Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Module Five...Bad News for Outlaws: The Remarkable Life of Bass Reeves AND The Blacker the Berry

Front Cover

Bad News for Outlaws:  The Remarkable Life of Bass Reeves, Deputy U.S. Marshal by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson.  Illustrated by R. Gregor Christie.

Nelson, M. N. (2009).  Bad News for Outlaws:  The Remarkable Life of Bass Reeves, Deputy U.S. Marshal.  Minneapolis : Carolrhoda Books.

Summary: 
The book tells the story of Bass Reeves, who was the first African American U.S. Marshal in United States history.  He was born a slave, escaped to live in Indian Territory.  He was considered an honorable man who arrested over three thousand men and women during his career.  He was an excellent sharper shooter who was part of several series gun fights in his career.  When he retired from the Marshal service he moved to a small town and served on their small police force. 

Impression:  This is a well written and well illustrated book that tells the life story of an interesting and honorable man.  I found it interesting that he ever arrested his own son for murder.  His perception of right and wrong had no grey areas to it.  This book is one that is a great example of someone overcoming the limitations of a harsh childhood to excell in their adult life.  Reeves' story can be an example to everyone, no matter their ethnicity. 

Reviews:

B., C. C. (2009).  Bad News for Outlaws:  The Remarkable Life of Bass Reeves, Deputy U. S. Marshal.  Horn Book Magaine, 85 (6), 698-699.  Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts with Full Text, EBSCOhost (accessed February 17, 2013).

Bass Reeves's life is the stuff from which legends are made.  Born a slave, he escaped to Indian Territory (now known as Oklahoma), captured over three thousand men and women as a deputy US Marshal, and spent his few years of retirement on a small-town police force.  Reeves, as a fellow sharpshooter once said, "could shoot the left hind leg off a contended fly sitting on a mule's ear at a hundred yards and never ruffle a hair," and was a man of such honor that he arrested his own son for murder.  This captivating biography, told in language as colorful as Reeve's career, grabs readers with an 1884 gunfight, then flashes back to Reeve's early life and continued until his death.  Section headings ("Slave Days, 1840s-1860s"; "Freedom and Family, Late 1860s-1874") underscore the chronology, while boldfaced subheadings provide a textbook lesson on how topic sentences work.  Typically, the subheadings offer an opinion ("Bass was respected, and he was hated") followed by a paragraph or two of supporting information.  Accentuated with a palette knife, Christie's sharply textured paintings create an impressionist background of an unformed land as well as a detailed portraits of this multi-dimensional individual, his bold black hat conveying unmistakable authority.  Includes documentation, a glossary, a timeline, recommended readings and bibliography, and historical author notes.  B.C.

Weber, J. (2010).  Bad News for Outlaws.  School Library Journal, 56(10), 62.  Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts with Full Text, EBSCOhost (accessed February 17, 2013).

This picture-book biography (Carolrhoda, 2009), written by Vaunda M Nelson and illustrated by R. Gregory Christie, recounts the life of Bass Reeves, the first African-America Deputy U.S. Marshal.  He was appointed by Judge Issac C. Parker and served as a peace officer in Indian Territory during the late 1800s.  Reeves grew up in slavery, became a runaway during the Civil War, and settled down in the Wild West.  Although Reeves was unable to read, he had the ability to memorize the charges against every criminal who had outstanding warrants.  He made thousands of arrests in over 30 years of serves, but killed only 14 men.  The plot is a straightforward retelling of Reeves's life.  This tale of a remarkable hero of the Old West is a Coretta Scott King Book Award winner and deserves a place in all library collections.

Library Use:
This book would be a great addition to any and could be included in various displays.  First, it could be used in a display of prosperous former slaves.  Another display could be a collection of African Americans in the Old West.  It could be part of a display on all areas of the Old West.  Also a story about law enforcement during the Old West days. 

The Blacker the Berry

The Blacker the Berry by Joyce Carol Thomas.  Illustrated by Floyd Cooper.

Thomas, J. C.  (2008).  The Blacker the Berry.  New York, NY:  Harper Collins.

Synposis:  This is a book of poetry geared to celebrate the beauty of African Americans.

Impression:  These are powerful poems written with love and to empower children to love who they are and to celebrate their beauty.


Reviews:

Pfeifer, T. (2008). The Blacker the Berry. School Library Journal, 54(8), 114.  Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts with Full Text, EBSCOhost (accessed February 17, 2013).

Gr 1-4 --The varieties of African-American ethnic heritage are often rendered invisible by the rigid construction of racial identity that insists on polarities. This collection of 12 poems makes the complexities of a layered heritage visible and the many skin shades celebrated. Read-aloud-sized spreads offer luminous artwork that complements the verses in which children speak of their various hues: "I am midnight and berries…" a child says in the title poem. In another selection, a boy recalls his Seminole grandmother who has given him the color of "red raspberries stirred into blackberries." In "Cranberry Red," a child asserts that "it's my Irish ancestors/Who reddened the Africa in my face," understanding that "When we measure who we are/We don't leave anybody out." The large illustrations match the lyrical poetry's emotional range. Cooper's method includes "pulling" the drawing out from a background of oil paint and glazes. With his subtractive method, he captures the joy of these children-the sparkle of an eye, the width of a grin, the lovely depths of their skin, and the light that radiates from within. This book complements titles that explore identity, such as Katie Kissinger's All the Colors We Are (Redleaf, 1994).

THE BLACKER THE BERRY. (2008). Kirkus Reviews, 76(12), 147.  Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts with Full Text, EBSCOhost (accessed February 17, 2013). 

"What shade is human?" Thomas's evocative, colorful poetry seeks to answer that question with this celebration of the diversity of African-American children across the spectrum. From "Raspberry Black" to "Golden Goodness," Cooper's soft and realistic illustrations almost leap from the page, incorporating natural images from the text in their depiction of a gallery of beautiful, self-confident children. Difficult intraracial social issues related to skin color are handled with truth and respect. For instance, in the poem "Snowberries," a fair-skinned child speaks back to those who would question her identity: "The words cut deep down / Beyond the bone / Beneath my snowy skin / Deep down where no one can see / I bleed the 'one drop of blood' / That makes Black me." On the page opposite, an auburn-haired girl smiles at the reader, eyes twinkling. An essential picture book that helps young children understand and appreciate differences in skin color. As the epigraph states so truthfully, "Colors, without black, / couldn't sparkle quite so bright." (Picture book/poetry. 5-10).

Library Use:  This is a great book for displays on poetry, African American history and books written by African American writers.




No comments: