Black History Month - fact and fiction

• "Frederick Douglass appealing to President Lincoln and his cabinet to enlist Negroes," mural by William Edouard Scott, at the Recorder of Deeds building, built in 1943.
•  Highsmith, Carol M., 1946-, photographer

Last year, I reviewed a copy of Russell Freedman's, Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass: The Story Behind an American Friendship (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012).  The story of their friendship and the "back story," was so interesting, that I thought it might make a good topic for a Black History Month program for younger children.  I began searching for a way to communicate to a young library audience the connection between the history of African Americans and these two great men. In researching, I found that the founder of African American History Month (it was originally called Negro History Week), Dr. Carter G. Woodson, initiated this cultural celebration in 1926, and chose February because the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass are both celebrated in February. (1)   I then discovered an earlier book, Lincoln and Douglass: An American Friendship (Henry Holt, 2008), that recounts the friendship but targets a younger audience.  Even better, it has a companion DVD.  So, I planned a Lincoln and Douglass birthday celebration, featuring the Lincoln and Douglass picture book and an explanation of the founding of Black History Month. Perfect, right?

Well, not quite.  In reading Lincoln and Douglass: An American Friendship, I found several discrepancies.  As it turns out, the timeline included in the picture book's back matter is correct, but some dates within the book's narrative are not. For example, Freedman's thoroughly researched book has the initial meeting of Lincoln and Douglass as a central theme. The picture book gets the date wrong.  Though the picture book still has merit and will be useful to introduce Douglass and Lincoln to a young audience, I can also use it as a teaching moment.  Always check to see that a book has been properly researched if you plan to use it as a representation of factual material.

Oddly, the same thing happened to me last year.  I sketch out my programs many months in advance to satisfy printing and publicity deadlines.  I fill the details in later.  Last year, I offered a Black History Month program on Follow the Drinking Gourd (Knopf, 1988).  While investigating resources, I found that the story, while well-known and generally accepted, is more folk legend than truth. (2)  Again, the story is not without merit and I was again able to use it as a teaching moment.  Besides the obvious lesson, we looked at ways in which to read the stars without a compass.

I understand narrative license.  I understand that it's particularly useful in treatments of difficult topics for younger children.  I also understand, however, that there is a concerted effort by our nation's leaders to raise a new generation of critical thinkers, and to achieve that end, the use of nonfiction books will rise dramatically.  It is up to us as librarians, teachers, caregivers and parents to discern fact from fiction, even when the line between them may be indistinct.  In doing so, we will help children to navigate a world where information is everywhere for the taking, but truth must be mined.

Today's Nonfiction Monday roundup is at Apples with Many Seeds.

And don't forget, February is a perfect time to head over to The Brown Bookshelf; each day in February will feature a different artist in this annual celebration of Black History Month and children's literature.







(1) Library of Congress, "African American History Month"http://www.loc.gov/law/help/commemorative-observations/african-american.php (Douglass' actual birthdate is not known conclusively)
(2) Follow the Drinking Gourd
http://www.followthedrinkinggourd.org/

Abraham Lincoln & Frederick Douglass: The Story Behind an American Friendship - a review

Freedman, Russell. 2012. Abraham Lincoln & Frederick Douglass: The Story Behind an American Friendship. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

The date is August 10, 1863. Frederick Douglass has arrived at the White House, taking a seat on the stairs, determined to speak with President Lincoln.  Many others are waiting as well.  Douglass stands out in the crowd, not just for his size.  All the other petitioners are White.  Douglass, a freed Black is an outspoken critic of Lincoln.  The two men have never met.  Douglass has no appointment.  He is prepared to wait.

He does not wait long, however.  The President does see Frederick Douglass on August 10, 1863; and in Abraham Lincoln & Frederick Douglass: The Story Behind an American Friendship, award-winning author, Russell Freedman tells us why.

Freedman is a master writer, and ingeniously sets up this story of friendship. Chapter One, "Waiting for Mr. Lincoln," sets the stage.  The next three chapters detail the life of Frederick Douglass before his meeting with Lincoln.  Three subsequent chapters do the same for the President.  The final three chapters highlight the collaboration of the two men in pursuit of their mutual interest, abolition.

The extensive use of period photographs and artwork, as well as images of period realia (election poster, paycheck, editorial cartoons and the like) add interest to an already compelling story.  The depth of Lincoln's regard for Douglass is cemented by the revelation that Mary Todd Lincoln sent Douglass a memento after Lincoln's death, knowing that Lincoln had "wanted to do something to express his warm personal regard" for Douglass.

Appendix: Dialogue Between a Master and Slave, Historic Sites, Selected Bibliography, Notes (on the sources of more than one hundred quotes) and Picture Credits (including many from the Newbery Medal-winning Russell Freedman book, Lincoln: A Photobiography) round out this extensively researched book.

The Contents page indicates an Index beginning on page 115, however, it was apparently not completed in time for the printing of the Advance Reading Copies.

