Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans (Jane Addams Honor Book (Awards)) [Hardcover]

Kadir Nelson (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Release date: September 27, 2011 | Age Range: 6 - 10 years | Series: Jane Addams Honor Book (Awards) | Lexile Measure: 1050L (What's this?)

The story of America and African Americans is a story of hope and inspiration and unwavering courage. But it is also the story of injustice; of a country divided by law, education, and wealth; of a people whose struggles and achievements helped define their country. This is the story of the men, women, and children who toiled in the hot sun picking cotton for their masters; it’s about the America ripped in two by Jim Crow laws; it’s about the brothers and sisters of all colors who rallied against those who would dare bar a child from an education. It’s a story of discrimination and broken promises, determination and triumphs.

Kadir Nelson, one of this generation’s most accomplished, award-winning artists, has created an epic yet intimate introduction to the history of America and African Americans, from colonial days through the civil rights movement. Written in the voice of an “Everywoman,” an unnamed narrator whose forebears came to this country on slave ships and who lived to cast her vote for the first African American president, heart and soul touches on some of the great transformative events and small victories of that history. This inspiring book demonstrates that in gaining their freedom and equal rights, African Americans helped our country achieve its promise of liberty and justice—the true heart and soul of our nation.

Editorial Reviews

Review

As in WE ARE THE SHIP, Nelson knits together the nation’s proudest moments with its most shameful, taking on the whole of African-American history. He handles this vast subject with easy grace. [Nelson’s] jaw-dropping portraits radiate determination and strength. A tremendous achievement. (Publishers Weekly (starred review))

The dramatic oil paintings heighten the dignity of this story, whether they are of well-known historical figures, common folk or landscape…This intimate narrative makes the stories accessible to young readers and powerfully conveys how personal this history feels for many African-Americans. (Kirkus Reviews (starred review))

Nelson…adds to his notable titles with this powerful view of African American history. Illustrated with 44 full-page paintings, this handsome volume is told in the fictionalized, informal voice of an African American senior looking back on her life and remembering what her elders told her. (Booklist (starred review))

Provocative and powerful, this book offers a much-needed perspective for individuals of all ages seeking to understand America’s past and present. (School Library Journal (starred review))

Nelson effectively creates a voice that is at once singular and representative. A tour de force in the career of an author/artist who continues to outdo himself. (Horn Book (starred review))

About the Author

Kadir Nelson is one of the most accomplished, award-winning illustrators working today. He won the 2012 Coretta Scott King Author Award and Illustrator Honor for Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans. He received Caldecott Honors for Henry's Freedom Box by Ellen Levine and Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom by Carole Boston Weatherford, for which he also garnered a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award and won an NAACP Image Award. Ellington Was Not a Street by Ntozake Shange won a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award. Nelson's authorial debut, We Are the Ship, was a New York Times bestseller, a Coretta Scott King Author Award winner, and a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor book. Kadir Nelson lives in Southern California.

Product Details

• Age Range: 6 - 10 years
  
• Hardcover: 108 pages
• Publisher: Balzer + Bray (September 27, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061730742
• ISBN-13: 978-0061730740
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 11.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 31.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #147,976 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Kadir Nelson's award-winning books include Ellington Was Not a Street by Ntozake Shange, which won the Coretta Scott King Award and was an ALA Notable Children's Book; and Just the Two of Us by Will Smith, which received an NAACP Image Award. Mr. Nelson lives in San Diego, California, with his wife and two daughters.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars When I Finished It... October 4, 2011

By Portianay VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

... I actually physically hugged the book to me, (and I am not known as a hugger!) and had tears in my eyes. It is that profound. I heard the author interviewed on NPR the other day, and was excited, because I knew I had already ordered it for our public library's children's collection. When it got here, I could hardly wait to read it! I was not disappointed! I pride myself on my civil rights collection in our children's department, and am always thankful for my upbringing in yes, a white family of the sixties (I am 52 now), but by parents who admired Dr. King and believed in him. So, I have a keen interest in new books on this topic. This one is a delight, from start to finish, yes, even the "hard" things one must read in this history. The illustrations are so very beautiful, they are breathtaking.
When I put out a display of books on this topic, it is such a relief to have books that I can give to a small child without worrying, can he/she handle this yet? There will be time, as they grow, for the Emmett Till horror, the lynchings, and so terribly much more! But when they are small, still, I need for them, and for their parents, to have a way to discuss this without causing night terrors. This book fills that need.
Bless you, Mr. Nelson! You were a delight on the radio, and this book is a delight in our library!

