An American Story by Kwame Alexander and There Was a Party for Langston by Jason Reynolds

 

On Sunday, I read two picture books: There Was a Party for Langston by Jason Reynolds and An American Story by Kwame Alexander. There Was a Party for Langston tells the story of Langston Hughes and a party that was held in his honor at the New York Public Library's Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in February 1991. Many African American authors attended this event, including Maya Angelou and Amiri Baraka who were caught dancing together.

This picture book was both fun and informational. I enjoy learning more about Langston Hughes, Maya Angelou, and Amiri Baraka through the writing of the story, and it was really neat how the illustrators, Jerome Pumphrey and Jarrett Pumphrey, used handmade stamps to create the pictures. I especially loved how they incorporated words into the illustrations. I think it shows how Langston Hughes was "the king of letters" and a "word maker" as the story describes him. The scenes from the party were playful and joyful and made me want to join the guests. I liked seeing that the library can be a place for celebration. At the end, there is a note from the author, Jason Reynolds, explaining his inspiration for writing the book. There Was a Party for Langston is a book for all ages and anyone should read it.

Nonfiction in nature, An American Story explains the history of slavery as told by a teacher, Ms. Simmons, to her class. People were stolen from their villages in Africa and taken on crowded ships in chains across the Atlantic to America where they were sold and had to work in fields and homes owned by white people for free. They weren't allowed to learn how to read and write and sometimes families were even split up. Despite the hardships, they were resilient and never lost hope that they would be free someday.

Covering a topic that is difficult to discuss, this picture book is powerful. The author, Kwame Alexander, did a commendable job of explaining slavery for children. As I was reading, I got a sense of how painful it was for Ms. Simmons to tell her students the story of slavery. It made me so sad and angry that something like slavery could happen because people are people no matter what they look like. I especially liked the message that it's important to tell the truth even when it's hard as Ms. Simmons's students remind her. I also thought the mixed-media illustrations by Dare Coulter were absolutely beautiful. When I read that some of the illustrations were sculptures, I was stunned because she used them so seamlessly with paintings and drawings. I had to take a second or third look at some of the illustrations to see how she created them. She is really an amazing artist, and I'll definitely keep a look out for books illustrated by her in the future. Finally, because slavery is a horrific part of American history, I appreciated the moments of hope and strength in An American Story. At the end of the book, there are notes from both the author and the illustrator. Although this book is written for children, I recommend it to everyone.