An American Story

Starred review from December 19, 2022
Alexander begins this picture book with a vital question: “How do you tell a story/ that starts in Africa/ and ends in horror?” As Coulter’s art alternates between elaborately sculpted historical scenes and contemporary charcoal vignettes of schoolchildren in a classroom, the following pages reveal a history that “hurts/ and still loves.” Images of photographed clay figures against painted backgrounds begin in Africa, where children “finish chores/ play games/ listen to old tales.” Pages next portray enslaved African people in the bowels of a ship and toiling “for free” in America, as well as “refusing/ to stop smiling/ and loving.” It’s a layered, compassionate telling that considers how to relay difficult truths, and as the art converges into a visual of past and present together, stirring concluding lines suggest a route forward: “by holding/ history/ in one hand/ and clenching/ hope/ in the other.” Creators’ notes conclude. Ages 4–8.

Starred review from December 1, 2022

PreS-Gr 3-In lyrical verse, Alexander tells the powerful story of American slavery and African resilience through the eyes of a teacher navigating students through this horrific period in American history. The shifting narrative moves between the teacher's account and the students' reactions, with Alexander magnifying the unfolding terror of a people stolen from home and thrust into slavery: "About sly men/ from cold places/ scheming/ and laughing/ on tall ships.../ while people/ shackled below, / crammed in/ small, hot spaces, / cry and/ sometimes die." Coulter's stunning mixed- media artwork illustrates the unflinching brutality of slavery and the beauty of a resilient people who "hold history in one hand and clench hope in the other." Classroom scenes are sketched in black against a warm yellow background, with expressive students and teacher working through the difficult lesson. Author and illustrator notes provide further context. VERDICT An excellent and essential first purchase for all collections; whether for curriculum-building or classroom-sharing, this book is unforgettable.-Rosemary Kiladitis

Copyright 2022 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from November 1, 2022
Grades 3-6 *Starred Review* Slavery is never an easy topic to address, especially with children. It's decidedly unfair, its details are horrific, and many adults avoid the subject completely. Alexander's poem offers an opening for discussion of this now-unlawful institution that continues to make an impact on American life today. He describes happy lives spent in Africa, chained existences aboard crowded ships headed for America, and backbreaking work picking cotton and curing tobacco. He also notes the strength, pride, and resilience of the enslaved that enabled people to attempt escape and ultimately survive. ""You do it / by being brave enough / to lift your voice, // by holding / history / in one hand // and clenching / hope / in the other."" The text flows lyrically, making effective use of repeated phrases and prose conversations between students and a teacher who appear between stanzas. Coulter's mixed-media artwork complements the text powerfully. Of particular note are the clay sculptures (mostly human forms), superimposed against painted wood backgrounds, that add both depth and realism to the images; the spread of chain-bound hands photographed against a serene blue ocean is particularly striking. Other images, done in charcoal, depict the teacher telling this story and the modern children's emotional responses. Beautifully crafted and brutally honest, this offers a thoughtful introduction to a necessary topic.HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Alexander's popularity and considerable accolades will have children and adults reaching for this title.

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Starred review from January 1, 2023
Alexander and Coulter have created a powerful counternarrative in their efforts to answer the question, "How do you tell a story about slavery?" Starting before Africans were forcibly brought to the Americas, both text and art reinforce the family structures, cultural traditions, and ways of life Africans enjoyed. When chattel slavery enters the story and white colonizers work "to steal them away / from their lives / and sell them / in America," the pain of separation and removal is poignant and brutal. The poetic text insists enslavement be explained from the perspective of humanizing the Africans and African Americans at the heart of this American story, while reinforcing motifs of agency, resistance, and flights to freedom. Coulter's mixed-media illustrations bring the text to life with a powerful combination of two-dimensional paintings and photographs of her three-dimensional ceramic and polymer clay sculptures. She juxtaposes her depictions of African Americans with drawings (in a yellow and black palette) of modern-day children grappling to understand the past and channeling their need for truth with their own desires to create change. The narrative ends on a hopeful note, encouraging the telling of an accurate story in an attempt to offer healing for a broad audience. Notes from the creators are appended. Kim Parker

(Copyright 2023 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

Starred review from December 1, 2022
"How do you tell a story / that starts in Africa / and ends in horror?" Alexander uses multiple voices to weave this poem about a teacher who takes on the difficult but necessary task of starting a classroom conversation about slavery. Between the theft of people from the African continent and the sale of people in America, from the ships that brought them and the ocean that swallowed some of them to their uncompensated work and the breakup of families, Alexander introduces objections from the implied listeners ("But you can't sell people," "That's not fair"), despair from the narrating adult, encouragement from the youth, and ultimately an answer to the repeated question about how to tell this story. Rising star Coulter's mixed-media art elevates the lyrical text with clarity and deep emotion: Using sculpted forms and paintings for the historical figures gives them a unique texture and lifelike fullness, while the charcoal drawings on yellow paper used for the present-day student-teacher interactions invite readers to step inside. Where Coulter combines the two, connecting past with present, the effect is stunning. Both young readers and adults unsure of how to talk about this painful past with children will find valuable insights. With powerful art from a bold new talent, this is a probing and sensitive take on a devastating chapter of U.S. history. (author's and illustrator's notes) (Informational picture book. 6-10)

COPYRIGHT(2022) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

January 1, 2023
Alexander and Coulter have created a powerful counternarrative in their efforts to answer the question, "How do you tell a story about slavery?" Starting before Africans were forcibly brought to the Americas, both text and art reinforce the family structures, cultural traditions, and ways of life Africans enjoyed. When chattel slavery enters the story and white colonizers work "to steal them away / from their lives / and sell them / in America," the pain of separation and removal is poignant and brutal. The poetic text insists enslavement be explained from the perspective of humanizing the Africans and African Americans at the heart of this American story, while reinforcing motifs of agency, resistance, and flights to freedom. Coulter's mixed-media illustrations bring the text to life with a powerful combination of two-dimensional paintings and photographs of her three-dimensional ceramic and polymer clay sculptures. She juxtaposes her depictions of African Americans with drawings (in a yellow and black palette) of modern-day children grappling to understand the past and channeling their need for truth with their own desires to create change. The narrative ends on a hopeful note, encouraging the telling of an accurate story in an attempt to offer healing for a broad audience. Notes from the creators are appended.

(Copyright 2023 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)