Other works for younger readers -- Black History Month 2024

I wanted to go over a few more books, in a few more categories.

Picture Books that are not by Pinkneys:

Big by Vashti Harrison

Bedtime Bonnet by Nancy Redd, illustrated by Nneka Myers

Cape by Kevin Johnson, illustrated by Kitt Thomas

First of all, I cannot adequately express how beautiful and needed Big is.

Vashti Harrison has appeared before as the illustrator of Sulwe and Hair Love. She is a wonderful illustrator, but this is all her, written with sensitivity and love.

Cape is good for dealing with grief. It hurts, but for children who are hurting it may help.

Bedtime Bonnet is a fun book about a girl searching for her bonnet at bedtime. In the process, we see other ways of caring for hair, and get a laugh at the eventual location.

Longer Picture Books:

Curve & Flow: The Elegant Vision of L.A. Architect Paul R. Williams by Andrea J. Lonely, illustrated by Keith Mallett

I saw this at the Neon Museum in Las Vegas, which incorporates some of Williams' work. He did more design in Los Angeles, but it would be easy to not know about him, and it is good to know anyway.

Swish! The Slam-Dunking, Alley-Ooping, High Flying Harlem Globetrotters by Suzanne Slade, illustrated by Don Tate

Even though I watched the cartoon, saw them visit Gilligan's Island, and even saw them live once as a kid, there was a lot that I never knew about the Harlem Globetrotters, including how long they had been around. I saw them live again a few months after reading this, and it gave me a greater appreciation.

Chapter Books:

Just Like Martin by Ossie Davis

I think this originally ended up on my reading list because there is an edition where Andrea Davis Pinkney did the foreword. That was not the edition I read, but it is a good treatment of non-violence and commitment, suitable for (probably) ages 10 and up.

The Port Chicago 50: Disaster, Mutiny, and the Fight for Civil Rights by Steve Sheinkin 

Just Like Martin is historical fiction, but The Port Chicago 50 is non-fiction, and again, it is something that it would be easy not to know about, but that we should know about.

Comic Books:

Twins by Varian Johnson and Shannon Wright

As the older sister of twins, I may have felt the angst a little more here. Francine is trying to differentiate herself from Maureen, and Maureen takes it hard. Themes of finding yourself and growing up.

Run: Book One by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, Nate Powell, and L. Fury

I loved the March series, and John Lewis in general. This is a good book, but I can't help but feel the loss of the other two books that surely should have come if he had lived longer.

Cheer up; it may never happen!

In sorting through old things, I came upon something that I knew I needed to spend more time on.

I originally started using those big at-a-glace calendars because I liked that they could hold a lot of notes (maybe small drawings) and were easy to read. I later began liking them even more for those big empty back sides, which I would sometimes use more creatively.

I have one that I filled up with short statements.

The date on the front is July 2019. Based on what I wrote, it was definitely after October 2018 and before July 2020. I guess this was right in the middle.

When I say "filled", there are 70 statements, in groups starting with things like "I am sad...", "I am angry...", "I need..." and things like that. 

It's a good record of where I was at the time. 

I knew I wanted to capture it in my journal, but as I did that there was so much emotion and so much growth, that it is also getting at least one blog post.

The first thing that stands out is that the biggest category-- with 25 statements -- is "I am afraid":

• I am afraid that I will never get out of debt.
• I am afraid that we will go into foreclosure again.
• I am afraid that it will never get any better -- just sadness and drudgery from here on out.

A lot of them have to do with Mom, and were pretty specific:

• I am afraid that Mom will accidentally let Adele (our dog) out.
• I am afraid that Mom will take off without me knowing, maybe when I am in the shower or asleep.
• I am afraid that Mom will lock me out of the house when I go to get the mail.
• I am afraid that she will become non-verbal and be unhappy but won't be able to tell me.
• I am afraid that something will happen where I don't know what to do.

Therefore, the most wonderful thing about this is how much of it never happened.

I still think it was valuable going over it. Sometimes you need to get things out, and sometimes it is good to realize that you should never leave the house -- even just to go to the mailbox -- without taking keys.

