Reading Response: Books of Information
Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre is written by Carole Boston Weatherford, a children’s writer who writes books that, according to her website, focuses on bringing joy and justice to topics that include forgotten struggles and the African American resistance. The author has personal connections with the racial tension in the South that dates back to the 1920s, and she has done extensive research on the racial tensions that date back even earlier. The scope of coverage of this book is narrow; it focuses on the history of Tulsa and Greenwood Oklahoma, setting the stage for what is yet to come, the massacre of hundreds and the destruction of Greenwood, a thriving African American town. The story is told in a narrative format that starts with the positive growth of the community of Greenwood and the promising direction of the town, and the repetition of the phrase “once upon a time” suggesting a fairy tale start, but the racial tensions proved to be too much and led directly to the significant conflict between races. The information is general enough for children to understand the events that take place–more detailed information is included in the author’s note at the end–and it includes a factual retelling of events. There are no generalizations or stereotypes within the text, so young readers can understand the story without bias.
The illustrator, Floyd Cooper, also has ties to Tulsa, specifically because his grandfather experienced the massacre. The images he creates relate directly to the text, and the story can be told using only images as the pictures trace the story of the citizens of Greenwood from expansion to riot. While all illustrations are sketched and shaded with muted colors, the final image, located on the inside back cover, is a real photograph that shows the aftermath of the Tulsa Massacre. The images are at the forefront of each page to show the progression of small town Greenwood to booming Greenwood to riotous landscape. While the setting changes, the people don’t; although there are a wealth of emotions the characters experience within the pages, what is noticeable is the way in which Cooper chose to illustrate the people: regardless of the circumstances described with the words in the story, he chose to show each character with his/her head held high first to show pride in prosperous times, but then to show courage during the condemnation they face from the people of Tulsa.
Sorell’s story focuses on the Cherokee people and the traditions of the Cherokees in each season of life. Sorell was born and raised in the Cherokee Nation, so she has first hand experience with the tribe’s celebration and events. The purpose for writing this children’s book was to show readers more about Native Americans since there has been a lack of this type of literature available. The opening page shows an illustration representing all seasons, and the pages that follow move from each season to show–through illustrations–and explain–through words–the most important traditions of the tribe.
Readers can move at a quicker pace through this story because there is a short phrase on each page, and while the phrases connect, there are not complete sentences. This seems to create an uneven style when reading and doesn’t provide complete context to understand the specifics of the Cherokee culture. The purpose of the book is to show how grateful the Cherokee people are, so all ideas and illustrations are very positive, but there aren’t many details thoroughly explaining each tradition. What the author did, however, is to include Cherokee words and pronunciations at the bottom of some pages to introduce readers to the Cherokee language. Further, there is a very short glossary in the back that provides definitions of cultural terminology. On the final page of the book is the “Cherokee Syllabary” which provides characters of the Cherokee language and the words that represent each written character. Provided by the Cherokee Nation Education Services Group, this page also explains the sounds represented by consonants and vowels. For further understanding, readers can use this final page and go back through the story to practice their pronunciation.
Lessac’s illustrations, while bright and colorful, are painted with undefined lines and abstract strokes that blend characters within settings. Each illustrations takes up the entire page–from sky to land with characters in-between–that depicts what the words on each page represent. To enhance the culture and provide details of the events, more defined lines and cultural artifacts could be added to the illustrations to help the reader get a significantly better understanding of the lifestyle of the Cherokees. Overall, this book helps the reader to understand the basic ideas within the Cherokee culture and can be the starting point for further research into this culture.
Sorrel, Traci. We are Grateful: Ostaliheliga. illus. Frane Lessac. Charlesbridge. 2018. 32 pages. Tr. $17.99. ISBN 978-1580897723.
These are very detailed and thoughtful reviews that cover the necessary information for a NF title. Work toward connecting the sentences into a smoother read, less like answers to a list of questions, and they would be wonderful.
ReplyDelete