Vaunda Micheaux NelsonCritiques

This is a picture book of the life of the U.S Marshall, Bass Reeves. Most of what we know about him is tall tale so this book does it’s best to piece together his life. Would do for a read aloud and have in class library 3rd and up.

A celebration of the power of words to change the world.

Love, love, love.

My mock Newbery thoughts:

I'm about halfway through and so far I think this is a very distinguished contribution to American literature for young adults. Not children, though. (I'm willing to concede that it may just hit the very end of the Newbery age range, which goes up to 14, but I do so grudgingly because, in my humble opinion, the spirit of the award is to recognize a book written primarily for children--being able to imagine one bright 14-year-old for whom this book will work technically makes it eligible, but that doesn't mean the book has "excellence of presentation for a child audience"). Though it starts when the main character is just a boy, NCS is primarily about adults and adult issues. It also takes for granted a good deal of American history is known by the reader (for example, the state of race relations in 20th century America, and who Malcom X was). I can't help comparing NCS to We've Got a Job which is much better suited for a child audience.

Let's get specific. The first part of the book is about how young Lewis was a troublemaker and everyone thought his brother Lightfoot was the golden child. This is great stuff because we know the book is about how Lewis is going to make history. However, I feel like this is the high point in terms of child appeal. Lewis Michaux is an adult and running gambling rings by page 19 (that's 19 pages out of 165).

I see a lot of potential for confusion when a child dives into a narrative like this without knowing the historical context. There are so many things in NCS that pass without explanation. Why would Lightfoot want to marry somebody because she's light skinned? Why do so many characters keep saying black people don't read? The ideal reader for this book has knowledge of the history of racism in the United States, from slavery up through the 1960s. This is why I see this as an excellent novel for young adults. Nelson herself said in an interview that she set out to write a biography for teens.

But in the same interview she also said, "[Don't] underestimate what kids can handle. They’re smart and beg to be challenged. I hope my writing stretches them." I want to take that to heart. I'll write more when I finish the book.

This Coretta Scott King award-winning book teaches about the underground railroad. Told from the unique perspective of a hand-made doll, called Sally by her owner Lindy, Sally witnesses the beating of the young girl who is her owner. The doll also tells the tale of Lindy's father who is severely beaten when he tries to escape and find a way for his family to become connected to the underground railroad.

The story gives credit to white people who risked their property and lives by helping those who desperately need to flee from the brutal life of long days working in the fields picking cotton with no water and very little food, and the harsh treatment by those who claim to "own" those who work for them.

When the ability for the family to flee occurs, they are almost discovered in the cellar of those who are helping them. In rushing to escape, the doll is left behind. Later, another young girl whose family is also finding freedom by the help of kind people who run the "railroad" to freedom in the northern states.½

This is definitely a hero story, and it just skims the surface of Bass Reeves life, but it's a good brief intro to his life, and the illustrations are great.

Overall, I like this book and I think it fills a large gap in children's literature. However, I'm not sure how I feel about the end of the book: the child hugging and kissing her grandmother, and calling her "grandma", all things she's been explicitly told not to do, while her grandmother is sleeping and can't give or deny consent. I understand the context, but feel it could give kids a mixed message about the important concept of consent.

If it's possible to have a biography of a bookstore, this is it, and a fascinating biography it is. Great art, great storytelling.

I thought it was very interesting to read this book where we are introduced to a great- grandmother who is quite glamorous and loves nice things yet is very stern and not so affectionate with her granddaughter. Oftentimes, I think most of us hear the word grandmother and automatically assume sweet, affection woman who is happy all the time when this just might not be the case. I really intrigued by this story and how open and realistic this situation is. This brings to light difficult issues African Americans have faced because of their skin color. It seems the great-grandmother has a sense of bitterness behind her attitude but now we know why. It can be so difficult to be loving and comfortable in a world that constantly is going against you. I felt sad for the entire situation and the heartbreak. I wish the young girl had received the love and affection she was asking for, kids need love.

Nominally a story about a little girl observing her grandmother, there is a lot of attention paid to things the little girl finds peculiar, or even scary. These things are relatable to all young children, I think, but things resonate a bit different when you apply the lens of an African American family. When you learn that Great Grandma Nell is 96 years old, the adult reader realizes that not only means Nell lived through the struggle for civil rights, but that she grew up under Jim Crow, with no rights. This lends a different tone to her dourness and her insistence on propriety, and a sadder tone when she speaks of having her heart broken. Whereas one would expect some amount of heartbreak in a life that spanned almost a hundred years, Nell's first heartbreak is being told by her best friend that they couldn't be friends because Nell was black. Following that scene is a powerful collage, partially made of illustrations and partially photographs, that seems to encompass all of Nell's life, from Jim Crow to the present. A powerful book that is still relatable to all children.

