Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday - Nelson Mandela

Author: Kadir Nelson
Paintings by: Kadir Nelson
Publisher: Katherine Tegan Books (January 2, 2013)
Source: Copy for Review
Audience: Grades 2nd to 5th
Biography * South Africa * Political Leaders

Description from GoodReads:
One day when Nelson Mandela was nine years old, his father died and he was sent from his village to a school far away from home, to another part of South Africa. In Johannesburg, the country's capital, Mandela saw fellow Africans who were poor and powerless. He decided then that he would work to protect them. When the government began to keep people apart based on the color of their skin, Mandela spoke out against the law and vowed to fight hard in order to make his country a place that belonged to all South Africans.

Kadir Nelson tells the story of Mandela, a global icon, in poignant verse and glorious illustrations. It is the story of a young boy's determination to change South Africa and of the struggles of a man who eventually became the president of his country by believing in equality for people of all colors. Readers will be inspired by Mandela's triumph and his lifelong quest to create a more just world.

My thoughts on the book:
Over the past few years, Kadir Nelson has focused on what he does best - picture book biographies.  Kadir Nelson has taken on the former South African president Nelson Mandela as the focus for his latest book.  It is quite conceivable that someone would want to purchase a book by Kadir Nelson simply for the artwork.  The oil painting portrait of Mandela on the cover captures the illustrious leader with warmth and power.  Each two page spread demonstrates Nelson's ability to communicate deeply through his paintings which convey emotion and strength.  Yet, Nelson's choice of words including the verse-like style of text is perfectly suited to relay to the reader the story that is Nelson Mandela.

Kadir Nelson has created a picture book biography on Nelson Mandela that will provide young readers with an introduction to the South African leader from his childhood to the end of apartheid.    The author's note and additional bibliographical information at the end will provide readers with some further details about Nelson Mandela.  Whether you choose to pick up a copy of this book because of the amazing illustrations or as an addition to a school or classroom biography collection, Kadir Nelson's newest book Nelson Mandela is an excellent choice. 

For additional books to consider, check out the New York Times post Black History Greats.

Don't forget to link up your nonfiction book reviews below:

Book Review - Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans

Author/Illustrator: Kadir Nelson
Publisher: Balzer & Bray (September 27, 2011)
Audience: Fourth Grade and up
Source: Purchased Hardcover; Audiobook
History * Non-fiction * African Americans

Description from GoodReads:
In his Coretta Scott King Award-winning We Are The Ship, artist Kadir Nelson told the story of Negro League baseball. In Heart and Soul, he widens his scope to cover a wide range of African-American history, from centuries of brutal slavery to the Civil Rights era to the presidential election of Barack Obama. Nelson's focus is on African-American women and men who struggled through adversity while somehow maintain their integrity. This beautifully illustrated hardcover with a message for us all.

In March, I had a wonderful opportunity to hear Kadir Nelson speak and he shared about his work on Heart and Soul.  As a huge Kadir Nelson fan, I wanted to read the book right then but I had to wait a little over six months to finally get my hands on a copy and my first viewing was to just admire the amazing illustrations in this book.  

Recently, a twitter friend (@maryannscheuer) recommended the audiobook.  The initial thought that ran through my mind was "Why would you listen to a Kadir Nelson book?!".  Obviously you would want to read it so that you can experience the amazing artwork.  And at some level this is true.  However, when I heard that Debbie Allen was the narrator, I decided to give it a try.  And it was an amazing experience.  Of course, in this case, I would suggest listening to the audio if you had the book in hand or had previously viewed the pictures.

Allen as narrator brought Nelson's text and illustrations alive.  As I listened to the audiobook, I was reminded of the time I had lunch with an elderly African-American woman.  I sat there realizing how significant it was to hear the stories that this woman could tell.  First-hand accounts that would be lost as more of our elders passed on.  Nelson's choice to use this technique to share the story of American History through the eyes of an African American family is brilliant.  

This is one book that will end up on my best books of 2011 list.  I am glad to have it as part of my personal collection and would recommend it for any teacher or librarian for classroom, school, or public libraries.  

To get a greater sense of the book, I suggest checking out either the NPR link or the YouTube link listed below.        

To listen to an interview with Kadir Nelson on NPR, click here.  

