Michelle H. Martin
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Black Kids Camp, Too...Don't They?: Embracing "Wildness" in Picture Books
My mother was a Girl Scout leader, my father was a Boy Scout leader, and my brother was a Tiger Cub in the Boy Scouts. Practically from the time I could walk, I tagged along with family to scout meetings and events. When I became a Girl Scout, and eventually...
Review of Hands Up!
Hands Up!by Breanna J. McDaniel; illus. by Shane W. EvansPreschool, Primary Dial 32 pp. g1/19 978-0-525-55231-4 $17.99 In this affirmation of self-love for children of color, an exuberant brown-skinned girl recounts many situations in which she puts her “hands up”: playing peek-a-boo as a very young child, then, as she gets...
Review of What Is Given from the Heart
What Is Given from the Heartby Patricia C. McKissack; illus. by April HarrisonPrimary, Intermediate Schwartz & Wade/Random 40 pp. g 1/19 978-0-375-83615-2 $17.99Library ed. 978-0-375-93615-9 $20.99e-book ed. 978-0-375-98800-4 $10.99 From the late Patricia McKissack, a story of giving — even when it seems one has nothing to spare. James Otis and his...
Field Notes: Camp Read-a-Rama: Learning to “Live Books”
Leader: Hey Nick.Nick: Yeah!L: Hey Nick.N: Yeah!L: Can you Gruff?N: Gruff-a-what?L: Can you Gruff?N: Gruff-a-lo.N: My hands are high, my feet are low, and this is how I Gruffalo. [Nick dances]All: His hands are high, his feet are low, and this is how he Gruffalos! [Everyone mimics Nick’s dance]All: Gruff-a-lo,...
Review of Martin Rising: Requiem for a King
Martin Rising: Requiem for a Kingby Andrea Davis Pinkney;
illus. by Brian PinkneyIntermediate, Middle School Scholastic 128 pp.1/18 978-0-545-70253-9 $19.99A creative poetic celebration of the contributions of Martin Luther King Jr. that also, as a song for the dead, includes a meticulous explanation of how and why he died. Henny...
Review of I Am Loved
I Am Lovedby Nikki Giovanni; illus. by Ashley BryanPrimary Dlouhy/Atheneum 32 pp.1/18 978-1-5344-0492-2 $17.99e-book ed. 978-1-5344-0493-9 $10.99A legendary pair presents a volume of verse worth remembering. Bryan’s recognizably vibrant, colorful, and moving illustrations accompany a selection of Giovanni’s poems (both new and previously published). The electric blue, sunny yellow, warm...
Review of Grandma’s Tiny House: A Counting Story!
Grandma’s Tiny House: A Counting Story!by JaNay Brown-Wood; illus. by Priscilla BurrisPreschool Charlesbridge 32 pp.8/17 978-1-58089-712-9 $16.99e-book ed. 978-1-60734-868-9 $9.99No matter how big Grandma’s extended family grows, she always finds room for relatives and friends. The young, brown-skinned narrator describes in (generally) metered verse a gathering at Grandma’s house. The...
Review of Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut
Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cutby Derrick Barnes; illus. by Gordon C. JamesPrimary Millner/Bolden Books/Agate 32 pp.10/17 978-1-57284-224-3 $17.95e-book ed. 978-1-57284-808-5 $17.95Brown skin, a dimpled smile, and a fresh haircut worthy of a standing ovation. Barnes takes a weekly, mundane activity for an African American boy — a trip...
Review of Schomburg: The Man Who Built a Library
Schomburg: The Man Who Built a Libraryby Carole Boston Weatherford; illus. by Eric VelasquezPrimary, Intermediate Candlewick 48 pp. g9/17 978-0-7636-8046-6 $16.99Growing up in Puerto Rico, Arturo Schomburg (1874–1938) asked his teachers why his textbooks omitted black people. He knew their contributions mattered, and ravenously read to learn more. At seventeen,...