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Heart and Soul / I fell in love with it October 23, 2011

By E. R. Bird HALL OF FAMETOP 500 REVIEWER

Format:Hardcover

Humans tend to be a highly visual species. When folks tell you not to judge a book by its cover, that's an optimistic sentiment rather than a rule. People like to judge by covers. Often we haven't time to inspect the contents of all the books we see, so the jackets bear the brunt of our inherent skepticism. With this in mind, Kadir Nelson has always had an edge on the competition. If the man wants to get you to pick up a book, he will get you to pick up a book. You often get a feeling that while he doesn't really care when it comes to the various celebrities he's created books for over the years (Spike Lee, Debbie Allen, Michael Jordan's sister, etc.) when it's his own book, though, THAT is when he breaks out the good brushes. Nelson wrote "We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball" a couple years ago to rave reviews. Now he's dug a little deeper to provide us with the kind of title we've needed for years. "Heart and Soul" gives us a true overview of African Americans from start to near finish with pictures that draw in readers from the cover onwards. This is the title every library should own. The book has heart. The pictures have soul.

An old woman stands in front of a portrait in the Capitol rotunda in Washington D.C. Bent over she regards the art there, recounting how it was black hands that built the Capitol from sandstone. "Strange though . . . nary a black face in all those pretty pictures." Looking at them you would swear black people hadn't been here from the start, but that's simply not true. With that, the woman launches into the history of both our nation and the African Americans living in it, sometimes through the lens of her own family.... From Revolutionary War soldiers to slavers, from cowboys to union men, the book manages in a scant twelve chapters to offer us a synthesized history of a race in the context of a nation's growth. An Author's Note rounds out the book, along with a Timeline, a Bibliography, and an Index.

Kadir Nelson, insofar as I can tell, enjoys driving librarian catalogers mad. When he wrote "We Are the Ship" some years ago he decided to narrate it with a kind of collective voice. The ballplayers who played in the Negro Leagues speak as one. Normally that would slip a book directly into the "fiction" category, were it not for the fact that all that "they" talk about are historical facts. Facts upon facts. Facts upon facts upon facts. So libraries generally slotted that one into their nonfiction sections (the baseball section, if we're going to be precise) and that was that. Now "Heart and Soul" comes out and Nelson has, in a sense, upped the ante. Again the narrator is fictional, but this time she's a lot more engaged. The Greek chorus of baseball players in the last book spoke as a group and so the normally fastidious catalogers could look the other way. The old woman telling the tale in this book, in contrast, mentions family members, her opinion on various matters, and all kinds of personal details. She also, however, gives a good historical encapsulation of the past. With her voice, Nelson makes the book personal and gives it a bit of child-friendlier zing. In doing so, though, he's going to drive folks who like books to sit squarely in one section or another nuts.

One criticism lobbed at the book is an opinion that Nelson's encapsulation of history is too slight. Too oversimplified or overgeneralized. I think instead that what we're dealing with here is an overview. An overview, mind you, of the overlooked. I don't know about your children's library shelves but mine aren't exactly full to bursting with encapsulations of the vast swath of African-American American history created in as engaging a matter as this little number. In making this book, Nelson has had to boil down great complex moments and ideas into their simplest forms. It's wonderful to see what's taken his attention here too. The choice to open with "The Baptism of Pocahontas" in the Capitol rotunda of Washington D.C. is an inspired choice. From there Nelson starts right off by pointing out that for as long as America has been colonized, black people have been there alongside the colonizers. You get to see George Washington with one of his slaves (a nice visual companion piece to other 2011 books like "Jefferson's Sons" by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley), and blacks who fought in the Revolutionary War (pair with "Forge" by Laurie Halse Anderson). The book hits a lot of the usual history like slavery, Reconstruction, and the Civil Rights Movement but it also finds time for things like The Great Migration (a topic I know I never heard mentioned when I was a kid), the role of WWI in the lives of black people, and how people were divided over Booker T. Washington. I was particularly taken with a section that gives attention to black women's roles in getting women the vote. Nelson's selections cannot possibly please every reader, but I'd say that when it comes to pinpointing the top moments, he has good taste.