Not everything is definitively resolved. I am not out of debt, I am not positive that I have not permanently damaged my health. While Biden did get elected I am not positive that democracy has fully recovered. (Not all of my fears were about Mom.)

I could still end up having to be a caretaker for other family members. Some of them have much worse personalities than Mom.

However, my friends are still my friends, I have been on vacations. While things were often difficult, Mom has stayed safe. 

I was always given clarity of thought on what needed to be done.

Even though the fear was real, it wasn't all I felt.

From other sections...

• I am grateful that we have made it this far.
• I trust that I will not injure Mom, or desert her, or do anything terrible.
  

Spotlight on Brian Pinkney: Black History Month 2024

I have reached another milestone in my attempts to read everything by the Pinkney family.

There is a lot here, even with all of his work that was already covered. 

I have broken it down into different categories for easier perusal. 

By himself:

Puppy Truck
Time For Kenny
Jojo's Flying Sidekick
The Adventures of Sparrowboy
On the Ball
Hey Otter! Hey Beaver!
Thumbelina
Hush, Little Baby

There are two main art styles that Pinkney switches between, and you can see both of them in this selection, and get an idea of how the different styles may serve different types of stories. 

Sparrowboy is done kind of comic book style, while still primarily being a picture book. That makes sense for the subject matter. 

Puppy Truck was surprisingly charming.

With Andrea Davis Pinkney:

Hey, Baby Girl!

I was confused that I had missed this, because it seems to fit in perfectly with the Bright Brown Baby books, but I forgot how recent they were. Hey, Baby Girl! came out in October 2023, months after I posted https://sporkful.blogspot.com/2023/06/spotlight-on-andrea-davis-pinkney.html.

What I will add is that even if your baby is not brown, these types of books -- loving and affirming -- are good. Even white babies will be helped, not harmed, but seeing this kind of representation.

With Robert D. San Souci:

Cendrillon: A Caribbean Cinderella
Sukey and the Mermaid
The Boy and the Ghost
The Faithful Friend
Cut From the Same Cloth: American Women of Myth, Legend, and Tall Tales

I have mainly enjoyed these, but with his priority on being a folklorist, San Souci is often a bit wordy for children's books.

With Patricia McKissack:

Let's Clap, Jump, Sing and Shout: Dance, Spin, and Turn It Out!
The Dark-Thirty: Southern Tales of the Supernatural

I kind of associate McKissack with San Souci, though I think it is fair to call her more of a historian than a folklorist. Also, I like her writing better.

Other folklore:

The Ballad of Belle Dorcas by William H. Hooks
A Wave in Her Pocket: Stories from Trinidad by Lynn Joseph
The Elephant's Wrestling Match by Judy Sierra
The Story Teller by Derrick Gantt
In the Time of the Drums by Kim L. Siegelson
Busy-Busy Little Chick by Janice N. Harrington

I would probably recommend A Wave in Her Pocket and Busy-Busy Little Chick most out of this group.

History:

Jackie's Bat by Marybeth Lorbiecki
The Stone Lamp: Eight Stories of Hanukkah Through History by Karen Hesse
Happy Birthday Martin Luther King Jr. by Jean Marzolla
Harriet Tubman and Black History Month (Let's Celebrate) by Polly Carter
Julie Brown: Racing with the World by R.R. Knudsen

The last one may be questionable as "history" as this is a fairly recent athlete, but Julie Brown is a real person. I did not love her story, but that was more due to her coaches. Otherwise these are mostly fine, though none of them were my favorites.

For history, I find his work with Andrea to be more interesting. They make a good team.

With Carol Boston Weatherford:

Dreams for a Daughter
In Your Hands

Weatherford's writing is beautiful and inspirational.  

With music:

We Are One by Ysaye M. Barnwell
Little Diva by LaChanze
Hip-Hop Lollipop by Susan McElroy Monanari

Well, the last one does not have an official recording, but you can listen to it read aloud with a pretty good bass track, kind of like "Rapper's Delight":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhTTV6GjcIw&t=70s

There is also a similarly named song with Bootsy Collins and Fantaazma that I do not believe has any affiliation, but I also can't recommend it because to work in the lollipop they infantilize Fantaazma. Without being at all familiar with her, I think it sets a bad precedent.

