The Beatitudes: From Slavery to Civil Rights

Author: Carole Boston Weatherford

Illustrator: Tim Ladwig

Peach’s Picks Rating:

Year of publication: 2010

City of publication: Grand Rapids, Michigan

Publisher: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers

ISBN: 9780802853523

Author website: http://www.caroleweatherford.com/

Illustrator website: http://www.timladwig.com/

Media used for illustrations: Watercolor and pastel on Twinrocker tinted watercolor paper

Annotation: The beatitudes found in the book of Matthew 5:3-12 (King James Version of the Bible) form the background for this free-verse poem that follows the African-American experience from slavery to civil rights.

Personal reaction to the book: This is a stirring free-verse poetry rendition of the beatitudes found in the book of Matthew 5:3-12 (KJV) set against the backdrop of experiences of African- Americans in the United States. The text on pages 29-30 extends this rendition beyond the experiences of African-Americans to all people who are seeking social justice. The book reads aloud well and lends itself to be read aloud slowly using a powerful voice, e.g., James Earl Jones. The text of the beatitudes begins on the first page. Then they proceed like a running banner through the book on the bottom of the pages. While showing the beatitude text as a running border on the page bottoms adds to the layout, unfortunately some of the text is cut off. As a reader I felt that the text of each verse could be more effectively laid out at the bottom of the page rather than running on. This gave the illustrations a feeling of being off-balance with the beatitude text. The book deals with difficult subjects such as the killing of Emmett Till as well as topics of hope such as the achievements of Booker T. Washington. Educators using this as a classroom read-aloud are well advised to prepare their students for the experience and be prepared to discuss information presented in the book. Students may not be familiar with the beatitudes and some of the characters presented. The full-color artwork adds emotion and drama to the text as well as extending the concepts of the story.

General curricular connections:

• Civil Rights
• American history
• Racism
• Prejudice
• Poetry

Specific example of curricular connection matched to State Standards:
Subject: History
Grade level: 11

Standards:

California State Standards

History – Social Studies Content Standards for Public Schools: Kindergarten through Grade 12

Grade 11 United States History and Geography: Continuity and Change in the Twentieth Century

11.10 Students analyze the development of federal civil rights and voting rights.

Recommended grade levels:

School Library Journal recommends the book for grades 1-6

Booklist recommends the book for grades 2-4

Peach’s Ratings recommends the book for grades 3 and up

Awards/Recognitions:

None located for this book, although the author has received numerous awards and recognitions

Note: This entry applies to the assignment criteria to review books published during  2010-2011. This book is included in Assignment 2.

Sophisticated language: Page 2; “Since the first African American churches were founded in the 18^th century, black religious organizations have brought biblical values to bear on the freedom struggle.”

Metaphor: Page 14, “I was the microphone”.

Rhythm: The beatitudes from Matthew 5:3-12 (KJV) found on page 1

Book cover picture retrieved from http://www.eerdmans.com/shop/product.asp?p_key=9780802853523