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Read for Banned Books Week! This moving and necessary picture book offers a much-needed new perspective on the tragic loss of known ancestry for many African-Americans due to the Middle Passage and chattel slavery. This is an inspiring and beautifully illustrated story about American identity and Black history well worth spending time with not only for children but adults too.

4 â­� I am not the right person to critique this book. I liked this book. It‘s part of the 1619 Project about the history of Black Americans and how they came to be in this country. What is unique about this book is, it‘s all poetry that creates one story. This is normally found in much bigger longer works. The illustrations are strange, but beautiful. They put emotion to the paper to match the words.

#MayMontage Day 28: #Water - The book begins with questions. Written in verse, this is a story that cannot be told in prose. Poetry distils the essence of pain, courage, wisdom – the enormity of emotions unbound, in rhythm and heartbeat. There is unmatched power here that started off with shame transformed into discovered joy in one‘s unexplored ancestry. My review: https://wp.me/pDlzr-pf2

Good intention

I bought this children's book awhile back, around the time it was released. It's been sitting on my bookshelf unread ever since. Since the 1619 Project has a screen adaptation coming out this month, I decided to finally pick this up. I am so glad I did. While it's written for children, I still learned a few things I hadn't known going into this book. And the illustrations!! My God, the illustrations are gorgeous.

As a descendent of 3 Mayflower passengers, I have heard so much about our myth. The whole pilgrim story was so inflated in my grandmother's lifetime. The General Society of Descendants was started just before she was born. We need more stories. Celebrating Thanksgiving is fine, but can we give up the myths and the white protestant idealization? BTW the illustrations are as intense as the words in this book. Happy 🦃 day!

I've heard of this book before and oh my, it looks like I have a kids version of it?? It was a good read but also made me feel ashamed for not knowing my own roots (and no, I can't really remedy this like the character in the book). It doesn't contribute to my current knowledge in #africanamerican #history but I think it's mainly bc this is meant as one of those intro books, esp for younger audiences. Also fosters self-love and community �

1. Saint‘s Song by Garrett Leigh. Somewhere in England I‘ve never heard of and frankly didn‘t really pay much attention to. For broody, angsty, steamy reasons 🤣🤣🤣. 2. The last 5 â­�ï¸� read was actually the tagged kid‘s book. 3. I‘m excited for Alexis Hall‘s Husband Material.

Great text, chunked into small parts. The audio is the author, and I enjoyed hearing her voice. The real winner here is the illustration. Well done, Nikkolas Smith!!

A beautiful children‘s picture book to compliment the adult book. A young African American asks where her ancestors are from, her grandmother tells her a story. #booked2022 ~from a black-owned or -centric imprint or publisher

This is one version of The 1619 Project for kids, both centering slavery in the historical narrative but also discussing what came before and after. It starts with a young person assigned a genealogy project, which most kids will be able to relate to. I listened to the audio and it's told in verse with some repeating/emphasized phrases. I plan to read the adult version this year.

Whimsical,joyful,&heartbreaking,the book‘s illustrations & verse convey the humanity of the Ndongo people.Darkness descends when they are kidnapped & sail,chained to each other,under the deck of the White lion.â€�Packed in dark misery,/strangers chained together/These many people/became one people,/a new people/And that is why the people say,/we were born on the water./We come from people who refused to die.â€�A book of generations of resilience.

While I wait for my library hold for the adult book, I took some time to read this beautifully illustrated picture book written in verse. This is an absolutely stunning piece of work. #pop22 ~ a book you can read in one sitting #JumpStart2022

@KarenUK @Cinfhen @Kalalalatja @Megabooks @4thhouseontheleft @BarbaraBB @Laughterhp @RaeLovesToRead @Clwojick @Lizpixie

#weeklyforecast

Here are my hopes for this week. Ambitious given work, but some are just buddy read sections.

A starting point for children.

Review to come.

This is an impulse read for #WinterGames2021 #TeamGameSleighers @StayCurious

#WrapItUpReadathon @keys_on_fire

Book 154 of the year.

This book is a young girl asking her grandmother where her ancestors came from and it‘s written in poetry. I loved it

Just finished the audio of this picture book. If the cover is any indication, I can‘t wait to see the illustrations. A great addition to school, classroom, & home libraries.
Anticipating great discussions during the #1619GroupRead coming in January. See the original announcement @4thhouseontheleft ‘s page for more info.