Kali's Song

Kali's Song by Jeanette Winter
Illustrated by Jeanette Winter
Published by Schwartz and Wade Books
2012

     Thousands of years ago, during prehistoric times, Kali watched his mother painting animals on a cave wall. She told him that soon he'll be a man and he will have to go out and hunt those animals.  His father gave Kali a bow and arrow and told him to practice. But, while resting after hours of practice Kali idly plucked the string on his bow, he liked the sound it made. "Then, still plucking he put the bow to his lips. As he opened and closed his mouth, new sounds filled the quiet air."  Kali forgot about hunting and fell in love with music. As the day of the big hunt arrived, Kali heads out with his bow and arrows. When he comes across a herd of mammoths, their beauty inspires Kali to play music for them. Soon both animals and hunters are mesmerized by the sounds Kali produces, the magic of his music, something only a shaman, a leader, would be able to produce.
     Kali's Song is a remarkable picture book about the beauty and power and music and art. It's a quiet book whose message speaks volumes. The lyrical quality of its text and the gentle quality of its illustrations are a perfect match.  Gorgeous book to share out loud.

In the Time of the Drums

In the Time of the Drums by Kim L. Siegelson
Illustrated by Brian Pinkney
Published by Hyperion Books for Children
1999

"In the long ago time before now, on an island fringed by marge meadows and washed by ocean tides, mean and women and their children lived enslaved. This was the time when giant live oaks trembled with the sound of drums and, say some, it was a time when people could walk beneath the water."

    So begins this incredible tale.  A boy named Mentu, born in the island, lived with his grandmother Twi, who had come from Africa. "There, she had learned powerful root magic" and whites and blacks all feared her.  But Mentu had known nothing but kindness from his grandmother. "Some said his first breath had come from her own mouth. That as a new babe he had been still until she whispered the secret of life into his tongue." From Twi, Mentu learned how to play the drums, how to be strong, and the songs and stories from her Africa.
     One day, a large ship arrived carrying slaves.  When the slaves heard the sound of the African drums welcoming the ship, they thought they had made it back to their land, but as they emerged bound and tied, they didn't recognize the island.  As the slave traders hit them with their whips, the slaves began chanting a song in their own language.  Twi let Mentu know that his time to be strong had arrived, that the song from the slaves talked about going home, "say the water brought'em cross the passage and it can take'em back, fe true."  As Twi ran towards the ship and the water that would take her and the slaves back to their home, her body transformed into the young woman she had been when she had left Africa many years before.  She held hands with her people and as many times as the slave catchers tried to slip ropes around their necks, nothing could hold them back.  They walked beneath the water chanting "the water can takes us home. It can takes us home."
     Years later, the islanders stoped casting their nets in the area "for fear of pulling up those chains sunk deep in soft gray mud." And Mentu grew strong and played the drums with his children. He told the stories Twi had taught him, "so rich that they wondered if he had lived in Africa himself."
     In the Time of the Drums is one of the most powerful picture books I've ever read.  Siegelson masterfully tells the story, with gorgeous details and beautiful language. And the illustrations by the incredible Brian Pickney are, as usual, mesmerizing.  This one will stay with you long after you finish reading it.  Spellbinding.

Underground

Underground by Shane W. Evans
Illustrated by Shane W. Evans
Published by Roaring Brook Press
2011
Coretta Scott King Award for Illustrator (2012)

     Underground is the story of a family's journey to freedom through the Underground Railroad.  They start in the darkness, literally and metaphorically, and they escape. They run, hide and crawl on their way to the light, to freedom.
     Talk about powerful.  Underground has, on average, just two words per page. But those words combined with the amazing illustrations by Shane W. Evans, makes this a book you won't soon forget.  The tension created by the words and the dark illustrations builds up.  There are few spots of white light in the pages during their escape. Even when they are resting under the night sky, they can't be completely at ease, and we see the whites in the eyes of one of the men who watches over the rest of his sleeping family.  As they get closer and closer to freedom, there is light in the horizon. And finally, there's the sun. "Freedom. I am free. He is free. She is free. We are free."
     There is also an author's note at the end of the book talking about the Underground Railroad.
     Wonderful book. This one should be shared at home and the classroom. Perfect for February, African American History Month.