With Maxine Rose Schur:

Day of Delight: A Jewish Sabbath in Ethiopia
When I Left My Village

The first book is an interesting account of a closely knit group and their communal Sabbath worship. That makes the disruption of the community by prejudice, governmental land changes, and necessary flight more heartbreaking.The protagonist's eventual arrival in Israel is supposed to be a happy resolution, but the displaced Ethopian Jews have historically faced prejudice in Israel as well, even without taking the current situation into account.

By Linda Sue Park:

Nya's Long Walk: One Step At a Time
A Long Walk to Water: Based on a True Story 

Pinkney did not illustrate the second book, which is a chapter book rather than a picture book. However, it was interesting to have the expanded story. We have another refugee story here, this time from Sudan.

Poetry Illustrations:

The Dream Keeper and Other Poems, by Langston Hughes
The Lost Zoo, by Countee Cullen
Jump Back Honey: The Poems of Paul Laurence Dunbar, by Paul Laurence Dunbar, with Ashley Brian, Carole Byard, Jan Spivey Gilchrist, and Jerry Pinkney

Honestly The Lost Zoo was a little too silly/not lyrical enough for me, though when Cullen is describing his relationship with his cat it strikes a chord. The other two collections are better, and of course overall these are some really important poets.

Pathways:

Where Does the Trail Lead? by Burton Albert
A Walk in the Woods by Nikki Grimes, with Jerry Pinkney

If Where Does the Trail Lead? (which I enjoyed) fit anywhere else, I would have put A Walk in the Woods by itself. 

I might have classified it under "working with family", but of course we have Brian's work with Andrea (his wife) and he collaborates with Jerry (his father) on Jump Back. In addition, there will be a later spotlight (next year) on work with his mother, Gloria Jean Pinkney. (Jerry will get his own spotlight then too.)

However, this one is different, and hits hard. 

Grimes was originally working on the book with Jerry Pinkney, who had completed the sketches but not added color when he died. Brian finished his father's work, and he finished it on a book about a boy grieving the loss of his father. 

It hurts but it is ultimately beautiful.

Plodding along

About a month later, I am no longer giddy. 

https://sporkful.blogspot.com/2024/03/in-good-place.html

I am not unhappy, but the euphoria has worn off. 

Part of this is that every thing I do seems to lead to more things to do. Sometimes there is a lot of hurry up and wait.

I had indicated this before, but I had a long list of jobs and programs that I wanted to look into, even before I quit.

Now I am doing that, but of course if you look into one program, and then you apply, you may have to wait for your application to be examined, or submit other materials.

Also, while I have not applied for that many jobs yet, I am getting a few rejections. They were expected, so that is not terrible, but that's why I'm not giddy.

I am guided by that long list.

Every Sunday I create a set of goals for the coming week. Then, each morning I figure out what things should be done today. (I will sometimes sort that out before I go to bed as well.)

I am getting a little better at setting realistic goals, but I am still not the most patient person.

This is the thing that is cool, though, and the reason I am sharing it.

A long list of things to do could be something that would weigh me down. If I did not have time to work at it, it would.

Instead, it is acting more like ballast. 

Why isn't something happening? Well, you still haven't done these things, Gina. In fact, there are some key things you won't get to until next week, and there are some important things for the week after that.

That is keeping me fairly well aligned, and that is helpful.

Plus, all the bills for this month are paid, we are well-stocked on groceries, and I take time to lay down with cats every day.

Those things really help, but so do achievable goals!

Spotlight on Amanda Gorman: Black History Month 2024

I had gotten out of the habit of reading poetry with these months, but this time around it occurred to me to read through Amanda Gorman.

Now, if I look at her Wikipedia entry there is some other work listed, but this was all I could find in books:

The Hill We Climb: An Inaugural Poem for the Country

Call Us What We Carry: Poems

Something, Someday (illustrated by Christian Robinson)

Change Sings: A Children's Anthem (illustrated by Loren Long)

I suspect that her other work may have appeared in literary magazines and student publications, so may not be too easy to locate.