This book really made me think of my own grandmother in a way with the grandmother being stern yet glamorous. The grandmother in the story discusses how she had her heart broken by friends simply for her skin color.

Title: Don’t Call Me Grandma
- Author: Vaunda Micheaux Nelson
- Illustrator: Elizabeth Zunon
- Publisher: Carolhoda Books
- Date: February 1, 206 (date published)
- Pages: 39
- Type of Book/Genre: Picture book, Realistic Fiction
- Short Summary of the Main Plot: The story begins with a child, and their Great Grandmother Nell, who is scary. G.G. Nell does not like to be called Grandma. G.G. Nell does weird things like eating fish for breakfast and poses like someone in the movies on the beach, and gets upset when her granddaughter does it too. G.G. Nell drinks something that tastes awful with a picture of a spider on it, she drinks it for her broken heart. When her grand daughter attempts to comfort her, she turns away. G.G. Nell has a beautiful room that she doesn’t usually allow her grand daughter into, and she has a ballerina doll in the middle of her bed. She also has a big vanity, but she growls at her reflection and her grand daughter through it. G.G. Nell is glamorous and stern, she gives her grand daughter some lipstick, and teachers her the tissue trick with it. G.G. Nell is 96, and she has an impeccable memory, she tells her grand daughter about the first time her heart was broken, when she and her friend couldn’t be friends anymore because of her skin color. In that moment, she lets her grand daughter touch her hand. On the following page there are some historical Civil Rights photos and paintings. While G.G. Nell is sleeping, her grand daughter sneaks in to give her a kiss, and says that she likes her scary, then the story ends.
- Tags/Subject Headings that Describe the Content: Grandmothers, stern, scary, painful memories, glamours, love.
- My response: I really enjoyed this story line and the illustrations, it made me think of my great grandmother, she was somewhat similar.

This book follows a story of a young girl trying to connect to her great-grandmother. It is a bit difficult for the young girl to make a connection because her great-grandmother does not crave affection and is bitter. This book also shows some of the great-grandmother's experiences that have made her the way she is today. I think this story is really sad in the way the great-grandmother is too strong-willed and does not let her guard down. I think it is also sad since she does not even let her great-granddaughter kiss or hug her. The concern for this book was the presence of alcohol in the book which I did not deem as a tasteful book for youth.

Large format book with dramatic illustrations. The mustaches and headgear are great. Useful all round book as Bass Reeves's life gives insight into the conditions and history of the time. The references in the back and indeed the overall design are exceptionally good.

Josie, who lives with her mother and grandmother, has cerebral palsy. She befriends a boy who moves into one of the rich houses behind her old farm house.

Three stories in which a little boy does everything fast, from brushing his teeth to making friends to running races.

Bass Reeves escaped from slavery to become a feared and revered peace o cer. He became a hero of the Old West, carrying out over 3,000 arrests.

diverse children's nonfiction biography (black cowboy/bronco rider)
Very engaging text and subject matter, however I feel this would probably get lost on our library nonfiction shelves. The illustrations are beautiful, however they might not attract as much attention from kids as this book deserves.

This is an incredibly impactful story that everyone of all ages needs to read. This is not only the story of a bookstore, this is the story of the bookstore that was the battleground of a large catalyst in African American history. And if that doesn't convince you enough to read it, then this is the story of how reading and educating oneself provides true enlightenment on the world and how to make it a better place. The power of education and equality shines through this book to make it the perfect read-aloud in a class. I believe that this story might not be suited for students to initially read independently because there are lots of concepts and events that not every student would understand. This would also open up the door for conversation about current events and allow students to have a basic and general understanding of the power of words and equality in America and its history.

This is an Ownvoices and biographical book about the man Bass Reeves. It follows his story from his time as a US Marshal all the way back to his time as a young boy on the plantation with his family. I really love how engaging and story oriented this biography is and I think students could really learn so much about this Bass Reeves from reading this! I would sure use this in a history lesson or a book to recommend to a student who is really interested in historical events!

For intermediate readers. This is a historical picture book about the National Memorial African Bookstore. from the owners sons' perspective. The reader learns about the history behind the bookstore and the power of words- reading books is important. It discusses the death of Malcolm X and the impact it had on the son and his family. This is a great window into the Civil Rights movement, and injustice towards African Americans. The book reflects their culture beautifully, there is also colorful illustration, and the font shape and size changes throughout the book.

Int.-Middle. This is a historical picture book about the National Memorial African Bookstore. It follows the perspective of the owner's son and his account of the bookstore's history as well as the importance of reading books. It covers the death of Malcolm X and how that impacted him and his father.