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.