What I found I enjoyed a lot.

I want to focus on Call Us What We Carry. 

If felt very much like a part of student work, but not because of the quality level. The quality was amazing.

As it was, the different sections played with different formats, and there were classical allusions but also bits of history and science. It reminded me of that mix of being a college student with so much information available all around you.

It was invigorating.

At the same time, it was a record of the pandemic, and the grief and fear that went with that.

It was emotional, and I felt that, but then what stuck with me was the ability to pull from so many sources and combine them into new, interesting, and evocative forms.

Gorman is incredibly skilled and so young that it is wonderful to think that we could have her and new work from her for many years. 

Opening up

Recently I wrote about noticing people having unmet needs for talking:

https://sporkful.blogspot.com/2024/03/shortcuts-in-speech.html 

I have a lot of sympathy for that, but there was something else recently that gave me some trepidation:

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15307068/ 

The Mother of All Lies is a 2023 Moroccan film that recently played at the Cascade Festival of African Films. 

The film is not linear.  

In 1981, heavy price increases for basic food supplies led to the Casablanca Bread Riots, which inspired a heavy government crackdown. The official government death toll was 66, but the opposition reported 637, which seems more likely.

To protect that lie, bodies were taken and dumped in a mass grave, buried over and locked away. 

One thing that aided the government's ability to tell their lie is that there is only one known photograph, and it doesn't show much.

The movie starts with a much simpler lie. When she was a child, director and narrator Asmae ElMoudir wondered why there were no pictures of her. Her mother said there was and brought her a photo, but it was a photo of three strangers.

Later it turns out that her mother stole that photo from the school, so her daughter would have something. There were no photos because grandmother (Asmae's mother's mother-in-law) forbade them. 

One early segment of the film reenacts young Asmae sneaking out and getting a photo taken and hiding it, the only photo of her when young.

From what we know at that point, Grandma is an old bag -- that is made clear early on -- and there is a nasty scene of her calling Asmae's mother a thief and a liar. The mother doesn't even deny those words, just repeating that it's her daughter and she will tell her what she wants. When her mother sees the picture Asmae took all those years ago, she commends her. "Good for you."

Still later we learn that the grandmother was married when she was twelve and gave birth to twins, who died shortly after having their photo taken.

Some rules about idolatry can seem to forbid photos of humans, but most people don't interpret them that way, perhaps unless the worst happens.

For Asmae, at the time she felt like with no photos you have no history. One can see how she got into film. 

As we go over national and family history, the re-enactments are done with little clay figures in a small replica of the neighborhood. Asmae's trip to the photographer happened there, but so did the Bread Riots, the subsequent arrests, and the disappearances.

Being in the space away from home (at home the walls have ears) and having those visual reminders -- to jog the memory but also to provide some distance -- is how Asmae gets her family members and two of their neighbors to talk about what happened. 

You would hope that over forty years later there would be no fear in talking about it, but even with a memorial, there are still protesters trying to get more information. They wave photos of their dead. One woman cannot get her sister declared dead unless she affirms that she died of natural causes. 

Using toys or drawings or other ways to get at trauma is not unknown, but the area where I started to get nervous was as people did start talking about the events, and how much it hurt them. One wished he were dead. 

They were struggling as they faced these memories, and I worried for them; were they gong to be okay?

There is so much more in the movie than that, but that was when I was most alarmed. Could they bear up under facing that past and speaking their pain?

I remember a period in my life when I felt so fragile that a kind word would have shattered me into a million pieces. I was just trying to hold it together.

And yet, in that non-linear film, it did seem that everyone was a bit lighter after they came out on the other side, including Grandma.

It can be okay, but it can be a messy process getting there. 

There can be a lot of drama that does not result in healing, but sometimes the only way to healing is through mess.

We need to be able to make space for that.

Daily Songs: February

This list of songs jumped all over the place. Much of it was inspired by reading, but not all.

