Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast

Yes, lots of folks are visiting today.

First up, today over at Kirkus, I write a bit about two Maurice Sendak reissues. That link is here. (Just yesterday a friend sent me this link, too. Wow.)

Last week at Kirkus was “Going Beyond Black History Month.” Today, I share art from the books mentioned in that column, but I’ve got two added-extras: Author Charles R. Smith Jr. visits briefly to talk some about Brick by Brick, and I’ve also got some woodcuts from Andrea Cheng’s Etched in Clay: The Life of Dave, Enslaved Potter and Poet. This is a collection of free verse poems about the life of the potter, which was just released last month by Lee & Low Books. The book is filled with Andrea’s stark, beautiful woodcuts. I’m still reading this one — and enjoying it. Here is Kirkus’ starred review of the book.

Let’s get right to the art and the brief chat with Charles. You will see art below from the following books (illustrations from each book, followed by the book cover); all of these books were included in last week’s column, with the exception of Cheng’s:

• Charles R. Smith Jr.’s Brick by Brick, illustrated by Floyd Cooper (Amistad/HarperCollins, 2013)
• Lesa-Clina Ransome’s Light in the Darkness: A Story About How Slaves Learned in Secret, illustrated by James E. Ransome (Disney/Jump at the Sun, 2013)
• Nelson Mandela by Kadir Nelson (Katherine Tegen Books/HarperCollins, 2013)
• Etched in Clay: The Life of Dave, Enslaved Potter and Poet by Andrea Cheng (with woodcuts from Ms. Cheng), published by Lee & Low Books (2013)
• Fifty Cents and a Dream: Young Booker T. Washington, written by Jabari Asim and illustrated by Bryan Collier (Little, Brown, 2012)
• In the Land of Milk and Honey, written by Joyce Carol Thomas and illustrated by Floyd Cooper (Amistad/HarperCollins, 2012)

On a related note, there’s this from Robin Smith at BookPage.

Enjoy the art.

Charles R. Smith Jr. (pictured right) on Brick by Brick: “The idea for this book actually came from my editor at Harper. She had a book from the adult division about George Washington and read something about how the White House was built. She didn’t know much beyond that but thought it would make for a compelling book.

The research was not easy, since it’s not a well-covered topic. I found a few books that mentioned it only a little, but I hit the jackpot when I came across an out-of-print book that the author posted online. It basically showed, step by step, the process of planning and then building the White House. The only problem was that there was so much information, I had to weed through it all to create an easy-to-follow story of, basically, a house being built in the middle of nowhere. Ultimately, I focused on how the work the slaves did would now be done by machines, but since those machines didn’t exist, I had to show the physical toll it took. That led me to focusing on the hands of each worker and use of the word ‘hands’ in general. Because, as I mention in my end note, ‘hand’ not only refers to a body part, but it also refers to someone who helps.

Through my research, I came across ledgers of names of slaves used in various jobs and added them to the story to bring those names to life. Too often we think of slaves with no names or faces, and it was important to remind readers that the monumental task of clearing a forest and building a house were done by humans with none of the modern equipment we have access to today.

Once the research was complete, I needed a way to tell the story in a simple way. I learned that slaves that worked in the cotton fields would sing songs that set a work cadence and helped pass the time, so I wrote the poem in that style. The rhythm and cadence is slow but methodical — with key words and phrases repeated for emphasis and effect. In the end, it gives a nice rhythm to the book and makes it easy to read outloud.“

Incidentally, I asked Charles what is next for him, since I was curious. His response:

“I am currently at work on a novel that centers around mixed martial arts (MMA), as I have been a fan for years. Not many novels exist on it as a sport, and I look to create, not just one, but many others on the subject for years to come.

This summer, I have a picture book coming out that I wrote and did the photos for, called I Am The World [Atheneum Books for Young Readers]. It celebrates the diversity of cultures here in America by showing different foods, language, music, and clothing brought here from other countries. I had a lot of fun doing the book and look forward to it coming out.“

ETCHED IN CLAY: THE LIFE OF DAVE, ENSLAVED POTTER AND POET. Copyright © 2013 by Andrea Chang. Published by Lee & Low Books, Inc., New York. Illustrations used with permission of the publisher.

IN THE LAND OF MILK AND HONEY. Copyright © 2012 by Joyce Carol Thomas. Illustrations © 2012 by Floyd Cooper. Published by Amistad, an imprint of HarperCollins, New York. Spreads used with permission of the publisher.