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You are here: Home / Archives for America

Because of You, John Lewis by Andrea Davis Pinkney ill. Keith Henry Brown

July 7, 2022 By achuka Leave a Comment

Waterstones
Amazon

“An inspiring story of friendship and activism. Based on the true story of ten-year-old Tybre Faw and his friendship with Congressman John Lewis, this is a powerful story about dreaming big and standing on the shoulders of those who came before us. With stunning artwork by Keith Henry Brown to accompany the poetic narrative, this is a book which readers will treasure.” The Scotsman
“Brown’s watercolor-and–quill pen illustrations are striking and larger than life, adding great depth and meaning to the verse. Backmatter includes a statement further describing the relationship between Lewis and Tybre, a timeline of Lewis’ life, captioned photographs, and the poem “Invictus” by William Ernest Henley, which Tybre delivered at Lewis’ funeral service. This eloquent tribute is a must-read.” KIRKUS

An inspiring story of a friendship between Congressman John Lewis and ten-year-old activist Tybre Faw by New York Times bestselling author Andrea Davis Pinkney! Ten-year-old Tybre Faw is obsessed with history and the civil rights movement, and he devours every book he can find on the subject. When he learns of Congressman John Lewis’s harrowing and heroic march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in the fight for the right to vote, Tybre is determined to meet him. Tybre’s two grandmothers take him on the seven-hour drive to Selma. And as the two meet and become fast friends, Tybre joins Lewis for the annual walk across the Edmund Pettus Bridge! When John Lewis is laid to rest, Tybre is invited to read Lewis’s favourite poem, “Invictus,” at the funeral service. Pinkney weaves this story of a boy with a dream with the story of a true-life hero (who himself was inspired by Martin Luther King when he was a boy). Who will be next to rise up and turn the page on history?

Follow the illustrator on Instagram:

 

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A post shared by Keith Henry Brown (@iamtheleopard)

Filed Under: Illustrated, NonFiction Tagged With: America, civil rights

When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill

April 26, 2022 By achuka Leave a Comment

Waterstones
Amazon
Bookshop

“A complex, heartfelt story about following your heart and opening your mind to new possibilities. This novel’s magic goes far beyond the dragons.” KIRKUS
“Barnhill makes palpable Alex’s sense of loss as well as the strictures of mid-century American life. This allegory packs a punch.” Publishers Weekly

In a world where girls and women are taught to be quiet, the dragons inside them are about to be set free… In this timely and timeless speculative novel, set in 1950s America, Kelly Barnhill exposes a world that wants to keep girls and women small – and examines what happens when they rise up.

Alex Green is four years old when she first sees a dragon. In her next-door neighbour’s garden, in the spot where the old lady usually sits, is a huge dragon, an astonished expression on its face before it opens its wings and soars away across the rooftops. And Alex doesn’t see the little old lady after that. No one mentions her. It’s as if she’s never existed. Then Alex’s mother disappears, and reappears a week later, one quiet Tuesday, with no explanation whatsoever as to where she has been. But she is a ghostly shadow of her former self, and with scars across her body – wide, deep burns, as though she had been attacked by a monster who breathed fire. Alex, growing from young girl to fiercely independent teenager, is desperate for answers, but doesn’t get any. Whether anyone likes it or not, the Mass Dragoning is coming. And nothing will be the same after that. Everything is about to change, forever. And when it does, this, too, will be unmentionable…

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A post shared by Kelly Barnhill (@insufferable_blabbermouth)

Filed Under: YA Tagged With: 1950s, allegory, America

The 1619 Project: Born on the Water by Nikole Hannah-Jones & Renee Watson ill. Nikkolas Smith

December 10, 2021 By achuka Leave a Comment

ACHUKA Book of the Day 10 Dec 2021
A TIME Magazine Best Children’s Book of the Year 2021