That said, while I didn't find the book to oversimplify as a whole, I did find individual sections would winnow down a moment or a person too far to be wholly understood without already having some history under your belt. One instance of this is when Nelson discusses Abraham Lincoln. After bringing up the Kansas-Nebraska Act Nelson's narrator says, "It put fire in the bellies of abolition folks all over the Union, including a country lawyer named Abraham Lincoln. Because of it, that fellow decided to run for president." I'm not saying that statement is necessarily untrue, but it sure does sound as if that was the sole reason the man decided to run for office. We know this is not the case. A perhaps more egregious passage was pointed out to me by a teacher friend of mine who found the book's explanation of why we entered WWII confusing to say the least. First, we learn that the Nazis were occupying much of Europe and hurting people. Fair enough. Then the book says that the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. "We couldn't stay out of it anymore, honey. It was time to saddle up and fight." Now let's say I'm a kid reading this book on my own with only the barest understanding of WWII. I've just read that the Germans were taking over Europe. Japan bombs us and now we're at war with them. So what, if anything, does that have to do with the Germans? As an adult with a little history under her belt (very little) I know the connection, but Nelson kind of slips this one by. Passages like this need a bit more if they're going to stand on their own.

As with any Kadir Nelson book, it's the art that grabs you first. The cover sports an image that reminds you of classic Andrew Wyeth Americana. On it a strong young woman sits in a field, a baby in her arms. She sits in such a way that you get the impression that she is posing for her portrait. Her expression is neither happy nor sad, and as she looks at you she takes you in. Her hands belie the work she has had to do over the years. On her lap the baby is less guarded, but his eyes don't focus on the viewer exactly. It's like they're tracking just the slightest bit to the left. A person could read whole tomes of novels in these two. This could well be our narrator on the jacket, though Nelson never identifies her as such. What's more, I've just used about 146 words to describe a single solitary picture in this book. Now flip it open and see how many more await you inside. Some, like the burning KKK cross, are rough, and the canvas pokes out strongly beneath the paint. Others, like the portrait of Rosa Parks, belie Nelson's delicate hand and tendency to play with shading and light. Two page spreads of images appear at times and some have suggested that these take you out of the narrative. Personally I disagree. I find them a smooth transition from text, back to text.

As for the subjects in the pictures, Nelson makes some choices that surprised me. White people do appear from time to time, and it's interesting to note what they're doing at a given moment. They don't move much, y'know. Nelson's style is more comfortable with portraiture than action (violence is implicated here with lonely whipping trees, fiery crosses and houses, or foggy images on old televisions), so when you see white people they are usually standing and regarding black people. The slavers on a ship or the customers at a sit-in in Greensboro stand and stare. Their faces are usually blank, though on occasion one will sport an angry expression. Then there are folks like George Washington who sit staring into the distance, utterly unaware of their servants and slaves, Lincoln, posing with tired eyes looking into the distance, or the National Guardsmen in Little Rock, Arkansas. Finally, by the end of the book, white people walk with arms interlinked with those of blacks in an effort to break down American injustice. Theirs is a journey too, albeit a much easier one.

