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Summary
Summary
Winner of the 2020 Caldecott Medal
A 2020 Newbery Honor Book
Winner of the 2020 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award
The Newbery Award-winning author of THE CROSSOVER pens an ode to black American triumph and tribulation, with art from a two-time Caldecott Honoree.
Originally performed for ESPN's The Undefeated, this poem is a love letter to black life in the United States. It highlights the unspeakable trauma of slavery, the faith and fire of the civil rights movement, and the grit, passion, and perseverance of some of the world's greatest heroes. The text is also peppered with references to the words of Martin Luther King, Jr., Langston Hughes, Gwendolyn Brooks, and others, offering deeper insights into the accomplishments of the past, while bringing stark attention to the endurance and spirit of those surviving and thriving in the present. Robust back matter at the end provides valuable historical context and additional detail for those wishing to learn more.
Author Notes
Kwame Alexander is a poet, children's book author, playwright, producer, speaker, and performer. His books include And Then You Know: New and Selected Poems, Crush: Love Poems, Family Pictures: Poems and Photographs Celebrating Our Loved Ones, and Acoustic Rooster and His Barnyard Band. He won the 2015 John Newbery Medal for his bestselling novel The Crossover. Since 2006, his Book-in-a-Day writing and publishing program has created more than 2500 student authors in 50 schools across the U.S., and in Canada and the Caribbean.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (6)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Performed first on the ESPN show of the same name, this magnificent anthem to the courage and genius of black Americans has been turned into a picture book with stunning portraits by Nelson (Blue Sky, White Stars). "This is for the unforgettable," Alexander (Out of Wonder) opens, "The swift and sweet ones/ who hurdled history/ and opened a world/ of possible." Jesse Owens flies across the page, every limb outstretched, every muscle taut. Alexander's praise is not just for well-known figures, though; he also writes about nameless heroes ("the ones who survived/ America/ by any means necessary") and unsung martyrs ("the ones who didn't"). And he acknowledges the deepest wounds, repeating the phrase "This is for the unspeakable" over successive portraits of infamous atrocities committed against Americans of African descent. He writes of artistry, "the We Real Cool ones," above the smiling, lit-up faces of vocal and instrumental artists who make up a celestial chorus: Monk and Fitzgerald, Vaughan and Davis. Nelson paints historical figures and contemporary heroes with equal ease and grace; in a final spread, the faces of young black girls and boys look ahead, beaming and determined: "This is for us." Throughout, incantatory usage of "un" words ("unbelievable... unbending... underdogs... uncertain...") rings with force. Alexander remembers peaceful Civil Rights activists, "the righteous marching ones who sang we shall not be moved because black lives matter," communicating clearly that when black lives matter, America is stronger. Historical notes for each figure conclude this powerful work. Ages 4-7. Author's agent: Arielle Eckstut, Levine Greenberg Rostan Literary Agency. Illustrator's agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. (Apr.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
Alexander and Nelson honor the achievements, courage, and perseverance of ordinary black people as well as prominent black artists, athletes, and activists. The free-verse poem begins: This is for the unforgettable. / The swift and sweet ones / who hurdled history / and opened a world / of possible. The ones who survived / America / by any means necessary. / And the ones who didnt. While some events (e.g., the transatlantic slave trade) are unspeakable, Alexanders words convey a sense of pride at what his unflappable and unafraid ancestors have accomplished and continue to do despite racial oppression. He incorporates the words of black icons (such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.) and movements (Black Lives Matter), creating a through-line from past to present. Nelsons paintings effectively use white space to extend the text and amplify its meaning. For example, the image of enslaved people on ships shows the figures in cramped quartersa double-page spread compact with black bodies; while what accompanies the text for the ones who didnt [survive] is simply two blank pages. The realistic oil paintings convey racial oppression in the past (black-and-white images of the four little girls who were killed during the church bombing in Birmingham) and present (full-color paintings of African Americans killed recently by police)demonstrating that racism remains deeply entrenched in America today. Nelson depicts numerous famous people whom adults and children may recognize, from Billie Holiday to LeBron James, as well as others (Sarah Vaughan, Romare Bearden) whose faces and stories they may not know. The book concludes with an afterword by Alexander and an annotated list of historical figures and events featured in The Undefeated. jonda c. mcnair March/April 2019 p 93(c) Copyright 2019. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
