Available:*
Library | Call Number | Status |
|---|---|---|
Searching... Hardwood Creek Library (Forest Lake) | PICTURE BOOK NEL | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Oakdale Library | PICTURE BOOK NEL | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Park Grove Library (Cottage Grove) | PICTURE BOOK NEL | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... R.H. Stafford Library (Woodbury) | PICTURE BOOK NEL | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... R.H. Stafford Library (Woodbury) | PICTURE BOOK NEL | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Stillwater Public Library | PICTURE BOOK NEL | Searching... Unknown |
Bound With These Titles
On Order
Summary
Summary
In this stirring picture book about social justice activism and the power of introverts, a quiet girl's artwork makes a big impression at a protest rally.
Newbery Honor winner Marilyn Nelson and fine artist Philemona Williamson have come together to create this lyrical, impactful story of how every child, even the quietest, can make a difference in their community and world. Young Lubaya is happiest when she's drawing, often behind the sofa while her family watches TV. There, she creates pictures on the backs of her parents' old protest posters. But when upsetting news shouts into their living room, her parents need the posters again. The next day her family takes part in a march, and there, on one side of the posters being held high, are Lubaya's drawings of kids holding hands and of the sun shining over the globe--rousing visual statements of how the world could be. "Lubaya's roar may not be loud, but a quiet roar can make history."
Author Notes
Philemona Williamson is a fine artist whose paintings have been exhibited in many museums and galleries, including the Montclair Art Museum, University of North Carolina, and Delaware Center for Contemporary Arts. She has received a number of awards, including a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship. She lectures at universities and teaches for Doing Art Together, a nonprofit arts education program.
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 3--In a very timely book, Nelson has crafted a story about Lubaya, a young artist who uses her imagination and creates art. To others, it seems as if she is not paying attention, perhaps, as she fills the backs of her parents' old protest signs with image after image. When new protests start, her parents reuse the signs--this time with Lubaya's art on the back of them. Those bearing the signs see that Lubaya, too, has a voice. With so many protests across our nation recently, this could be a solid choice for children wondering about how they can take part. The description of Lubaya at the beginning of the book could represent any introverted or artistic child who marches to the beat of a different drummer. Reminiscent of Vera Williams's work, Williamson's oils are luminous. They are stylized and colorfully impressionistic while still setting the story into credible scenes of family and protest. The cast includes people of all races and ethnicities. Lubaya's mother is light brown, while the girl shares the darker brown skin of her father. VERDICT A great addition to any school's collection, this book bridges a gap of understanding for others who may also have a quiet but powerful roar.--Jane Mouttet, Mesilla Valley Christian Sch., Las Cruces, NM
Horn Book Review
Lubaya is a quiet child who enjoys being alone, "happily watching the theater of her thoughts." She does not raise her hand in class. She is not first to be picked for sports teams. While her family chats and watches television, she sits in her quiet place behind the couch and draws. Lubaya (whose name means "young lioness" in Swahili) is observant and watchful, and the things she notices -- her friends; nature -- appear in her drawings, which she makes on the backs of signs her family had earlier brought to protest marches. When the evening news shows an unspecified event that calls for protest ("Oh my God, not again!" cries her mother), her parents ask to reuse the signs. The statement her pictures make at the march becomes Lubaya's "quiet roar," her loud statement to the world, of which people take notice. Nelson and Williamson share the rich interior world of a character who shows readers that everyone has more to them than meets the eye. Children who identify with Lubaya's quiet strength will delight in seeing their experiences reflected here, and children who are more extroverted will get to know another side of their introverted peers. Williamson's vibrant, colorful oil-paint and crayon illustrations use all the space on the pages to show how Lubaya is never fully alone, though she often stands apart. A lovely story by a thoughtful poet and artist. Autumn Allen November/December 2020 p.78(c) Copyright 2020. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Activism comes in many forms. Lubaya prefers sitting quietly to speaking up in class, even when she knows the answer. She's often picked last for soccer, but she doesn't mind because before the game ends, Lubaya has wandered off, absorbed in daydreaming. This might be the story of a neurodivergent child, or Lubaya might just be introverted and introspective. She plays well with her brother, Jelani, but even he cannot hold her attention through a video game. One thing Lubaya spends time on, though, is creating artwork on the back sides of her family's protest signs, saved from a march and bearing messages like "We Are One Earth" and "Peace." When alarming events air on the TV news, Lubaya's parents hold her and Jelani close and tell them it's time to march again, giving Lubaya's posters a second life. At the march, Lubaya--whose Swahili name means "young lioness" according to a closing note--adds her voice and her artwork to the protest, amplifying the power of the marchers' messages with her hand-drawn images. Williamson's textured illustrations, created in oil paint and crayon, feature bright colors and vibrant backgrounds and represent well the visible diversity of people of color, even for members of the same family. (This book was reviewed digitally with 9-by-21-inch double-page spreads viewed at 27.6% of actual size.) This quietly powerful family story encourages children to use both voices and hands to advocate for change. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Nelson's story centers on an introverted girl named Lubaya (lioness in Swahili) who discovers that she is an essential part of her family and community, speaking out against injustice. Lubaya is an artistic and creative soul, as shown in Williamson's vivid, expressive paintings that utilize primary and elementary colors in stunning, single-color backgrounds reminiscent of a child's palette. Lubaya admires her outspoken classmates and confident student athletes, but she's more of an observer than a leader, both in school and at home, noticing small, sweet details about the people she cares about. When she's not playing with her brother, Jelani (mighty), Lubaya entertains herself by creating masterpieces on old protest signs as she listens to the news--and when it's time once again for her community to use these signs, it's quickly decided that they've been enhanced by Lubaya's artwork. Nelson's story, paired with Williamson's illustrations, reminds the quieter personalities that they possess just as much strength and talent as their more vocal counterparts.
