Barack Obama: Son of Promise, Child of Hope

by Nikki Grimes, Bryan Collier (Illustrator)

Overview

The #1 New York Times bestselling picture-book biography of President Barack Obama.

Ever since Barack Obama was young, Hope has lived inside him. From the beaches of Hawaii to the streets of Chicago, from the jungles of Indonesia to the plains of Kenya, he has held on to Hope. Even as a boy, Barack knew he wasn’t quite like anybody else, but through his journeys he found the ability to listen to Hope and become what he was meant to be: a bridge to bring people together.

This is the moving story of our 44th President, told by Nikki Grimes and illustrated by Bryan Collier, both winners of the Coretta Scott King Award. Barack Obama has motivated Americans to believe with him, to believe that every one of us has the power to change ourselves and change our world.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781442440920
Publisher:	Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers
Publication date:	01/24/2012
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	48
Product dimensions:	9.80(w) x 9.80(h) x 0.30(d)
Age Range:	5 - 8 Years

About the Author

Nikki Grimes is the recipient of the 2006 NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children. Her distinguished works include the ALA Notable book What Is Goodbye?, as well as the novels Jazmin’s Notebook, Dark Sons, and The Road to Paris, all of them Coretta Scott King Author Honor Books. She won the Coretta Scott King Author Award for Bronx Masquerade. Ms. Grimes lives in Corona, California. Visit Nikki at NikkiGrimes.com.

Bryan Collier is a beloved illustrator known for his unique style combining watercolor and detailed collage. He is a four-time Caldecott Honor recipient for Trombone Shorty, Dave the Potter, Martin’s Big Words, and Rosa. His books have won many other awards as well, including six Coretta Scott King Illustrator Awards. His recent books include By and By, Thurgood, The Five O’Clock Band, and Between the Lines. He lives in New York with his family.

Interviews

An Interview with Nikki Grimes

Q: There is so much information out there about Senator Obama, especially in these past few months. What inspired you to write a children's book about Barack Obama?

A: Initially, the project was brought to me by editors Justin Chanda and Alexandra Cooper. At the time, all I knew about Barack Obama is that he was a rising star in the Democratic Party, and that he'd thrown his hat in the ring to campaign for his party's nomination for President. That, in itself, had me intrigued. Then, as I researched his life, I discovered a rich story, parts of which (spear fishing in Hawaii, pet gibbons and pet crocodiles in Djakarta) virtually screamed kid-appeal. And it was a story bound to have enormous resonance with many of today's children who, like Obama was, are being raised by single parents, or who live with grandparents, or who wrestle with the impact of an absent father. Most importantly, his story is one of triumph, and children cannot read too many stories of winning against all odds. Such stories are especially important for children of color.

Q: Tell me about the research you did prior to writing this book.

A: The time frame for this book was short, and so I put myself on a daily reading regimen. I began with Obama's elegantly written memoir, Dreams from My Father, read parts of The Audacity of Hope, devoured countless speeches, quotes, audio clips and articles; and read an earlier juvenile biography by Marlene Targ Brill.

Q: How were you able to make Barack Obama's complicated life story age-appropriate and accessible for young children?

A: That is always the challenge. The only trick to it is to look at the material through a child's eyes. The other key is to simplify, simplify, simplify. For instance, rather than attempting to explain Obama's legislative work on the state level, or even the intricacies of street organizing, I focused on the goals of that work: to get people involved in the issues, to bring them together, to try to make life better for everyone. Those are concepts a child can wrap his mind around. Every aspect of Obama's complex story had to be simplified, to some extent. It isn't merely a matter of using a limited vocabulary. One has to keep in mind what is socially and emotionally age-appropriate, as well. In general, though, poetry is the perfect genre for compressing complex stories into a relatively small and accessible format. And, again, there was much in his story that had resonance for young readers.

Q: What do you hope children will retain after reading this book?

