Tuesday, April 2, 2019

28 Days: Moments in Black History that Changed the World, by Charles R. Smith

This is a book written specifically for Black History Month in February.  In the book Smith highlights a day in history for each day of the month of February, starting in colonial times ending in modern times.  Some of the days highlighted were the birth or death day of a famous Black American hero like Harriet Tubman or Mae Jemison.  Other days mark changes in important laws or court cases.  Some of the entries include a poem while others just recount facts.  I listened to this book on Overdrive, and the audio version contains clips from historical recordings, like a recording of Marian Anderson singing or the reading of a Supreme Court decision.  It was really very interesting and the sound clips made the historical events more real.  The cut paper illustrations, if not original, are at least accessible and child friendly. I think the best way to appreciate this work would be to listen to it while looking at the book.  Another way the book could be used is that every day in February a teacher could show a slide from the book and play the recording for that day as a "Black History Month" moment. (2015, unpaginated)

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