An American story

Select an Action

An American story

Title:

An American story

Author:

Alexander, Kwame, author.

Coulter, Dare, illustrator.

Summary:

From the fireside tales in an African village, through the unspeakable passage across the Atlantic, to the backbreaking work in the fields of the South, this is a story of a people's struggle and strength, horror and hope. This is the story of American slavery, a story that needs to be told and understood by all of us. A testament to the resilience of the African American community, this book honors what has been and envisions what is to be.

Audience:

Ages 4-8 Little, Brown and Company.

Edition:

First edition.

Physical Description:

1 volume (unpaged) : color illustrations ; 27 cm

Genre:

Creative nonfiction.

Picture books.

Subject Term:

Slavery -- History -- Juvenile literature.

African Americans -- Civil rights -- History -- Juvenile literature.

African Americans -- Social conditions -- Juvenile literature.

African Americans -- Politics and government -- Juvenile literature.

Racism -- History -- Juvenile literature.

Geographic Term:

United States -- Race relations -- History -- Juvenile literature.

Author(s):

Coulter, Dare,

Publisher:

Little, Brown and Company,

Publication Date:

2023

ISBN:

9780316473125

Publication Information:

New York : Little, Brown and Company, 2023.

Award Note:

Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award, 2024.

Call Number:

P ALEXANDER

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Item Barcode	Collection	Call Number	Status	Item Holds
33607003601252	New Picture Books	ALEXANDER	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

A Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award Book

A 2023 New York Times Best Children's Book

A 2023 Publisher's Weekly Best Picture Book

An NPR Best Book of the Year

#1 New York Times Bestselling and award-winning author of The Undefeated , Kwame Alexander, pens a powerful picture book that tells the story of American slavery through the voice of a teacher struggling to help her students understand its harrowing history.

From the fireside tales in an African village, through the unspeakable passage across the Atlantic, to the backbreaking work in the fields of the South, this is a story of a people's struggle and strength, horror and hope. This is the story of American slavery, a story that needs to be told and understood by all of us. A testament to the resilience of the African American community, this book honors what has been and envisions what is to be.

With stunning mixed-media illustrations by Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award winning artist Dare Coulter, this is a potent book for those who want to speak the truth. Perfect for family sharing, the classroom, and homeschooling.

Author Notes

Kwame Alexander is a poet, children's book author, playwright, producer, speaker, and performer. His books include And Then You Know: New and Selected Poems, Crush: Love Poems, Family Pictures: Poems and Photographs Celebrating Our Loved Ones, and Acoustic Rooster and His Barnyard Band. He won the 2015 John Newbery Medal for his bestselling novel The Crossover. Since 2006, his Book-in-a-Day writing and publishing program has created more than 2500 student authors in 50 schools across the U.S., and in Canada and the Caribbean.

(Bowker Author Biography)

Reviews (2)

School Library Journal Review

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

Publisher's Weekly Review

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. (Jan.)