28 Days: Moments in Black History that Changed the World

by Charles R. Smith Jr., Shane W. Evans (Illustrator)

Overview

Each day features a different influential figure in African-American history, from Crispus Attucks, the first man shot in the Boston Massacre, sparking the Revolutionary War, to Madame C. J. Walker, who after years of adversity became the wealthiest black woman in the country, as well as one of the wealthiest black Americans, to Barack Obama, the country's first African-American president.

With powerful illustrations by Shane Evans, this is a completely unique look at the importance and influence of African Americans on the history of this country.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781596438200
Publisher:	Roaring Brook Press
Publication date:	01/13/2015
Pages:	56
Sales rank:	290,562
Product dimensions:	9.70(w) x 11.70(h) x 0.60(d)
Lexile:	NC1080L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 10 Years

About the Author

Charles Smith Jr. is a celebrated author, poet, and photographer. He has created more than twenty books, including award-winning book Twelve Rounds to Glory: The Story of Muhammad Ali and Black Jack: The Ballad of Jack Johnson. He currently lives in Poughkeepsie, New York, with his wife, Gillian, and three kids, Sabine, Adrian, and Sebastian.
Shane W. Evans has illustrated numerous books for children, including Black Jack: The Ballad of Jack Johnson, Underground, winner of the Coretta Scott King Award, and We March, recipient of three starred reviews and named a Jane Addams Honor Book, all for Roaring Brook Press. He lives with his family in Kansas City, Missouri.

Editorial Reviews

11/24/2014
In recognition of Black History Month, the creators of Black Jack offer 28 capsule tributes to African-American history and culture, spotlighting both celebrated and lesser-known figures, incidents, and legislation. Smith—who, in an introduction, discusses his own “love-hate relationship with Black History Month” and his concerns about “ignoring the other eleven months” of the year—mingles narrative styles to suit his subjects. Eloquent prose passages eulogize Harriet Tubman and businesswoman and philanthropist Madam C.J. Walker, rhythmic free verse celebrates singer Marian Anderson, and energetic poems commemorate such athletes as Wilma Rudolph, Hank Aaron, and Arthur Ashe. Smith also provides relevant primary source material, including excerpts from the Dred Scott decision, Plessy v. Ferguson, and Brown v. Board of Education. Expressively evoking a range of time periods and personalities, Evans’s bold, collagelike illustrations pull together penetrating portraits, symbolic backdrops, and dramatic silhouettes. Succinct biographical info, included throughout, further cements the value and utility of the project, both in and out of the classroom. Ages 4–10. Author’s agent: Miriam Altshuler, Miriam Altshuler Literary Agency. Illustrator’s agent: Rebecca Sherman, Writers House. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

* Fuelded by childhood memories of hearing the same Black History Month stories about the same people and events told the same way over and over, Smith, sought to convey the importance and relevance of African American contributions and milestones in a fresh, engaging manner . . . An inspiring, fresh take on a perennial topic.” —Booklist, STARRED REVIEW

“Succinct biographical info, included throughout, further cements the value and utility of the project, both in and out of the classroom.” —Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

01/01/2015
Gr 2–5—Smith tells readers in an author's note that he has "always had a love-hate relationship with Black History Month." Together with Evans, he presents 28 brief descriptions of crucial people or events in black history, ranging from 1770 to the present. Text formats include poetry, quotations, eulogies, and plays on numbers (a countdown recognizes astronauts Guion Bluford and Mae Jemison). The poetry stands out for its use of concrete form (the poem about tennis players Althea Gibson and Arthur Ashe bounces across the page) and its wordplay (singer Marian Anderson's poem incorporates one of her best-known songs). Expanding on Evans's highly textured Underground: Finding the Light to Freedom (Roaring Brook, 2011) and other works, the collage-style art matches line and color palettes to the mood of each event (for example, Martin Luther King Jr. is shown speaking against a background of outward-expanding lines of yellows and oranges). The physical book sometimes becomes part of the illustration, as when the gutter separates a black family from a white one on the pages about the separate but equal doctrine, and the boundaries between words and pictures are sometimes blurred, as when Jackie Robinson literally hits words such as inequality and prejudice out of the park. A final 29th day challenges readers to make history for themselves, and a bibliography invites further exploration. Highly recommended as a reference book, an example of poetic forms, and a work of art.—Jill Ratzan, I. L. Peretz Community Jewish School, Somerset, NJ

School Library Journal

★ 2014-10-22
Three pivotal Supreme Court cases, one amendment, and 25 great men and women make for memorable entries. Smith opens the 28 days of Black History Month with Crispus Attucks, who was a slave and a patriot in Colonial Boston, and concludes with Barack Obama, the 44th president. Moving chronologically, he presents names from the armed forces, medicine, sports, performing arts, exploration, business and civil rights activism. The entries vary from poetry to prose, dramatically making the point that each is individually an important person or decision, vital to our understanding of African-American history. Althea Gibson and Arthur Ashe are represented in a poem for two voices. Harriet Tubman and Madame C.J. Walker are eulogized. Marian Anderson's poem incorporates words from "My Country 'Tis of Thee." Malcolm X is honored with an acrostic poem centered on "By any means necessary." Nelson Mandela, the one international citizen, is accorded a chant. Brief paragraphs provide background notes. Day 29 is aimed at children, exhorting them to "add to history." Evans' digitally manipulated collage-and-oil artwork is brilliant, with bright colors and broad images that are powerful, poignant and heroic. Matthew Henson holds an American flag, Rosa Parks is in handcuffs, and the Little Rock Nine hold books while segregationists stand behind them with their fists raised. A stellar achievement for the whole year—not just its shortest month. (author's note, bibliography) (Informational picture book/poetry. 4-10)

Kirkus Reviews