La Bandera: Poems of Resistance and Pride by Anika Aldumuy Denise, illustrated by Ericka Lugo (HarperCollins, 48 pages, grades 3-up). Fourteen poems share the history of Puerto Rico beginning in 1868 when Mariana Bracetti created the Puerto Rican flag as a symbol of the revolution against Spain. That freedom was won in 1898…for a little over a week until the United States invaded, as described in the poem “Eight Days.” The collection moves through the twentieth century, to the final poem where the author describes how a visit to the island with her family helped her reconnect with her Puerto Rican heritage. She concludes with an author’s note giving more information about Puerto Rico and her family’s culture. There are also notes giving more information about each poem as well as a preface that gives a brief introduction to the history.
I learned so much about the history of Puerto Rico from this book, a sad commentary on how lacking we are in the history of this island that’s a part of our country and the ancestral home of more than six million people living in the U.S. I was wishing for more information about each of the poems, but I soon realized that there aren’t many children’s books to provide that. Enjoy this beautiful book of poems and illustrations that connect the flag–la bandera–to different events in Puerto Rican history.
A Poem for Dudley Randall: Poet and Publisher of the Black Arts Movement by Don Tate, illustrated by Laura Freeman (Harry N. Abrams, 48 pages, grades K-4). Born to two poetry lovers in 1914, Dudley Randall wrote poems all his life. In high school his poem “Twilight” won first prize in a contest for young poets in the Detroit Free Press. After graduation Dudley took jobs in a foundry at the Ford Motor Company, as a postal worker, a soldier, and finally, in 1955, a librarian. He continued writing, and his “Ballad of Birmingham” expressed his horror at the 1963 bombing of an African American church. It achieved popularity as a broadside, leading Dudley to start a printing company, the Broadside Press, which published some of the most famous Black poets of the time, including Gwendolyn Brooks, Sonia Sanchez, and Nikki Giovanni. The story includes four of Dudley Randall’s poems, and there’s also a list of the artists portrayed in the book, an afterword with additional information about Randall, a list of his poetry collections and anthologies, an author’s note, a bibliography, and additional information about historical events in the text such as the Harlem Renaissance and the Civil Rights Movement.
This is a fascinating picture book biography about a man I had never heard of, but who was a powerhouse in getting the works of Black poets and authors into the world and a gifted poet in his own right. Not only the story, but the beautiful illustrations, the poems, and the lessons in Black history make this a standout, and with four starred reviews, it’s likely to be considered for some awards.
