Evocative

THE CART THAT CARRIED MARTIN by Eve Bunting with illustrations by Don Tate. Charlesbridge, 2013.

Spare language and illustrations that zoom in and out at various points in the narrative combine to make this a picture book that will evoke many emotions and responses. A plain cart and two mules carry the body of slain Civil Right leader Martin Luther King, Jr. from Ebenezer Baptist Church to Morehouse College. Simple and plain: the way Martin wanted it. And yet the vast reaction of those assembled makes it clear that though the cart and mules were simple, the man they carried was great.

Here is an inside look at the remarkable art work.

Martin and Mahalia

MARTIN AND MAHALIA: HIS WORDS AND HER SONGS by Andrea Davis Pinkney with illustrations by Brian Pinkney. LBYR, 2013.

Two titans of the Civil Rights Movements are together in this lustrous book by Pinkney and Pinkney. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Mahalia Jackson both lent their voices during the struggle. The story moves back and forth between the two life stories and unites there at the Washington Monument. Here is a picture book which should be shared with readers of all ages. <614>

Narrative Nonfiction Par Excellence

Generally speaking, I gravitate toward fiction if given the choice. However, after years of working with kids of all ages and a stint on the YALSA EXCELLENCE IN NONFICTION FOR YOUNG ADULTS COMMITTEE plus having encountered more than a few terrific examples of nonfiction, I am a convert. The 2012 winner of the YALSA EXCELLENCE IN NONFICTION AWARD is THE NOTORIOUS BENEDICT ARNOLD by Steve Sheinkin (Roaring Brook, 2011). I knew little about the life of Benedict Arnold. Most of what I knew was that his name was synonymous with treason and traitorous actions. What I learned in the reading, though, was the backstory, the important details that compelled Arnold to act as he did. And is that not the power of nonfiction: to give us the big picture instead of the snippet that goes into the history books in this case? Thanks Jennifer Huber Swan and committee for selecting this incredible book as your winning title. <426>

The remarkable Kadir Nelson gives Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech a new vision in his latest picture book, I HAVE A DREAM (Schwartz and Wade 2012). Accompanied by a CD with the recording of the famous speech, Nelson has selected essential passages of the speech for this picture book. Bronzes, browns, and blues glow as pages turn and the words pour forth, still challenging us today to see the dream come true. Tie this one to MARTIN'S BIG WORDS by Doreen Rappaport with illustrations by Bryan Collier. Bder of biographies or a ladder of famous speeches brought to life in picture books, build a ladder for Black History Month. There are so many ways to connect this beautiful text to others. Just be sure to read it aloud to any age. <300>

Nat Love or is it Deadwood Dick?

THE BEST SHOT IN THE WEST (Chronicle Books 2012) is a GN format biography of Nat Love AKA Deadwood Dick, one of the heroic cowboys of the Old West. Born into slavery, Love became a thing of legend. Patricia and Fred McKissack have teamed up with GN illustrator Randy Duburke (YUMMY) to tell Nat Love's story with a few embellishments. The Old West and the lot of the Black cowboys come to life in this GN biography. Stampedes, raids, rustlers, and outlaws make for an action packed tale that is part truth and part tall tale. <151>