9781423121961 |
1423121961 |
Available:*
Library | Material Type | Call Number | Shelf Location | Status | Item Holds |
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Searching... East Library | Children's Book | HOPK | Children's-J-Easy | Searching... Unknown | Searching... Unavailable |
Searching... Monument Library | Children's Book | HOPK | Children's-J-Easy | Searching... Unknown | Searching... Unavailable |
Searching... Penrose Library | Children's Book | HOPK | Children's-J-Easy | Searching... Unknown | Searching... Unavailable |
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Summary
Summary
When a Missouri law shuts down a school for Black students, one boy must find a path to bravery in this award-winning picture book, based on a true story of resilience.
James wasn't excited to go to school--everything outside was loud and exciting, but the classroom was dark and dreary. Luckily, his teacher Reverend John Meacham wasn't so bad. He shared stories about being enslaved, buying his freedom, and building a life.
"We make our own light here," he said.
Until the day the school was shut down by a law forbidding African American education in Missouri. What could James do? Reverend John Berry Meachum didn't give up though. With steamboats swaying on the Mississippi River, and a spirit of determination, the Reverend found a loophole--what if the school wasn't in Missouri?
Based on true events, Ron Husband's uplifting illustrations bring to life Deborah Hopkinson's tale of a resourceful, determined teacher; his bright, inquisitive students; and their refusal to accept discrimination based on the color of their skin.
Author Notes
Deborah Hopkinson is the author of more than forty-five books for young readers including picture books, short fiction, and nonfiction. She has won the SCBWI Golden Kite Award for picture book text twice, and in 2013 received both a YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction honor and a Robert F. Sibert honor for Titanic: Voices from the Disaster. Visit Deborah online at deborahhopkinson.com.Ron Husband, the first African American animator at Walt Disney Studios, worked on films such as Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Hunchback of Notre Dame during his thirty-eight years at the company. His illustrations have also been featured in a number of children's publications. Ron lives in San Dimas, California, with his wife. They have three children and three beautiful granddaughters. Learn more about Ron's work online at ronhusband.blogspot.com.
Reviews (3)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 1-4-James, his sister, and his mother, a laundress, are free blacks living in Missouri in the 1840s, but being free does not give them equal rights. James and his sister attend school in the basement of a church. The secretive space is lit only by candles, but Reverend John, the teacher, tells James, "We make our own light here." A state law passed in 1847, however, makes it illegal to have any kind of school for "negroes or mulattoes," slave or free. Historical fiction based on the life of John Berry Meachum, the story describes how Reverend John got around the law by building a steamboat and holding classes on the Mississippi River, which was considered federal property. Husband, the first African American animator at Disney Studios, creates expressive illustrations that have the look and feel of the time period. Rendered mostly in brown and black tones, his detailed, cross-hatching style has the appearance of pen and ink. An author's note shares more of Meachum's life, describing how he worked in a mine to make enough money to buy freedom for himself and his father. Walking from Kentucky to Missouri, Meachum then worked as a carpenter and cooper in order to purchase his wife's and children's freedom. VERDICT Full of action and accomplishment, the story of James and Reverend John will impress and inspire readers. A powerful, well-written story to share with a class or with proficient readers.-Lucinda Snyder Whitehurst, St. Christopher's School, Richmond, VA © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Hopkinson (Courage & Defiance) offers a graceful fictional recounting of a St. Louis minister's courageous and clever response to a 1847 Missouri law that prohibited the education of African-Americans. A former slave who worked tirelessly to buy his freedom (as well as that of his parents, wife, and children), John Berry Meachum ran a secret school for black children in his church basement. In this reimagining, new student James complains about the darkness of the school, which is illuminated only by a candle. "We make our own light here," replies Meachum. After the sheriff closes the school, Meachum builds a steamboat that his students help scrub and paint, then opens a new-and legal-school on the vessel, moored midriver on federal property. The determination of Reverend John and the children radiates from longtime Disney animator Husband's elegant illustrations, finely crosshatched in ink and colored in muted blues, reds, and browns. Gentle yet forceful, it's an affecting tribute to an unsung crusader for equal rights and education. Closing notes provide details about Meachum's life and Hopkinson's research. Ages 4-8. Author's agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. (June) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
*Starred Review* Growing up African American in St. Louis in 1847, James isn't sure he wants to attend school, though he likes and respects his teacher, Reverend John. One day, the sheriff and his men burst into their basement schoolroom, enforcing a new Missouri law prohibiting the instruction of negroes or mulattoes to read or write. As James says in the vivid first-person narrative, Funny how something you don't care much about at first can end up becoming the most important part of you. Circumventing the law by teaching school on a steamboat in the Mississippi River, beyond the state's jurisdiction, the reverend inspires James with his hard work, ingenuity, and courage. The boy's attitude shifts gradually and convincingly until, on the last page, he imagines himself carrying on the school someday. Hopkinson tells the story with clarity, economy, and grace, and backs it up with an interesting author's note and well-chosen resources for further reading. Husband's expressive illustrations, cross-hatched black-ink drawings warmed mainly with sepia tones, create effective character portrayals and a strong sense of drama. Making good use of light, shadow, and perspective, the pictures show up well from a distance, a useful quality in picture books for classroom reading. Creative, thought-provoking historical fiction.--Phelan, Carolyn Copyright 2016 Booklist