A: That no matter where you begin in life, no matter what the color of your skin, if you believe in yourself, if you apply yourself, if you remember that God has a dream for you bigger than you can imagine, then anything is possible. The sky is truly the limit, and that sky now includes the possibility of becoming President of the United States of America.

Q: Why do you think it is important for children to be informed about our election process?

A: Because our democracy is one of the greatest things they will inherit. It is important for them to understand how it works, and the role each of us plays as citizens. Books such as Barack Obama: Son of Promise, Child of Hope won't necessarily teach them about the process of government, but it will open the discussion. If we can get children excited about the personalities in government, it's a short step to energizing their interest in the workings of that government.

Q: What are you working on next?

A: Two young adult novels and a picture book of historical fiction. I always seem to be juggling projects!

Editorial Reviews

This beautifully illustrated biography relates the inspiring story of Barack Obama, the first African American to become president of the United States. By the author of the Coretta Scott King Honor Books Road to Paris and Jazmin's Notebook.

"One day Hope stopped by for a visit," begins this biography, narrowly framed as an exchange between an African-American mother and her son. They sit together on a "frayed" sofa in a "tenement" as she tells him who "Braco-what?" is and why he is so special; at the end she blinks back tears when he tells her that he, too, wants to be president when he grows up. (Hope later talks to Barack Obama, as does God.) Grimes (Bronx Masquerade) approaches her themes with a heavy hand, starting with her treatment of race as she describes "his mama, white as whipped cream,/ his daddy, black as ink" (she gets at awe similarly: "Barry's mom married/ a man named Lolo/ and-Oh! The wonderland/ he took Barry to: Indonesia"). Collier uses watercolor and collage, a choice he explains as a metaphor for the way Obama has "piece[d] life's issues together to create a courageous vision for the world." There is much to find in each composition (artfully placed photo images, batik patterns, etc.), but the illustrations often feel static and a few (like the one in which a single tear streams momentously down Obama's cheek), stagy. Ages 5-10. (Aug.)

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Publishers Weekly

K-Gr 5

A bright child of humble background is encouraged by the adults around him to believe that he is capable of doing anything he wants to do. Sound familiar? It's called the American Dream, and the boy is Barack Obama, a biracial child who has gone on to change the course of history. This picture-book biography serves to educate children not only about Obama's journey thus far, but also to connect his circumstances to their own. In particular, children of color now know that they too have boundless potential. Grimes's imagery, however, is occasionally overblown as both Hope and God speak directly to Obama. His impressive life story needs no inflating, and the heavy imagery gets in the way of the message. Collier's vivid watercolor and collage artwork brings the varied aspects of the man's life together. From the sparkling beaches of Hawaii where he played as a child to the brown, arid village in Kenya where his father was buried, readers see Obama always reaching toward the future. Despite the overly laudatory tone, this book is an appealing addition to biography collections.-Joan Kindig, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA

School Library Journal

When David wonders why all those people on TV are shouting one man's name, his mother tells him Barack Obama's story. Accompanied by Collier's trademark, powerful collages, Grimes's storytelling voice, heavily tinged with the gospel rhythms of the black church, relates the particulars of Obama's youth, from his childhood in Hawaii and yearning for his estranged father, to his days as a community activist in Illinois, in the Senate and, most briefly, his presidential campaign. David's questions and his mother's responses punctuate each double-page spread, never letting readers forget the story's frame. It's a contrivance that works, perhaps because it's so obviously informed by the author's own passion, described in a concluding note. Based primarily on Obama's Dreams from My Father (2004) as well as other sources, this work stands on shaky nonfiction ground, as Grimes admits to taking artistic license; most troubling are unsourced quotations within the text. Still, of the three candidates' picture-book biographies out this season, this stands as the one most likely to communicate to children on a visceral level. (author's, illustrator's notes, resources, timeline, family tree) (Picture book/biography. 5-10)

Kirkus Reviews