October 1, 2009
Grades 1-3 In this powerful picture book in the Tales of Young Americans series, childhood under slavery is the story. Whelan details the hard labor and daily struggle; the constant terror of family breakup; and also a childs particular power to spy and eavesdrop. With a spare, lyrical narrative, young Ella May tells how she picks cotton with the adults from dawn to dusk. Then, after supper, she and her young friends have more work to do: hunched down in the shadowy bushes by the masters mansion, the children listen in on their owners and bring the news back home. They hear that the master has turned down an offer to sell his best worker, Ella Mays daddy. Bennys unframed, dusk-toned, double-page paintings emphasize the stark contrast between slave shacks and plantation mansion. Most moving are the two full-page portraits showing Ella Mays bond with Daddy as he tells her to listen hard: good news about freedom is coming.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)
January 1, 2010
Three slave children including Ella May, the story's narrator, hide near their master's home to listen for news. This is how they learn, for example, that Lincoln has won the election. The text, while occasionally informative, is stilted. The paintings can be awkwardly exaggerated, but the muted palette lends gravitas to the tale.
(Copyright 2010 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)