To watch video about Nelson's work on this book, click below:

For more information about Kadir Nelson, check out his website http://www.kadirnelson.com/
You can follow him on Twitter: @kadirnelson 
On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kadir.nelson 

A Week In The Life of This Book Geek

Over the past 8 days, I have been living in Children's Book Heaven.  First, I was invited to attend the California Readers Award Breakfast on Saturday, February 26, 2011.  This was a luncheon to recognize the schools that were selected by the Committee to receive a collection of books written or illustrated by California Authors and Illustrators.  As well as, for the previous year's winners to demonstrate how they used the books that they received. 

In addition, 2007 Newbery Winner, Susan Patron was the keynote speaker and there were several dozen authors and illustrators in attendance.  I had fun sitting at the same table with Marianne Wallace (non-fiction picture book - writer/illustrator), David Schwartz (picture book writer), and Susan Goldman Rubin (picture book writer).  I also ran into Rhonda Hayter (2010 MG Debut author), and chatted with the amazing Eve Bunting.

Of course, as the fates would have it, I had plans to attend the Southern California Independent Booksellers Association Literacy Dinner in the evening.  The energetic and very talented Cecil Castellucci (Rose Sees Red) was this year's host.  Guest speakers included Middle Grade authors Brandon Mull (Fablehaven Series) and Cuthbert Soup (Whole Nother Story) and YA authors Judy Blundell (Strings Attached) and Andrew Smith (Marbury Lens).  And there were more authors and illustrators hosting tables and just hanging out.  After the dinner, a room was set up for book signings by the authors listed above and even more.  I had the pleasure of running into Eve Bunting again and in meeting Alyson Noel and Helen Stringer (Spellbinder).  I also met debut authors C. Alexander London (We Are Not Eaten By Yaks) and John Stephens (The Emerald Atlas). 

The authors and illustrators at the event weren't the only ones that I was excited to meet.  I also connected with many teachers and librarians I know including Tweeps like Shannon Messenger (@sw_messenger, Ramblings of a Wanna Be Scribe), Cathy Blacker (@cathy_blackler), Cindy Beggs (@cb6loves2read) and Yukari Matsuyama (@rblib).  (Note: I apologize to anyone I left out of this list.)  Unfortunately due to poor lighting conditions my pictures for this event will need a miracle to save.

Here is a stack of books that I brought back to my Library Coordinator for our school library after the 2 events.  (Shhh...I did keep a few back for me to read.)

Not even a full week later, I found myself attending the Charlotte S. Huck Children's Literature Festival at the University of Redlands.  I wasn't originally thinking of attending this but thanks to a friend encouraging me and a great hotel rate I decided to sign-up.  It was wonderful and so glad I attended.  There were some incredible authors and illustrators present.  I learned so much from listening to Kristine O'Connell George as she spoke about poetry and her new book Emma Dilemma.  Debra Frasier, On The Day You Were Born, made everyone in the room nearly want to run back to their classrooms to try out her ideas.  Susan Patron came in to pinch hit for another author was became ill and as part of her presentation she shared with the audience her reaction to winning the Newbery.

One of my favorite highlights of the whole weekend was getting to meet Kadir Nelson who is this phenomenal illustrator.  If you haven't seen his work, check out his webpage here. First, I attended a question and answer session with him.  Then on Friday night, as the evening presenter, he went into extensive detail about his artwork and the development of some of his books, especially We Are The Ship and his new book Heart and Soul which will be out in September 2011.  I loved his work before, but have a deeper appreciation for his illustrations after hearing him speak. 

My second favorite highlight was getting to hear Andrea David Pinkney speak.  A direct contrast to Nelson's reserved and quiet manner, Pinkney kicked off her presentation by leading the audience in a signing of "This Little Light of Mine" and a moment of concentrated focus.  As she recited the first part of her book Ella Fitzgerald, I was completely swept away and new life was given to the words of her books.  Though Pinkney comes across in personality as very different than Nelson, their commitment to accuracy, attention to detail, and disciplined commitment to their craft was very much the same. 

Just as I grew in appreciation for Pinkney's beautifully rich words, I also find her stories about how her husband, Brian Pinkney, creates the illustrations for many of her books.  Her explanation of Brian Pinkney's purposeful design of the counter-space throughout the book,  Sit-In: How Four Friends Stood Up by Sitting Down brought a deeper level of understanding and power to the book.

Well it is getting late and I still want to see if I can get some of the film footage from the Literature Festival edited and up-loaded.  Wish me luck.  And if you are in the Southern California area, don't forget to check into all of these events.