Abraham Lincoln & Frederick Douglas is suggested for Grades 4-7, and is due on shelves June 19, 2012.  It is a fascinating look at two of the most influential men of their time by one of the great children's authors of our time.  Highly recommended.

Today's Nonfiction Monday roundup is at True Tales with a Cherry on Top.  Next week's roundup will be right here at Shelf-employed.

Gettysburg: The graphic novel

Butzer, C.M. 2009. Gettysburg: The graphic novel. New York: Collins.
ISBN: 9780061561764

In black, white, and subtle hues of Union blue and Confederate gray, first-time author, C.M. Butzer, tells the story of the Battle of Gettysburg and its aftermath in graphic novel format.

The story begins with a double-spread map of Gettysburg, 1863, then continues with cameo "photos" of the main historical figures (both military and civilian), and background information presented as a two-page letter written with quill pen and ink. The remainder of the story is told in mostly multi-panel pages (some wordless), with particular emphasis on the Gettysburg address, included in its entirety, each phrase accompanied by a panel depicting pivotal moments of both past and recent history, alluding to the timeless nature of Lincoln's most famous words.

The Author's Notes are an invaluable source of reference information, explaining source documents, dialogue, symbolism, and background information relating to period conditions.

Although the cover art did not initially appeal to me, I picked this book up because of my interest in history and the fact that local students in my area often take class trips to Gettysburg. I began the book without much enthusiasm and questioned the effectiveness of some of the book's early dialogue. It was not until I reached the account of photographer Timothy O'Sullivan's arrival at the bloody battlefield, that I realized the great effort that author C.M. Butzer, had made to maintain historical accuracy. The panels depicting dead soldiers on the field, are dutiful replicas of actual photographs which I recall viewing at Gettysburg National Military Park. The dialogue which I had questioned as stilted, was an actual conversation as record by a contemporary of General Buford. As mentioned, the Author's Notes are a page-by-page resource of historical background.

Gettysburg: The Graphic Novel offers more than historical accuracy. It gives the reader a balance of both war and peace. There is much more to Gettysburg than the battle. There is the story of the town's civilians, the political drama, the humanitarian concerns, the creation of the site of what was then called, The Soldiers National Cemetery, and of course, the far-reaching impact of President Lincoln's address to the thousands gathered at the newly created national monument.

Sample pages from the book may be found on the author's blog http://cmbutzer.blogspot.com/2009/01/gettysburg-page-samples.html

Hopefully, teachers will embrace the non-fiction, graphic novel genre as a tool for reaching those students who shun history as boring or irrelevant.

There is great depth to this slim, 80-page volume.

Lincoln Shot: A President's Life Remembered

Denenber, Barry. 2008. Lincoln Shot: A President's Life Remembered. Ill. by Christopher Bing. New York: Feiwel and Friends.

This massive book (11" x 17") was created to resemble an aged leather album of newspaper pages from a fictional periodical, The National News.

The book begins with the assassination and then tracks back in time with "chapters" (denoted by headlines), Boyhood (1809-1829), Youth (1830-1835), Politician (1836-1853), and Candidate (1854-1860), followed by a chapter for each year of the Civil War (1861, 1862, 1863, 1864, and 1865). The biography ends where it began, with the nation's first presidential assassination. A Chronology, Index, Picture Credits, and Walt Whitman's poem, "O Captain! My Captain!" finish out the book. The Bibliography is available only online.

Period photographs, quotes, maps, advertisements ("Dr. Sterling's Ambrosia for the Hair. For Sale by Druggists. Price $1"), sketches, handbills, and even a page of Lincoln's math homework in his own hand(!), ("If 1 gallon of ale cost 8d what cost 36 gallons"), add interest and variety to this story of one of our best-known presidents. Each page is sepia-toned and resembles a brittle and aging newspaper.

Despite having read several biographies of Lincoln (both adult and children's), I was still able to find tidbits of new information in details about the assassins and other items of particular interest to children, such as the antics of the Lincoln boys in the White House. My only complaint is that because of the book's format and use of actual period headlines, readers may have the impression that the text actually appeared in newspapers of the time. This is however, a minor issue.

This book's size and format should definitely draw interest in this, the 200th anniversary of President Lincoln's birth. Great for display! (difficult to shelve)

Abe Lincoln Crosses a Creek:

Hopkinson, Deborah. 2008. Abe Lincoln Crosses a Creek: A Tall, Thin Tale (Introducing His Forgotten Frontier Friend). New York: Schwartz & Wade.

What we do in life does matter - even if we're not famous, even if no one is watching, even if we're only ten years old. That's the message in this little-known true story from Abraham Lincoln's childhood. Delightfully told,

"Now, I can just hear you grumblin', Who? That feller isn't in my history book. What do I care?"

and humorously illustrated, Abe Lincoln Crosses a Creek is a fun read-aloud with a great message.