BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3), EL - ADVISABLE.
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
The story, written in rhyming verse, begins with a young Black boy reflecting on the way his family proudly displays the American flag. As the book continues, the boy’s grandpa teaches him much more about the different ways people choose to engage with the flag. Without specific details, but through illustrations and emotional verse, the book chronicles several important events in American history, specifically in relation to injustices Black Americans have faced. A few influential Black Americans are named (Obama, Tubman, Parks, etc) or shown in illustrations (King, Kaepernick) as examples of people who have worked for and demanded equality and justice. While few specifics are included in the story itself, at the end of the book, the Author’s Note titled “Patriotism in the Black Community” shares more information about some of the historical people and events that were included in the story.
The illustrations are beautiful and engaging, with lots of small details that might encourage a child to ask further questions. Each two-page illustrated spread includes an American flag in some way. Most illustrations show the boy and his grandpa or Black Americans through history, and a few pages at the beginning of the story include various diverse community members and classmates. This is a thought-provoking book that encourages the reader to consider different ways that people relate to the American flag.
Reviewer: Angie Campbell, EL librarian
No comments:
Post a Comment