8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Strikingly beautiful, September 22, 2009
This review is from: The Listeners (Tales of Young Americans) (Hardcover)
147 years ago today (September 22nd), the first Emancipation Proclamation was issued by American President Abraham Lincoln. This major, initial step towards ending slavery in America brought freedom to thousands of slaves the day it went into effect. The latest release in Sleeping Bear Press' Tales of Young American Series takes young readers back to a time when little girls and boys slaved all day long picking cotton, facing uncertain futures over which they and their parents held no control.
Written by the celebrated author of historical fiction for children Gloria Whelan, The Listeners relates the story of Ella May, a young slave girl. Told in the first person, Whelan's writing is careful and measured. Objectively and matter-of-factly relating the events of her life, Ella May speaks to us from Whelan's pen in cadences influenced by the speech of southern slaves. She calmly relates her daily routine and that of her family, days of hard work, poverty, and segregation that are followed by long evenings spent listening beneath the windows at the great house.
With no control over their future, and no access to outside news, or upcoming plans of the Master, Ella May and her young friends' listening trips are the community's sole access to vital information concerning their lives. Mike Benny's rich watercolour paintings are particularly evocative during the scenes of listening. The gap between the lives of the children in the great house and Ella May is strikingly exposed through Benny's artwork against Whelan's understated text.
Allowing children to draw their own conclusions, Whelan carefully creates scenes of segregation, lack of property, benevolent neglect, harsh taskmasters, forced familial separation, and other hallmarks of slavery. Still, her writing is appropriate for young children. Graphic depictions of violence are absent from the text and illustrations, as children are led into an experience of the injustices of slavery while avoiding the worst of its brutalities.
Particularly heart-rending is the segregated worship service, followed by a jubilant outdoor time of praise in the forest. Clinging to God's deliverance of the Israelites in the book of Exodus, they wait in anticipation of their own delivery from slavery. They wait for their own Moses.
By the book's end I was swept away in tears of hopeful sorrow. The joy exhibited by these people at the first glimpse of freedom at the beginning of a long road to their complete deliverance from bondage rendered me incapable of answering my children's questions as I sobbed. It is a rare occurrence for a picture book to move me so deeply, to dig into the caches of shared human experiences and longings that we all hold in common.
The Listeners succinctly captures a vital moment, a turning point, the first glimpse of dawn after a long, dark night. Made personal and accessible through Ella May's observations, this title is an unforgettable introduction to a painful, but likewise unforgettable period in history
A free downloadable teaching guide from Sleeping Bear Press usesThe Listeners to further explore the themes of democracy, equality, and the Underground Railroad. Extension activities are provided for language arts, geography, and more.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Rutgers University Project on Economics and Children, September 21, 2009
This review is from: The Listeners (Tales of Young Americans) (Hardcover)
Review: Ella May and her friends Bobby and Sue are sweet children born into the bonds of slavery. Although they work long, hard hours in the cotton fields and around the plantation, they reap no returns from their labor. They do, however, benefit from another important job they do for themselves and their families in the evenings. Ella May, Bobby, and Sue sit quietly outside the plantation-house windows and eavesdrop on conversations between the owner and his wife. In this way the children can pass along valuable information about plantation business and national politics that can help their families prepare for changes and hope for freedom.
With its restrained text and expressive illustrations, this book makes a good choice for teaching the youngest learners about the institution of slavery in U.S. history. Children will get a sense not only of some of the economic forces behind slavery, but also the injustice and heartache experienced by slaves of all ages during this period.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful illustrations, sweet story, September 30, 2009
This review is from: The Listeners (Tales of Young Americans) (Hardcover)
I bought this book because the cover was so beautiful and caught my eye. When my kids and I read it together I was delighted /very moved - the text flows nicely, but the illustrations are the grabber - my kids love to talk about all the subtle details , the lighting, the fireflies etc. The sweet faces of the kids makes you just want to grab them and hold them. In times like these when everyone seems grumpy and stressed "The Listeners" made my family realize how lucky we are and a how the most important thing is family and love. It gave me a sense of hope. I highly recommend this book. I checked out Mike Benny's other picture books and they are terrific too - "America's White Table" ( about war veterans , serious subject matter but presented in a thoughtful gentle way and "Oh Brother!" about a mixed family trying to make a fresh start) .
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