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. 

WOKE: Why So Afraid?

Roaring Book Press, 2020

This fifty-six page collection of poems for ages 8-12 is brilliant, age-appropriate, and essential. The current effort in Florida and elsewhere restricts any or most instruction about racism, social justice, systemic discrimination, and other topics that may occasionally be uncomfortable but are dozens of decades past due. 

My question, and yours, should be: 

What about (and WHY?) are these topics, even as poems, so terrifying to so many folks?

 WOKE: A YOUNG POET'S CALL TO JUSTICE is written by Mahogany L. Brown with contributions by two other outstanding poets, Olivia Gatwood and Elizabeth Acevedo. With an introduction by the direct and determined Jason Reynolds, the poetry and topical power of this slim collection is honest and revealing, expanding the thinking of readers of any background. Everything about it is kid-friendly, so I challenge potential objectors (all adults) to RISK reading it, cover to cover, and comment below or in other public venues, sharing specifics about what it is, exactly, that would "harm" a child? What are you so afraid of, exactly?

Please, do NOT rely on my note below or these reviews that follow, but consider that they come from those of us who read extensively and work with young readers regularly, who know what kids enjoy, wonder about, and respond to with thoughtful connections. We are also sadly familiar with content that can be harmful, and this is not that!

For example: 

"An important book that demands to be seen. It adds to the conversation of #OwnVoices and speaks to a young person’s need for expression and social justice." - School Library Journal, Starred Review

"Worth adding to any youth poetry collection, Woke will call out to and empower its readers with a reminder that 'our voice is our greatest power.'" - Booklist

From my own reading: 

"READ. THIS.

Then share it, engage with individual poems and consider the ways in which they interact and reflect on each other. 

The illustrations and book size/format are a celebration of the contents and concepts for young readers and thinkers.

Reflect. Rinse. Repeat.

READ. THIS."

I wrote that opinion and call to action before reading this starred review from KIRKUS:

"Read it; gift it; use it to challenge, protect, and grow." 

Does This Cutie Scare You? OGILVY!

Godwin Books
Henry Holt & Company
Macmillan, 2019

Meet OGILVY, a lovable and self-assured character who won my heart and will win yours, no doubt! OGILVY is written by talented author/rhymer Deborah Underwood and illustrated with the remarkable style and talent of T. L. McBeth.  It's tempting to refer to Ogilvy and those encountered as rabbits, but this story glories in leaving important things unnamed. In this case the author does refer to the community as bunnies, so, okay, let's go with that. In fact, though, it doesn't matter, because these newly encountered folks are very much doing things that bunnies don't do. 

Before addressing that, and the impressive skills providing the text and visual narrative,  the first and foremost gift of this book is the story. Ogilvy enters on the title page, head still not fully released from the neck of an actual striped sweater. It's Ogilvy's happy, hoppy first day in a new town. At the park our character finds plenty of bunnies busily drawing, knitting, climbing, and playing ball.

ALL of the bunnies wear knit clothing, some about knee-length (they call them dresses), while others wear hip-length knits they call sweaters. They demand to know exactly what it is that Ogilvy's wearing, a dress or a sweater. After all, it's mid-thigh,  risking the dire consequences of ambiguity.

Why? Because the dress-wearing bunnies always play ball and knit socks, but bunnies in sweaters make art and climb rocks. Why? Indeed. Ogilvy asks just that, and gets a not-so-surprising answer:

"That's just how it is."

Ogilvy, being a very clever bunny, decides what to enjoy each day and names the clothing chosen for the day to suit the "rules" and play as they wish. Those daily choices always look the same.  Lest a reader imagine that Ogilvy had no choice, a display of  knitwear hangs on Ogilvy's wall, each an identical knit garment. 

Of course, that clever bunny helps everyone realize how silly their "just because" rules were, right? Not that easily. This is where those bunnies take on an obviously MORE human-style behavior than wearing sweaters and dresses. They become ANGRY. They insist, DEMAND, that Ogilvy name clothing one thing or the other and stick with it. 

