  | Build a house Author: Giddens, Rhiannon | |
| Price: $22.58 | ||
Summary:
Written as a song to commemorate the 155th anniversary of Juneteenth, this is a moving story of a people's resilience and the music that sustained them. An encouragement to honor one's heritage even in discouraging times.
| Illustrator: | Mikai, Monica |
Download a Teacher's GuideReviews:
Kirkus Reviews (+) (07/01/22)
School Library Journal (09/30/22)
The Hornbook (00/09/22)
Full Text Reviews:
School Library Journal - 09/30/2022 Gr 3 Up—In a few short stanzas, this story-song encapsulates and sets to haunting, minor-key music the African American experience of being taken as slaves and forced to work, then emancipated only to continue to face endless racism. Radiant artwork shows people working hard and trying to make a living as well as the anguish of being displaced and having to start over. At the end of the book, there is a QR code that provides a link to a performance of the song by Giddens on banjo and Yo-Yo Ma on cello that helps bring the musical part of the song alive. This is a difficult topic to discuss with younger children who are typically the audience for picture books, but the historical Black experience in America gains an excellent conversation starter here, in any study about racism or the American past. VERDICT A beautifully illustrated song about the African American experience, with realistic depictions of work and experiences; this is a great choice for libraries looking for new ways to tell stories about slavery, reparations, and the ongoing need for social justice.—Debbie Tanner - Copyright 2022 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.