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Amazon
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“Smith’s evocative, vibrant art is full of emotion and motion. Colors and images speak volumes, while characters are portrayed with dignity, even in the worst circumstances.” KIRKUS
“Written in lovely and loving verse, with dynamic, expressive, and expansive illustrations that convey the emotional journey of a resilient people, this book provides a moving, informative answer to an essential question.” Horn Book
“Alternating between realistic and surreal images, Smith works in a saturated palette to create emotionally evocative scenes: dark, mostly monochrome tableaus convey tragedy or violence; brightly lit, multicolor palettes illustrate scenes of peace and joy. While detailing the specifics of an often-obscured history and its effects, this volume powerfully emphasizes that Black history is not merely a story of slavery and suffering but one of perseverance and hope.” Publishers Weekly

 

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A post shared by Nikkolas Smith (@nikkolas_smith)

This lyrical picture book in verse chronicles the consequences of slavery and the history of Black resistance in the United States, thoughtfully rendered by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones and Newbery honor-winning author Renee Watson.

A young student receives a family tree assignment in school, but she can only trace back three generations. Grandma gathers the whole family, and the student learns that 400 years ago, in 1619, their ancestors were stolen and brought to America by white slave traders.
But before that, they had a home, a land, a language. She learns how the people said to be born on the water survived.

And the people planted dreams and hope,
willed themselves to keep
living, living.

And the people learned new words
for love
for friend
for family

for joy
for grow
for home.

With powerful verse and striking illustrations by Nikkolas Smith, Born on the Water provides a pathway for readers of all ages to reflect on the origins of American identity.

A lyrical picture book in verse chronicling the consequences of slavery and the history of Black resistance in the United States, thoughtfully rendered by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones and Newbery honor-winning author Renee Watson.

A young student receives a family tree assignment in school, but she can only trace back three generations. Grandma gathers the whole family, and the student learns that 400 years ago, in 1619, their ancestors were stolen and brought to America by white slave traders.
But before that, they had a home, a land, a language. She learns how the people said to be born on the water survived.

With striking illustrations by Nikkolas Smith, the picture book provides a pathway for readers of all ages to reflect on the origins of American identity.

Filed Under: BookOfTheDay, Illustrated Tagged With: America, black, history, slavery

Oddity by Eli Brown ill. Karin Rytter

September 23, 2021 By achuka Leave a Comment

Sunday Times Children’s Book of the Week 22 Aug 2021

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“Brown’s first entry into children’s literature preserves his peculiar brand of whimsy in an episodic, often perilous adventure enlivened by charming woodcut-style illustrations.” KIRKUS
“A memorable adventure studded with light historical references and Rytter’s woodcut-style illustrations.” Publishers Weekly

The daughter of a murdered physician vows to protect the magical Oddity he left behind – if only she knew what it was – in an alternate nineteenth century in which the United States is at war with Napoleon’s France. When her physician father is murdered, thirteen-year-old Clover Elkin embarks on a perilous mission through warring frontier territories to protect the one secret Oddity he left behind. And as she uncovers the truth about her parents and her past, Clover herself emerges as a powerful agent of history.
A rich, startling, funny fantasy adventure, powered by an irresistible force-of-nature heroine; Clover Elkin is a born fighter – a heroine to rival Lyra Belacqua or True Grit’s Mattie Ross.

Follow the illustrator on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/karin_rytter_studio/

Filed Under: YA Tagged With: America, fantasy, historical

A Sitting in St. James by Rita Williams-Garcia

June 21, 2021 By achuka Leave a Comment

ACHUKA Book of the Day Mon 21 Jan 2021

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Amazon
Bookshop

“Williams-Garcia’s meticulous research processes shout volumes about the importance of taking contemporary inspiration into the archives to unearth sorely needed truths as we continue to navigate questions of equity and justice for the descendants of enslaved people. A marathon masterpiece that shares a holistic portrait of U.S. history that must not be dismissed or forgotten.” KIRKUS
“In this sweeping, richly researched, and powerfully delivered tale of privilege and exploitation—often a difficult read—Williams-Garcia’s storytelling is magnificent; her voice honest and authentic.” Horn Book
“This provoking history unsparingly centers the brutalization of its Black characters, including manifold instances of beatings, sexual assault, and slurs. If the telling dramatizes harmful philosophies and queer pain, it also offers an unvarnished look at a slowly toppling power structure obsessed with artifice and tradition, hinting through a notably long-view lens that new generations may, slowly and not without suffering, move away from antiquated ideology.” Publishers Weekly

1860, Louisiana. After serving as mistress of Le Petit Cottage for more than six decades, Madame Sylvie Guilbert has decided, in spite of her family’s objections, to sit for a portrait. While Madame plots her last hurrah, stories that span generations—from the big house to out in the fields—of routine horrors, secrets buried as deep as the family fortune, and the tangled bonds of descendants and enslaved.