Discussing whether or not children will enjoy reading a work of nonfiction is difficult when you don't know the context in which they'll be reading it. It's my guess that nine times out of ten this book will be read by a student assigned it in school. They will scrunch their noses at the size but relax slightly when they see that it is only 108 pages or so. Then they may flip through and look at the pictures first. I know if I was ten and was handed this book that would be the first thing I'd do. And for the pictures that looked particularly interesting I might start to read. The kid who does that may then finally flip back to the beginning and go from there. If they do, they'll encounter a book that with warmth and good humor manages to catalogue injustice after injustice without bitterness. They'll learn about a portion of American history too little covered in the history books, even today. And in doing so they'll be the hope and soul of the future of our nation. Nelson has done us a great service in creating this book for us. Let's see if we've the guts and the moxie to take what he has given and put it to good use.

For ages 9-12. Read more ›

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Magnificent doesn't even begin to describe this book... October 6, 2011

By Jason Frost TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

With all the "apps" out there, I wish someone would invent a "standing in awe" app. That way I could just tap and let some computer algorithm explain how I feel. Books like this one need that because there is no way to convey, in words, how truly magnificent it is. You know how when you see a perfect sunset and you just watch it because words would cheapen the moment? That's the way I feel about this book.

The cover sets the tone for this future classic and... wow. This story is told through the voice of a woman (Kadir's grandmother) who has lived through the visit of the first slaves to the election of President Obama. The narrator transcends time, as does our history. In the telling of this story, our narrator is very honest. And not from the "chip on the shoulder" angle either. Just honest. One of the first stories that made me go "what?" was hearing why Pap wouldn't let his family eat black-eyed peas on New Years.
Another point was the picture of the whipping tree. I'm from South Carolina and we used to visit Charleston all the time. I hated it then but I miss it now. Anyway, there was a street in Charleston that was two way. In the middle of the street there was a large tree. I remember my mom telling me that slaves used to hang from that tree. The tree in this book isn't the same tree, but I got that same weird feeling that I got when I saw this painting. One of awe, horror, fascination, and sadness.

Grandmother continues her story and every once in a while, throws in a dash of humor. Suffice it to say that she wasn't the only woman who found Dr. King attractive. :- Hearing about our history from Grandmother is a treat, but what REALLY makes this book stand out are Kadir's paintings. And not just one or two.... No, we are treated to a painting on every. single. page. And since Kadir doesn't do shoddy work ever, having this much talent in a book is real treat. It's almost impossible to pick my favorite painting but if I HAD to, then I would choose the very last. After reading this book the last picture is the cherry. What's scary is; that picture would have the exact same impact even if you haven't read the book. Such is the power of Kadir's paintings.

I've already started my "coffee table books for Christmas list" and this one is #3. Take off the jacket and put this one out as soon as you get it. As I was going through this book my five year old wanted to know what I was reading. I showed him, then I showed him a picture of Kadir, then we went through the paintings in the book. After we were done he looks at me and says, "Dad I want to be a painter". Freaking awesome.

As a parent, a bookseller, and a man of color I constantly hear that there aren't books for "us". Well shut up because here you go. I will also venture to say that this isn't just a book for "us". This country wouldn't be where it is today without the forced and volunteer help of African-Americans. While our path may be unique, our history shouldn't be. Magnificent work Kadir. Read more ›

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Nearly Perfect February 15, 2012

By James Charnock

Format:Hardcover

I do not quibble over giving this book four stars because I don't think it suits the age range for which most recommend it. Ideas and events are brought up that younger (targeted) readers will scratch their heads over--and the author seems to gloss over--even if they are pertinent to the telling of a section of that history of blacks in America.

I would have liked the book better if the author had zeroed in on smaller, but significant, points in the history of blacks in America. Besides, much of this information can be found elsewhere.

On the other hand, Nelson's art is great, his writing close to superb, and the near-folksy style is entertaining. And, of course, the content--though exhaustive, and somewhat rushed in parts--is thorough, the latter more appreciated if one has some prior knowledge.

I'm sure the scope of the author's task was necessarily a difficult condensation, and he did as good a job as could be done, considering the volume of history. I simply feel it is more suitable for high school--rather than middle school--where the information can be a source for additional research by students.