In Her Hands

Review
By Bookin' With Sunny

The power of a good picture book is a wondrous thing, especially those picture books that bring historical figures to life. Author Alan Schroeder and illustrator JaeMe Bereal have done a splendid job in unfolding for young readers the life of Augusta Savage, an important but little known African American sculptor.

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Whenever I read a picture book for review, I try to imagine what conversations the story might initiate between reader and child. This subject is a rich one. Art is a difficult passion to pursue at best, but to be African American in the early part of the twentieth century and to have only limited family approval — well, it makes such dreams that much harder. Alan Schroeder’s words are straightforward and he has chosen key events in Augusta’s story that any child can relate to. JaeMe Bereal’s artwork is also straightforward, but her use of color, shapes and facial expressions lift Schroeder’s writing off the page.

Child or adult, this is a book so worth taking the time to read. The author’s Afterword is a wonderful jumping off place to begin your own search into a part of America’s artistic past, a past abundantly enriched by African American artists.

Full Review at <a href=”http://bookinwithsunny.com/posts/in-her-hands-the-story-of-sculptor-augusta-savage/” target=_blank”>Bookin’ With Sunny</a>, Reviewer: Sunny Solomon.