects of black lives that resonate, surprise, inspire, and excite. Even more so, they will individualize and personalize lives that matter, erasing assumptions and stereotypes. Read just one sample, here, and see how perfectly these two picture books will serve to compare, contrast, and consider:

Brothers Gonna Work It Out

We righteous Black men

Patrol the should of this 'hood

Raise young bloods proper

To be the kings they are

Crowned glory of our future

Even though the poems and images are compelling, even captivating, but pull yourself away from those spreads long enough to read the introduction, the brief artist biographies in the back, and the thank you note from the author.

Finally, I can't personally recommend the recently released  movie, BLACK PANTHER, because I haven't seen it yet. Nevertheless, I plan to see it as soon as possible and  recommend it for the same reason as the two picture books featured here. Until I do, there is a graphic novel/comic book update of the original Marvel Comics by none other than Ta-Nehisi Coates: BLACK PANTHER: A Nation Under Our Feet. Of course this is not aimed at the typical picture book audience. Still, I've developed that surprising number of page views over the past years in part because of the premise of this blog: picture books (and comic books, and graphic novels) have a particular power that can reach readers of any age. I'm convinced, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that these are just precursors to a wave of books and other media that will invite new and open-minded views of "Black lives", not only for non-black readers but for readers of every ethnicity.

Do yourselves a favor and read all three!