This astonishing novel from award-winning author Rita Williams-Garcia about the interwoven lives of those bound to a plantation in antebellum America is an epic masterwork—empathetic, brutal, and entirely human.

Here the author is talking about an earlier, middle-grade novel about a harmonica player, Clayton Byrd Goes Underground:

And some interesting reflections on the beginnings of her writing life/career:

Follow the author on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ritawilliamsgarcia/

Filed Under: Blog, BookOfTheDay, Books, YA Tagged With: America, American South, historical, history, Louisiana, slavery

The Hypnotist by Laurence Anholt – ACHUKAreview

September 29, 2016 By achuka Leave a Comment

9780552573450

Waterstones

THE HYPNOTIST  by Laurence  Anholt

One of the best YA books of 2015 was My Name’s Not Friday by Jon Walter, a historical novel set in nineteenth century America.

This highly impressive first novel by Laurence Anholt – known until now primarily for the picture books he produces both independently and with his wife Catherine (who contributes the chapter-head illustrations to this book) – is also a historical novel set in America. But some 100 years later – in the summer of 1963 to be precise. This too will most certainly be one of the best children’s / YA novels of its year.

I suppose I ought to declare that I have always admired Laurence. Some years ago I spent a happy day in his and Catherine’s company soon after they had opened a bookshop in Lyme Regis. He is someone I always speak with at bookish gatherings. But people who know me will be aware that close association or even friendship do not guarantee a gushing review.

Nor would I simply have ignored the book if it was no good. I have long advocated that bad children’s books deserve just the sort of treatment that bad films receive.

What a fine film this book would make – leaving, as it does, such a vivid visual imprint in the mind long after the final page has been turned.

The hypnotist of the title is a 32-year-old Irish academic called Jack who is working at a small university in the south of America. His role there is Head of Neurological Research, with a specialism in hypnotherapy.  At key points in the story Jack’s ability to hypnotise subjects proves crucial.

The novel is cleverly constructed, with Jack’s sections told in the first person so that we see the main participants – the black orphan Pip; the farmer Zachery who obtains the boy from an orphanage expressly to read to and nurse his very overweight wife; Lilybelle the very same bedridden wife; Hannah, a mute native American Indian girl who is a general help around the household; and lastly Erwin, the monster-sized brutish son of Zachery and Lilybelle, an early veteran of the Vietnam war, and a leading member of the local Ku Klux Klan – we see all these both from Jack’s perspective (watching them as he does from the yard outside his bungalow) and also from the perspective of the omniscient narrator, the other sections of the book being written in the third person.

This structure works supremely well. There are two additional elements. Interspersed throughout the novel, and with increasing regularity, come the inter-chapter words to songs which the silent Hannah sings/composes in her head. In this way her character finds voice. “I have no voice/like a dry river-bed/silence is my choice/but I sing in my head”. These songs have been cleverly written to be believably the creations of a young teenager. There is also the voice from another time, as Pip reads passages aloud to Lilybelle from Great Expectations by Charles Dickens.

All the characters are well-realised, but the two physically large ones especially so: Lilybellle’s soft sensuality and her appreciation of beauty through the artwork she creates contrasting with Erwin’s hard racist hatred (focused on Pip) and his licentious designs on Hannah, with whom Pip has fallen in love on first sight.

Every reader will be swept into this highly visual world and the drama that develops within it. For young adult readers the book also depicts a time and period which, though many decades in the past, still reverberates in news stories emanating from America today.

It will be extremely interesting to see what Anholt the novelist turns to next.

Filed Under: Blog, Books, YA Tagged With: America, Ku Klux Klan, racism, racist, review

Chelsea Clinton Namechecks Children’s Books at DNC

July 30, 2016 By achuka Leave a Comment

Chelsea Clinton referenced several children’s book titles while introducing her mother, presidential candidate and longtime champion of early literacy and early childhood education Hillary Clinton, last night during the Democratic National Convention.

