I Saw Your Face [Hardcover]

Tom Feelings (Author), Kwame Dawes (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: K and up

Before Tom Feelings passed away in August of 2003, he had been working on a picture book with his friend, poet Kwame Dawes. As Kwame explains, "One day, Tom gave me a folder of drawings of young people from his journeys around the world. I saw a story of resilience and pride, and wrote my poem as a response." These wonderful drawings, paired with lyrical text, offer a fresh encounter with one of our most evocative illustrators.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 2-6–Dawes begins this book with an introduction that is well worth reading in its entirety. One day, he explains, Feelings handed him a folder filled with faces of young people he had sketched over the course of his career, while living in several different parts of the world. Dawes states that what he saw was "the story of Africa and her diaspora." This poem, written in response to those drawings, is a moving tribute to Feelings's creativity and artistry. The verses take readers on a global journey through young black faces seen in Africa, North and South America, Europe, and the Caribbean. The final lines of the poem read, "I see your face look back at me/Full of ancient stories and dreams/That tell me we have traveled far/And survived the journeys well." The next two pages feature a map of the continents and places mentioned in the book. The simple eloquence of the poem is well matched to the beauty, grace, and dignity inherent on each of the faces. In the afterword, "In Memory of Tom Feelings," Jerry Pinkney poses the following questions: "How is it that art created with such expressively nuanced line, paintings on board and ever so fragile tissue paper, could hold so much power? Or that black-and-white drawings, and paintings, could seem so rich in color?" This is a unique purchase with wide appeal.–Mary N. Oluonye, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH

From Booklist

Gr. 3-5. Acclaimed illustrator Feelings died in 2003, but he left this celebration of the black diaspora, which he completed in collaboration with poet-author Dawes. Dawes' introductory note explains that the idea for the book arose as he and Feelings discussed the many places where people of African descent live. Feelings commented that there is "a history told through the multiplication of faces." Deriving inspiration from drawings that Feelings had made all over the world, Dawes imagined stories around the faces Feelings sketched. The result is a striking, contemplative book, focused on the faces--some roughly drawn, others more detailed, but most with a haunting similarity. Dawes captures the pictures in his words: "I saw you deep in thought / While waves crashed ashore in Suriname. / Were you thinking those same thoughts / When you gazed at me in Birmingham?" It will take older children to pose the right questions about the book; an appended color map suggests some of the answers. A stirring tribute to Feelings by Jerry Pinkney ends the book. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Dial (December 29, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0803718942
• ISBN-13: 978-0803718944
• Product Dimensions: 11.4 x 10 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,102,403 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Empowering Children's Resource, June 27, 2006

By 

WALTRINA KIRKLAND-MULLINS "waltrinam" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: I Saw Your Face (Hardcover)

An adept educator, I have used this literary work with students in grades 2 and 3. It is an empowering, poetic tool used to help children across cultures--particularly those of African descent--understand that there is an interconnected relationship between people of African ancestry throughout the world. Walk along the streets of Harlem (New York), Bahia(South America), Sierra Leone (West Africa), Loiza (Puerto Rico); Zimbabwe (Southern Africa); Jamaica (West Indies)... In each of the faces of people in such communities, we see beautiful black similarities--ancestral traces and a rich legacy. This work helps to tell the story of a people connected despite our displacement from the Motherland because of the dehumanizing institution of slavery. By no means should this work be targeted only at the adult population. Dawe's literary effort serves as a "griot tool," passing knowledge along; Brother Feelings impressively sketched illustrations serve as an empowering visual accent. A must have item for those who embrace and confirm the reality of the worldwide African extended family!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lovely, May 16, 2006

By 

Library Gaga (NC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: I Saw Your Face (Hardcover)

Children's book? Not really. I think adults will understand more about this gentle, thoughtful poem accompanied by beautifully drawn faces and places. I ordered this for my public library's children's section, but it's one of those books that fit everywhere and nowhere. Read it for its beauty and forget about whether it's appropriate for children or a kids' book. It's appropriate for all even though it's not a children's book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Add this book to your collection, August 13, 2005

By 

M. Larson (Maryland) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: I Saw Your Face (Hardcover)

This is a very powerful book. The images are breathtaking and the organization of the book gives more meaning to them. This is a visual history of being African-American. Add it to your home library for your children.