The Bell Rang by James E. Ransome. PICTURE BOOK. Atheneum (Simon & Schuster), 2019. $18. 9781442421134
BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
A young girl in slavery narrates a week in her life in a poetic style. When the bell rings her parents go to work in the fields and she goes with the other kids on the plantation. One day her brother runs away and everyone somberly wonders if he made it to freedom.
The illustrations in this book are vivid and beautiful and clearly convey a life of pain and beauty. The pain of slavery and the beauty of family. The most effective moment was at the end of the book when we realize that the whole week will repeat the same as always. The lack of control in this monotony was beautifully conveyed.
Jen Wecker, HS English Teacher
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