Chelsea shared with the audience that her own young daughter Charlotte is a fan of Chugga Chugga Choo Choo by Kevin Lewis, illus. by Daniel Kirk (Disney-Hyperion) and that Grandma Hillary “…will drop everything for a few minutes of blowing kisses and reading Chugga Chugga Choo Choo.” The younger Clinton went on to relate that “my earliest memory is my mom picking me up after I had fallen down, giving me a big hug and reading me Goodnight Moon,” the classic picture book by Margaret Wise Brown and Clement C. Hurd (HarperCollins).

And, Chelsea remembered that family dinner table discussions with her—including talk of favorite books—always took precedence over other matters. “I remember one week, talking incessantly about a book that had captured my imagination, A Wrinkle in Time [by Madeleine L’Engle, FSG] Only after my parents had listened to me would they then talk about what they were working on – education, health care, what was consuming their days and keeping them up at night.”

via Chelsea Clinton Namechecks Children's Books at DNC.

Filed Under: Blog, Books Tagged With: America

Rainbows and mischief: Ryan Schude’s California dreams

July 6, 2015 By achuka Leave a Comment

Ryan Schude

It was good to see a selection of Ryan Schude‘s carefully choreographed work featured in yesterday’s Observer magazine…

Pool parties, teenage riots, trailer parks, vintage Fords and a toaster in the bath … for a decade, Ryan Schude has photographed raucous snapshots of America, making hedonistic tableaux that turn partying into a fine art

via Rainbows and mischief: Ryan Schude’s California dreams – in pictures | Art and design | The Guardian.

Filed Under: Photography/Art Tagged With: America, art, fine art, photography

Close To The Wind Heads Up List Of Books Published As Part Of David Fickling’s New Partnership With Scholastic US

April 15, 2015 By achuka Leave a Comment

David Fickling, a venerated editor and publisher of children’s literature, has opened a new chapter in his publishing life. In May, Fickling, who is based in Oxford, England, will release the first books under a new publishing partnership with Scholastic.

…

After leaving Random House and establishing David Fickling Books as an independent venture in July 2013, a propitious phone call from Ellie Berger, president of trade publishing at Scholastic, precipitated a shift in Fickling’s career direction once again. “It was like coming home,” said Fickling. “Ellie rang me up and invited me to partner with Scholastic, and I realized what an extraordinary thing that would be. America is such a big place, and when you’re small and independent, you want a partner. It’s wonderful to feel as though you’ve come through a cat door and arrived in the U.S. without coming through customs at all – and can set great stories loose!”

Fickling will initially set four stories loose in this country, all of which were recently published by David Fickling Books in the U.K. Due in May are Close to the Wind by Jon Walter, a middle-grade novel about a boy and his grandfather who hope to escape their occupied town with other refugees by gaining passage aboard a ship; and Tim Hall’s Shadow of the Wolf, launching a YA trilogy that offers a new take on the Robin Hood legend. Scheduled for June release is Jampires by Sarah McIntyre and David O’Connell, a picture book that solves the mystery of why the filling disappears from jelly doughnuts. And capping off the launch list in July is Dave Shelton’s Thirteen Chairs, a YA roundup of 13 ghost stories that shape one larger tale as well.

via David Fickling Books Joins Scholastic.

Filed Under: Blog, Books Tagged With: America, partnership, US

Jacqueline Woodson Will Comment Later

November 26, 2014 By achuka Leave a Comment

guardiansmall

Jacqueline Woodson was already the author of 28 children’s books, most of them award-winning, when her Brown Girl Dreaming won the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature last week. She is a three-time recipient of Newbery Honors, and she’d been nominated for the NBA before. Her achievement, however, was swiftly eclipsed by coverage of the racist joke that Daniel Handler, aka Lemony Snicket, made after she got off the stage. In a phone interview with the Guardian she declined to comment on the firestorm, though she also said she will, eventually. “I’m trying to figure out how to think about it,” she said.

via Jacqueline Woodson: 'I don't want anyone to feel invisible' | Books | theguardian.com.

Filed Under: Blog, Books Tagged With: America, black, controversy, racism, slur

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