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THE WAGON

Name: THE WAGON
Author: Tony Johnston
ISBN: 0-688-13457-2

by Tony Johnston & illustrated by James E. Ransome ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 1996

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Johnston (The Ghost of Nicholas Greebe, p. 824, etc.) portrays the evils of slavery through the sufferings of a boy born a slave because his skin is the color of ``smooth, dark wood.'' The boy grows up under ``the whish of the lash''—he cried at the near- fatal beating of an old man and was himself whipped, and then ``striped good'' for a desperate act of vandalism. The boy's father, a carpenter and mule driver, builds ``a good wagon of smooth, dark wood'' for the casually cruel master and eventually, with mules Swing and Low, the wagon becomes their chariot bearing the family away to freedom following the war and Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation. ``Fast as a snakebit wind,'' they learn of Lincoln's assassination and set out to pay their last respects. Ransome's paintings give life to the characters and bring out the luster of the surroundings; the story is ardent and somber, a piercing lament. (Picture book. 5-10)

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1996

ISBN: 0-688-13457-2

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Morrow/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1996

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

- BOOK REVIEW
BORN NAUGHTY
by Jin Wang with Tony Johnston ; illustrated by Anisi Baigude

- BOOK REVIEW
TREES
by Tony Johnston ; illustrated by Tiffany Bozic

- BOOK REVIEW
PUMA DREAMS
by Tony Johnston ; illustrated by Jim LaMarche

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MORE THAN PEACH

by Bellen Woodard ; illustrated by Fanny Liem ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 26, 2022

An inspirational look at one girl’s quest to make sure that all skin tones are visible and available in the classroom.

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A Black girl’s simple observation propels her into activism.

Woodard, who launched the More Than Peach Project—which arranges for classrooms and children in need to receive kits that include art supplies and boxes of multicultural crayons (crayons in a variety of skin tones)—relates the incident that sparked her journey. As the book begins, she is dropped off at school and notices that her family’s skin tone differs from that of her classmates. While it is clear that she is one of a few children of color at school, that difference isn’t really felt until her friends start asking for the “skin-color” crayon when they mean peach. She’s bothered that no one else seems to notice that skin comes in many colors, so she devises a unique way of bringing everyone’s attention to that fact. With support from her family and her school, she encourages her fellow classmates to rethink their language and starts an initiative to ensure that everyone’s skin tone is represented in each crayon box. Appealing, realistic artwork depicts Woodard’s experiences, while endpapers feature More Than Peach crayon boxes and childlike illustrations of kids of different ethnicities doing various activities. The story is stirring and will motivate budding activists. (This book was reviewed digitally; the review has been updated for factual accuracy.)

An inspirational look at one girl’s quest to make sure that all skin tones are visible and available in the classroom. (note from Woodard, information on Woodard’s journey into activism, instructions on starting a drive) (Picture-book biography. 6-10)

Pub Date: July 26, 2022

ISBN: 978-1-338-80927-5

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Scholastic

Review Posted Online: April 26, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2022

Categories:

CHILDREN'S BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR | CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

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MOSES GOES TO A CONCERT

by Isaac Millman & illustrated by Isaac Millman ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 6, 1998

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Millman's story, illustrated in delicate watercolors, ought to pop open a few young eyes (and perhaps some adult eyes as well). Moses and his school chums, all deaf, are off to a young people's concert. They take their seats up front, where a row of percussion instruments is arrayed between them and the orchestra. When the percussionist appears, she is in her stocking feet; she is deaf, and will feel the music through the floor. Moses's teacher hands out balloons that they will hold in their laps and that will help them feel the music. After the concert the percussionist, using sign language, gives the students a little inspirational talk, which Moses delivers to his parents later that evening. The power of Millman's book comes from the simple fact that he levels the playing field; of course deaf children go to concerts, but conveying how they enjoy music removes yet one more barrier between those who can hear and those who cannot. Moses also appears in inset boxes, signing comments aimed at readers and encouraging them to attempt signs. A few spreads are given over entirely to signed conversations, with effectively diagrammed hand movements and facial expressions. The final page illustrates the signed letters of the alphabet. (Picture book. 5- 9)