An American Story (Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award Winner)

Kwame Alexander and Dare Coulter have created a masterpiece with this book. I think Alexander's dedication says it best, "This is for the ones who want to speak the truth, the ones doing the hard and sacred work of nurturing young minds into beautiful human beings...the teachers." Told from the perspective of a teacher teaching a class of students, slavery and it's ramifications are presented to readers. One of the most powerful aspects of using poetry to tell such a tale is that every word is carefully chosen and specifically placed making meaning oh so deliberately. The interweaving of the past and present makes the book even more influential. As the teacher strives to help her students understand the horrors of slavery, her students help her understand the importance of speaking truth, no matter how difficult. The combination of Alexander's beautiful, descriptive words with Coulter's stunning illustrations. The incredible combination of art styles that Coulter uses come together in incredible ways. The use of sculpture as well as paint, charcoal, ink, and digital artwork makes the illustrations unique and all the more impressive. The difference styles also separate the past and the present references in the text. The author's and illustrator's notes at the end of the book give insight into the motives behind and techniques used in the book. This is a picture book intended for an older audience, that could be used at many different levels both for educational and personal use. A powerful reminder that as Alexander says in the text, "You can't change the past, but you can do better in the future."

The language is beautiful and the story is for all ages

The artwork on the photos were extremely excellent. And the writing and plot of the book as well.

enjoyed the book and illustrations

Everyone needs to read this book. The art and the words in this book are a moving and powerful combination.

It's hard to imagine someone who hasn't run into another American claiming that parts of American History are too ugly to share with children. In this book Kwame Alexander provides a kid-level apologetic lesson in why even the ugly needs to be pulled into the light, and how that can help us grow to be an even stronger, better nation.I loved this book. And highly recommend it.

Every American should read this. It's tells a true story from a feeling base of Africans being forced to come to America and acknowledges how hard it is to talk and learn about it. The illustrations are such and amazing piece of art work and the story is simple but so insightful. A great read to start a conversation on enslavement

Written In The Language Of The LEARNER!