First of all, one thing I enjoyed at Christmas was a White House video showing off some decorations with an ensemble from Dorrance Dance:

https://www.dorrancedance.com/

They used a jazzy version of the Waltz of the Flowers, "Dance of the Floreadores", by Duke Ellington.

I had almost started the next idea, but then some people being ridiculous about the Grammys inspired me to include not just "Fast Car" but also two other songs where you have Black people participating in country. 

https://sporkful.blogspot.com/2024/02/fast-car-discourse.html 

"Texas Hold 'Em" wasn't even out yet! What is wrong with people?

I had also started thinking about the different songs that related to books I had been reading. That was especially true of books by Jerry Pinkney and Brian Pinkney. That is where we get "We Are...". "Little Diva", "Swing Shift", and "God Bless the Child". 

They also worked on a book with Gloria Jean Pinkney, Music From Our Lord's Holy Heaven. She recorded songs for it, and there was a CD included, but they are not on the internet. Mahalia Jackson's version of "Go Tell It On the Mountain" was used as a nod toward that.

I am still going through the works of Jerry and Gloria Jean, Brian's parents, but I did finally finish going through the work of Brian himself, and there will be a spotlight on him.

(You may remember a previous spotlight on his wife Andrea.)

I also focused on the poetry of Amanda Gorman this Black History month (that will be another spotlight) and Change Sings really did seem to sing. I did find a version set to music. I don't know that it is officially endorsed, but I used it.

That is not very many songs.

In terms of things that were missing, it really feels like there could be some good songs from the work of Paul Laurance Dunbar. I suspect there are some, but I didn't know where to find them. (I have read some of his poetry before, but there was an illustrated collection that both illustrating Pinkneys contributed to that came up recently.)

Also, Amerie is a singer, and it really seems like You Will Do Great Things could work sung.

Most of the remaining songs came from listening to some artists from Rip It Up: The Black Experience in Rock 'n' Roll, edited by Kandia Crazy Horse.

https://sporkful.blogspot.com/2023/09/black-music-month-2023-final-thoughts.html

I have so many bands to listen to, from both her and Maureen Mahon's writing; this is just a drop in the bucket, but I am glad I at least got that drop in.

And for Leap Day, I don't see how it could have been anything but "Jump". 

You may notice that even though this February had an extra day, that I still went one day into March. I wanted the next segment to be equally divisible by ten.

More on that later!

Songs:

2/1 “Dance of the Floreadores” by Duke Ellington
2/2 “We Are...” by Sweet Honey in the Rock
2/3 “Little Diva” by LaChanze
2/4 “Swing Shift” by International Sweethearts of Rhythm
2/5 “Fast Car” by Tracy Chapman
2/6 "Old Town Road" by Lil Nas X ft. Billy Ray Cyrus
2/7 “Mountain of Love” by Charley Pride
2/8 “Last White Christmas” by Basement 5
2/9 “Black Lightning” by the BellRays
2/10 “Cola Bottle Baby” by Edwin Birdsong
2/11 “Go Tell It On the Mountain” by Mahalia Jackson
2/12 “Somebody Up There” by The Blackberries
2/13 “Forbidden Love” by Bronx Style Bob
2/14 “Steppin' Out Tonight” by Beckie Bell
2/15 “Civil Rights” by The Bus Boys
2/16 “Wishes” by Jon Butcher
2/17 “Time Has Come Today” by The Chambers Brothers
2/18 “My Mom” by Chocolate Genius
2/19 “Parting Ways” by Cody Chesnutt
2/20 “Finally Peacefull” by Sam Clayton
2/21 “Searching For the Right Door” by Billy Cobham
2/22 “Bumble Bee Blues” by Papa John Creach
2/23 “Killing Floor” by The Electric Flag
2/24 “Baby Come Back” by The Equals
2/25 “Ghetto Heaven” by The Family Stand
2/26 ”Can You Get To That” by Funkadelic
2/27 “Hero In Me” by Jeffrey Gaines
2/28 “God Bless the Child” by Billie Holiday
2/29 “Jump (For My Love)” by The Pointer Sisters
3/1 “Change Sings” by Felix Glenn