Dear Benjamin Banneker [Paperback]

Andrea Davis Pinkney (Author), Brian Pinkney (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 6 and up | Grade Level: 1 and up

Benjamin Banneker was born free when most blacks in this country were still enslaved. But it troubled him that not all blacks were free. An accomplished astronomer and mathematician, he decided to take a stand against slavery by writing to then-Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson. This is the story of their extraordinary correspondence.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Banneker, an 18th-century astronomer and mathematician, was a free African American who corresponded with Thomas Jefferson about ending slavery. In a starred review, PW called this illustrated biography "a memorable portrait." Ages 6-10.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 1-3-This look at the life and times of the 18th-century black scientist is accompanied by Brian Pinkney's full-page masterful and luminous scratchboard/ oil paintings. Andrea Pinkney provides a basic outline of her subject's youth and years as a tobacco farmer, his passion for learning and interest in astronomy, and his decision to write an almanac. She focuses the account on an exchange of letters in 1791, when Banneker sent a copy of his newly printed almanac to Thomas Jefferson, then U.S. Secretary of State, and chastised him for keeping slaves. The reply sounds like a polite brush-off, and Jefferson made no acknowledgement of the dichotomy between his Declaration of Independence and his ownership of slaves. The quoting of these letters in the prose of the time forces the inclusion of vocabulary and syntax several levels above that of the audience for which the book seems intended. Although the bare-bones details are here, he does not come alive; while the art is lovely, the text offers just a glimpse at this remarkable man's accomplishments. The author states that the publishing of Banneker's almanac "showed everybody that indeed all men are created equal." Since the almanac reached a limited audience, one wonders how many people at the time even knew who Banneker was, or about his ethnic background. Although the book is more accessible to younger readers than Jeri Ferris's What Are You Figuring Now? (Carolrhoda, 1988), it may not hold their attention.
Martha Rosen, Edgewood School, Scarsdale, NY
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 6 and up
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Sandpiper (September 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0152018921
• ISBN-13: 978-0152018924
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.1 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #267,594 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #73 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > History & Historical Fiction > United States > Colonial & Revolutionary

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Benjamin + Molly, March 10, 2007

By 

J. Baird (Spokane, Washington) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Dear Benjamin Banneker (Paperback)

I bought Dear Benjamin Banneker, because I had read Molly Bannekey to my second graders (as part of lessons on "questioning") and my students loved Molly Bannekey. At the end of Molly Bannekey, she is sitting with a grandson named Benjamin. We wanted to see if this was the same Benjamin - and it was. The content and vocabulary is a little difficult for second graders, but it has some nice tie-ins to Martin Luther King, Jr. and the fight for equal rights. It would also be very appropriate for immediate grades and studies on colonial America.

5.0 out of 5 stars Poignant Lesson in American History, March 18, 2011

By 

Assoc For Natural Psych "world of nature" (Newark, NJ) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dear Benjamin Banneker (Paperback)

The story of Benjamin Banneker as related in this children's book is poignant, with a fine moral lesson. I should know the story better than I do, but what I do know is from this children's book from a fifth grade classroom. Banneker created and published an Almanac, was a student of science and astronomy, and was also a descendant of slaves.

He wrote Thomas Jefferson who penned the Declaration of Independence, that "all men are created equal," sending with his letter the Almanac he was responsible for publishing, which more or less made unquestionable the equality of intelligence and humanity the African Americans who escaped from slavery, and questioned if Jefferson truly believed the words that he wrote. Why, then did Jefferson continue to have slaves? Jefferson wrote Banneker back, complimenting him, agreeing with him, but at that same time, it is uncertain whether it affected Jefferson's practices in owning slaves. It is not stated that Jefferson mistreated slaves, but still and all, the concept of owning another human being was something that Banneker questioned Jefferson on.

A powerful lesson in a simple format, every classroom in the United States, or any other country that has had African slaves, should have this book. Children should know the story and teachers should use this valuable historical lesson.