Freedom in Congo Square
- 그림작가 R. 그레고리 크리스티(R. Gregory Christie)
- 글작가 캐럴 보스턴 위더포드(Carole Boston Weatherford)
- 출판사 little bee books
- 페이지40 쪽
- 발행일2016-01-05
- 수상내역
책 내용
2017 Caldecott Honor
2017 Coretta Scott King Honor
2017 Charlotte Zolotow Award
A 2016 New York Times Best Illustrated Book
This poetic, nonfiction story about a little-known piece of African American history captures a human’s capacity to find hope and joy in difficult circumstances and demonstrates how New Orleans' Congo Square was truly freedom’s heart.
Mondays, there were hogs to slop,
mules to train, and logs to chop.
Slavery was no ways fair.
Six more days to Congo Square.
As slaves relentlessly toiled in an unjust system in 19th century Louisiana, they all counted down the days until Sunday, when at least for half a day they were briefly able to congregate in Congo Square in New Orleans. Here they were free to set up an open market, sing, dance, and play music. They were free to forget their cares, their struggles, and their oppression. This story chronicles slaves' duties each day, from chopping logs on Mondays to baking bread on Wednesdays to plucking hens on Saturday, and builds to the freedom of Sundays and the special experience of an afternoon spent in Congo Square. This book will have a forward from Freddi Williams Evans (freddievans.com), a historian and Congo Square expert, as well as a glossary of terms with pronunciations and definitions.
출판사 보도자료
From School Library Journal
Gr 1–3—This vibrant picture book examines Congo Square in New Orleans. A foreword and author's note explain how, historically, slaves in Louisiana were allowed Sunday afternoons off. This custom continued after the territory joined the United States, although in time, New Orleans established one location for all slaves to gather: an area that became known as Congo Square. This unique practice helped enslaved and free Africans maintain cultural traditions. The impact was felt far beyond New Orleans as musicians, dancers, and singers developed, explored, and shared rhythms that eventually grew into jazz music. The text is realistic but child appropriate. Couplets count down the days to Sunday in a conversational tone ("Slavery was no ways fair./Six more days to Congo Square."). The writing is accompanied by folk art-style illustrations, with paint applied in thick layers. Some images, such as faces, are more detailed, while others are presented as silhouettes. Collage with painted elements is incorporated on occasion. The architecture portrayed evokes the New Orleans setting. Bright colors suggest the exuberance displayed at Congo Square. Spreads where the slaves are finally able to sing, dance, and express emotion contrast effectively with the forced restraint of those depicting the work week. VERDICT Unique in its subject and artistic expression, this beautiful book belongs in most collections.—Lucinda Snyder Whitehurst, St. Christopher's School, Richmond, VA
일러스트레이터 소개
코레타 스콧 킹 상을 세 차례 수상했으며, 매년 ‘뉴욕 타임스’가 선정하는 최고의 그림책 목록에 자신이 그린 책을 두 차례 올린 바 있다. 그 외에도 다수의 그림책 목록에 자신이 그린 책을 두 차레 올린 바 있다. 그 외에도 다수의 재즈 앨범 표지를 그렸으며, 잡지‘뉴요커’에 정기적으로 기고하고 있다.