Ogilvy, not one for confrontation or fuss, made the hardest choice of all. Ogilvy speaks up with a question that was not "WHY?" Ogilvy asks if the bunnies wearing dresses wouldn't want to make art and climb walls? Wouldn't the sweater wearing bunnies enjoy playing ball and knitting? What difference does it actually make if you wear a sweater or a dress? Then Ogilvy NAMES that favorite garment- it is an OGILVY!

Because this is a well-written and story-structured picture book, we know that bunnies realize the foolishness of their rules, but a tense page turn near the end shows a new bunny  wearing some interesting headgear! Will that be a step too far, or will they welcome this new difference/change?

Here is a picture book that can be read as a simple story for the very youngest, or launch for discussion about peer pressure and how rules emerge and remain among elementary readers, and even launch complex debates and supporting arguments among adolescent groups as an analogy for current political and cultural wars. 

The text is delightful rhymed couplets that are as seamless and natural as bunny (kid) conversation can be, while the illustrations will charm the yarn off readers of every age. Settings with white or pastel backgrounds and the characters themselves are cartoon-like drawings with oversized expressive eyes and heavy-lined black edges. The bunnies are made delightfully human by sporting knitwear that is actually knitted. Fans of Jon Klassen's EXTRA YARN will especially adore the technique used, which is not explained within this book. I studied the images endlessly, trying to determine if what are clearly actual knitted garments were overlaid/photographed on the bunnies, or if these little items were made, then photographed and Photoshopped onto the drawings. A check on McBeth's website shared this from a HORN BOOK review:

The Horn Book Magazine - “Illustrations “made with graphite pencils, Adobe Photoshop, and sweaters,” whose bold lines and loose shadows give a classic feel to this fable with a modern message.”

 I couldn't have said that better, and HBM managed it in far fewer words than I would! Oh, how those subtle shadows provide dimension and grounding for this story! I also noted that OGILVY is a multiple award winner with many starred reviews. That was no surprise to me. What does surprise me, in fact appalls me, is that such a wonderfully crafted, entertaining, eye-catching picture book that celebrates acceptance, self-respect, speaking up, and so much more could well be among titles of books for children for which bans are sought. Why wouldn't it? Read my story summary above. There is even a single rear-view of Ogilvy choosing an item to wear from the wardrobe which reveals not a bunny tail but a bit of a bunny butt-crack. In fact, whether labeled as a dress or a sweater, not a single bunny throughout is wearing PANTS! 

If you think I'm exaggerating, check out a sampling of contested children's book on a PARTIAL list, HERE. This is compiled by the ALA (American Library Association) and includes:

• Carle, Eric. Draw Me a Star
• Geisel, Theodor Seuss. Hop on Pop: The Simplest Seuss for Youngest Use
• Geisel, Theodor Seuss. If I Ran the Zoo
• Hanford, Martin. Where’s Waldo?
• Silverstein, Shel. A Light in the Attic

I was thinking about the absurdity (and assault on Democracy and common sense) that this movement to restrict access to books represents. I heard about a counter-movement to purchase and add books from such lists to LITTLE FREE LIBRARY sites around the country, but especially in areas where this is being legislated and achieved. As noble as that effort might be, it is even more important to follow OGILVY's lead and SPEAK UP, SHOW UP at school board and municipal and library meetings. To challenge the loudest of voices with the deepest of reason. To read aloud books like these in public spaces and remind other members of the community that their voices are necessary, vital, life-changing. To pose this same question: WHAT ARE YOU AFRAID OF?

Returning to the tag question in the title... Does this little cutie scare you? If you click on OGILVY you can open the book and turn the pages to see for yourself. If you agree that this picture book offers limitless benefits from entertainment to eye-appeal to thought-provoking discussions, it's time to redefine what scares us as adults, and speak up for the freedom to read and choose for ourselves and our own families, but not for cultural constraints on those beyond our own families.

What do you think?