Week 7-Books of information!

    Hello again, readers! For this week’s assignment, I am reflecting upon books of information for young readers. Lets begin!

 Yang, Kelly, et al. Yes We Will: Asian Americans Who Shaped This Country. Dial Books For Young Readers, 2022. 

    ISBN 978-0-593-46305-5

    For my first selection, I have chosen Yes We Will: Asian Americans Who Shaped This Country by Kelly Yang, illustrated by Nabi H. Ali et al., and published in 2022 through Dial Books For Young Readers. As described within her author bio in the back of the book jacket, Yang is an Asian American New York Times bestselling author who has won multiple esteemed awards such as 2019 APALA Award for Children’s Literature, the Parents’ Choice Gold Metal, amongst having her work published on various bestselling lists (Yang, 2022) Yes We Will is a wonderful children’s picture book which introduces young readers to the history, hardships, creations and achievements of Asian American people in our nation. Yang, through her book, gives a spotlight to not only the cruel oppression and challenges faced by Asian American communities in the United States’ history, but she also highlights the incredible dreams and achievements made a reality by Asian American creators as well. Yang’s book is written from the perspective of an Asian American author, sharing love and pride in her Asian American heritage with readers of different age groups, but showing Asian American children in particular through diverse examples, that Asian American people can accomplish any dream or goal that is in their heart. 

    The book uses concise language with short, one-to-two lines on each page, but contains powerful messages about famous Asian Americans who have shaped history within its text combined with gorgeous illustrations by a different artist on every page, sure to captivate readers of all ages. Yang’s book takes a broad view of Asian American history, being an introduction for child readers, with footnotes along the bottom of the pages with information about different eras of Asian American history, historical figures and accomplished celebrities of Asian American heritage, with credit given to the respective artist of each book page. The book does not follow a strict chronological order, highlighting significant historical moments, and spotlighting Asian American creators from different time periods throughout the book, from the 1800s to modern day. The author’s note features historical framework as well as information regarding the Asian American creators and historical figures within the previous pages for readers who want to learn more. Illustrations vary in style due to the variety of artists, also of Asian descent, with greys or darker earth tones used for historical hardships in Asian American history, while pastels and warm colors are used for illustrations depicting the love, dreams and incredible accomplishments of the Asian American people within the book. The concise text combined with the stunning illustrations tell not only the dark side of Asian American history, but ensures to highlight the joy, pride and determination of the Asian American community to young readers as well.

Stewart, Melissa, and Sarah S. Brannen. Summertime Sleepers: Animals That Estivate. Charlesbridge, 2021. 

    ISBN 978-1-58089-716-7

    My second selection is Summertime Sleepers: Animals That Estivate by Melissa Stewart, illustrated by Sarah S. Brannen, and published in 2021 through Charlesbridge. Summertime Sleepers is book which introduces the concept of estivation, or summertime animal hibernation, to early elementary-aged readers. Stewart is well informed to be writing on the subject of estivation, as the according to her book’s author bio, she holds degrees in both biology and science journalism, along with having written over 180 books for children, and living in Massachusetts, a state known for hibernating animals (Stewart, 2021). Whereas estivation will likely be an unfamiliar concept for many young children before reading, the book is easy to read and follow, with a narrow focus for child readers, as the author arranges the information in order of enumeration, connecting and comparing the different ways in which animals sleep, whether in groups, alone and how their hibernating arrangements differ based on the varying environments in which the animals call home. Stewart in her own words, utilizes a “soft, cozy, lyrical voice” for her story narrative, balanced with Brannen’s soft illustrations filled with light, calming earth tones, they combined to create a relaxing design throughout the book, reflective of the book’s subject matter. The softness of the narrative voice, writing and illustrations help keep the format of the book easy to follow for young children, explaining new concepts with a narrow focus, ensuring to talk at the level of the child readers without overcomplicating the subject nor simplifying it too much in the process.  

Maillard, Noble, and Juana Martinez-Neal. Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story. Roaring Brook Press, 2019. 

ISBN 978-162672-746-5

   For my third selection, I have chosen Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story, written by Kevin Noble Maillard, illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal, and published in 2019 through Roaring Brooks Press. This is a beautiful story which depicts a Native American family, young children and their Nana, preparing the titular fry bread together, but the story is much more than simply about the act of baking. As poetic and power words described within the dust jacket of the book state, “Fry bread is food. Fry bread is time. Fry bread is nation. Fry bread is us” (Maillard, 2019). The story narrative uses concise, but moving language with a narrow focus for children, acting as an introduction for young readers to fry bread as a cultural dish amongst Native American communities, describing to children audience the not only a vivid image of the texture, shape, flavor and joy the baking or eating of fry bread can bring people, but empathizes the different unique variations of fry bread as different tribes, families and individuals each have their own special approach and connection to the food as a tradition passed down through generations and shared across indigenous nations. Martinez-Neal's lovely pencil-sketch cartoon illustrations in warm colors highlights the love shared between the family in the book, the warm of their relationships, pride in the traditions of their heritage and the same joy that both the older and younger generations find in the activity of baking fry bread, all shine through on each page of the book. Within the back of the book, author Maillard shares with the readers his own recipe for fry bread, in addition to the author notes containing more historical and cultural framework that older children and adults can read to learn more about the importance of fry bread within different Native American nations.

Weatherford, Carole Boston, and Floyd Cooper. 

    Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre. 

    Carolrhoda Books, 2021. 

     ISBN 978-1-5415-8120-3

 

    For my fourth selection, I have chosen Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Floyd Cooper, and published in 2021 through Carolrhoda Books. Weatherford is a highly esteemed author, having won a Newbery Honor, as well as being a Sibert Honor winner and two-time recipient of the NAACP Image Award (Weatherford, 2021). Weatherford’s passionate, powerful writing and Cooper’s stunning, empathetic illustrations complement each other in order to educate children about the horrors of the titular Tulsa Race Massacre, “helping readers young readers understand the events of the past so we can move toward a better future for all” (Weatherford, 2021). Weatherford’s sentences are fairly short, being two-to-four lines on each page, with Cooper’s illustrations filling the spaces of the page with highly detailed drawings of the African American community of Greenwood during the early 20th century. Weatherford’s writing and Cooper’s illustrations has a narrow focus in a narrative story, empathizing the emotions, both positive and negative, of the Greenwood African American people, underling their history as a thriving community with families, businesses, love, dreams and lives, that were horrifically burnt down by truly cruel, racist mobs. Weatherford does not talk down nor sugarcoat the tragic events of the massacre to young readers, but uses the opportunity to educate children about this tragic historical event through honest, concise language, combined with somber, impactful illustrations by Cooper. The book ends on a hopeful note, reminding readers of the responsibility of rejecting hatred and violence, to not ignore the tragic context of history and the importance of working toward a brighter, better future for everyone (Weatherford, 2021).