Our Children Can Soar

Another of my Friends of the Library purchases, Our Children Can Soar, was inspired by a saying that began circulating during the 2008 presidential election - "Rosa sat so Martin could march. Martin marched so Barack could run. Barack ran so our children can soar!"

Author Michelle Cook elaborates on the theme by taking the groundwork for Barack Obama's run for president even further back. She begins with black Civil War soldiers, moves on to George Washington Carver, followed by Jesse Owens, Hattie McDaniel, Ella Fitzgerald, Jackie Robinson, Rosa Parks, Ruby Bridges, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Thurgood Marshall before reaching Barack Obama. A short bio for each of these pioneers is included at the back of the book, so readers will understand why Cook chose to include each of these pioneers in her book.

Her poetic text is illustrated by THIRTEEN illustrators: Cozbi A. Cabrera, R. Gregory Christie, Bryan Collier, Pat Cummings, Leo and Diane Dillon, AG Ford, E.B. Lewis, Frank Morrision, James Ransome, Charlotte, Riley-Webb, Shandra Strickland, and Eric Velasquez. Each illustrator is profiled at the end of the book, with a thumbnail of the page they created, so that readers will know which famous person that illustrator brought to life on the pages of Our Children Can Soar.

With all of the different artistic styles, this book is a visual feast, and the simple text allows us to enjoy the color and detail of each illustration as we reflect on the contributions these brave people made to the history of our country.

In her foreword, Marian Wright Edelman states, "As families read this book together, I hope parents and grandparents will share their own memories about the people in their family trees who stood strong and laid the foundations for the generations that followed them."

Well said.

I was lucky enough to get this at our FOL sale, but you can find it on Amazon.