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azajacks's review against another edition
4.0
I support independent bookstores. You can use this link to find one near you: http://www.indiebound.org
the_lobrarian's review
- Illustrations are oil paints on birch plywood; focus on portraits, expressions mirror those of a serious classical oil painting and evoke powerful feelings
calistareads's review against another edition
4.0
Lovely book. This is a simple telling of a big life. It makes me want to know more about this woman and what really made her tick. Ntozake uses poetry to tell his story. The artwork is also stunning. It feels overly simply and it it meant for young children K-3rd grade. It starts out with Coretta having to walk 5 miles to get to her school while the white kids had a bus. The injustice pops.
The kids were into this story. They have had several books on MLK so they put these two together quickly.
I saw people rave about Kadir Nelson and I might need to check out more by her.
The kids were into this story. They have had several books on MLK so they put these two together quickly.
I saw people rave about Kadir Nelson and I might need to check out more by her.
jesslady's review against another edition
5.0
As if a book with art by Kadir Nelson would be anything less than stunning.
sunflowerx's review
4.0
Corretta Scott is a beautifully written book based on the poem originally written by Ntozake Shange. The picture book has amazing painted illustrations by Kadir Nelson. Without the illustrations the story wouldn't have as deep of an effect on readers as it does. Nelson captured the true beauty of Ms. Scott King. Shange's words explained Scott King's vision of freedom for American Americans and how she dreamt of this reality long before her husband has his dream. The book ends with a detailed biographical piece on Mrs. Scott King that explains her life from birth to death. The text also explains segregation in a way that young students could quickly understand. Shange's work is beautiful and deserves to be inside of any classroom library as it truly captures the work those before us did to bring true freedom into America.
mmattmiller's review
3.0
Sometimes I wonder if there should be separate star systems for the various aspects of a book. For example, this book would get 5 for illustrations. They are beautiful. The writing/story on the other hand- while it might be beautiful or lyrical, there isn't enough of a message or enough information that I would want to read to to my students/kids with the intent of them learning something. If I shared this, it would be for the illustrations most likely. So how do you rate that? This is an example of a book for me that the stars just aren't enough...
beecheralyson's review
5.0
Definitely a must for any elementary school library. The illustrations are gorgeous and the text is strong.
debnanceatreaderbuzz's review against another edition
4.0
Pictures by award-winning illustrator Kadir Nelson.
Text by poet Ntozake Shange.
Excellence. I anticipated excellence.
But perhaps poets are not the best authors of picture books. I had trouble following the text and I’m a grownup. I had to think too much about the words on the page and it wasn’t because they were so rich but because the writing wandered around so much. I’d hoped for powerful words, but I found them to be wobbly.
The children thought the pictures were very realistic. They were moved by the story of Coretta walking to school. The writing was a little too abstract for many of them and they weren’t clear in places about what the writer was trying to say.
The poetic writing, with its whimsical sentence structure, was unclear to them.
Nevertheless, they loved the sounds of the words and the beautiful pictures. They liked the pictures so much that they forgave the text for not serving them well and gave the book a high rating.
A Sample:
“white school bus
left a
funnel of dust
on their faces
but
songs and birds of all colors
and rich soil
where slaves fought freedom
steadied them
in the face of danger”
Children’s Comments:
Jayla, 5, said, "I liked the pictures."
Silvana, 6, said, "I liked how she changed the laws."
Abby, 5, said, "I liked them praying."
Gage, 6, said, "I liked the part where they had to walk five miles to school."
Jimmy, 6, said, "I liked the people gathering together in the book."
Children's Ratings: 5, 1, 5, 5, 1, 5, 5, 5, 5
Text by poet Ntozake Shange.
Excellence. I anticipated excellence.
But perhaps poets are not the best authors of picture books. I had trouble following the text and I’m a grownup. I had to think too much about the words on the page and it wasn’t because they were so rich but because the writing wandered around so much. I’d hoped for powerful words, but I found them to be wobbly.
The children thought the pictures were very realistic. They were moved by the story of Coretta walking to school. The writing was a little too abstract for many of them and they weren’t clear in places about what the writer was trying to say.
The poetic writing, with its whimsical sentence structure, was unclear to them.
Nevertheless, they loved the sounds of the words and the beautiful pictures. They liked the pictures so much that they forgave the text for not serving them well and gave the book a high rating.
A Sample:
“white school bus
left a
funnel of dust
on their faces
but
songs and birds of all colors
and rich soil
where slaves fought freedom
steadied them
in the face of danger”
Children’s Comments:
Jayla, 5, said, "I liked the pictures."
Silvana, 6, said, "I liked how she changed the laws."
Abby, 5, said, "I liked them praying."
Gage, 6, said, "I liked the part where they had to walk five miles to school."
Jimmy, 6, said, "I liked the people gathering together in the book."
Children's Ratings: 5, 1, 5, 5, 1, 5, 5, 5, 5
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