Alexander and Nelson combine their considerable talents in this ode to inspiring African American heroes in the fields of sport, the arts, and political activism, as well as everyday champions whose very survival exemplifies success. In elegiac-style verse, Alexander celebrates the swift and sweet ones / who hurdled history . . . / the ones who survived / America / by any means necessary, and those who shine / their light for the world to see / and don't stop / til the break of dawn. Nelson's photo-realistic illustrations, rendered in oil, include action shots (Jesse Owens, mid hurdle), portraits (Martin Luther King Jr. and an African American Union soldier), composites (of jazz and sports greats), and iconographic compositions that depict the unspeakable (bodies lined up representing abducted Africans en route to America, part of the Middle Passage). Designed for reading aloud, the text also makes use of several typographic cues that signal meaning: emphasized words appear in larger font, while references to the words of others ( we shall not be moved ) appear in italics. And, while the content references several tragic events (slavery and police brutality, among others), the poem closes with a hopeful nod to the rising generation. Appended with notes on the historical figures cited, this is a beautiful volume that encourages multiple viewings and further research. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: With a lengthy roster of accolades and best-seller credits between them, this untouchable duo's book will fly off the shelf.--Kay Weisman Copyright 2010 Booklist
New York Review of Books Review
Some of the best picture books are not stories. They're poems that let kids reflect, imagine and think. COUNTLESS PICTURE books follow the same narrative structure, in which a character faces a challenge and then - at the end of approximately 500 words - overcomes that challenge, or doesn't. We call this story. "Read me a story," a child might beg, and so we do. But not all picture books are stories in the traditional sense, and often poetry is the tool that frees an author from the expectations of conflict and resolution. By trusting language, form, rhythm or sound to hold the reader's focus, a poet is able to slow down or speed up, to observe or reflect. Picture books in verse can meditate or meander, imagine or reminisce, examine one small aspect of the world carefully, or elicit deep emotion. one thing that sets picture books apart from titles for older readers is that we often share them with another person. In boom, BELLOW, BLEAT: Animal Poems for Two or More Voices (WordSong, 32 pp., $19.95; ages 3 to 6), Georgia Heard's text leans into this interactive experience, creating the space for distinct speakers in each poem. Each is intended as a sort of duet, with the text set in different colors to differentiate the alternating parts. The book relies heavily on the humor and child-friendly simplicity of animal noises, but the noises animals make are not always what you'd expect. In "We Don't Say Ribbit," a frog and toad offer the less expected noises they might actually make in the wild, from "quonk" to "errrgh," almost certain to entice laughter from young readers. In several of these poems, the language is more mature, as in "Flight of the Honeybees," where "Pale celery parasols" or "yellow petaled broccoli" may be a challenge to younger readers. But the beauty of poetry for small children is that the sounds of words can be appealing long before their meanings are fully understood. Many of these poems also incorporate refrains, allowing a young listener to repeat after another reader, as in "Song Thief," where the second reader, as mockingbird, repeats everything the first reader has just said. "Why is it / why is it / what I sing / what I sing / you sing too?" Heard's engaging poems, paired with Aaron DeWitt's bright digital images of the natural world, are designed to bring readers together, and with an informative author's note on various elements of the natural world, they may also find a welcome role in the classroom. "EACH TREE OFFERS / A STORY ..." begins Verlie Hutchens and Jing Jing Tsong's TREES (Beach Lane, 40 pp., $17.99; ages 4 to 8) and what unfolds is exactly that, a series of brief character studies, as page after page, readers are introduced to a surprisingly varied cast of arboreal personalities. Gracefully, each spread offers a distinct new friend for young readers. Pussy willow is shy, waiting for the one week in spring when "kitten velvet buds / adorn her modest twigs." By contrast, White Pine is an "unruly uncle," with his "buttons akilter" and "shaggy hair unkempt." Each tree is memorable, and Hutchens's vivid descriptions are full of movement and rentable moments. Tsong's colorful illustrations invite readers to peer from a range of vantage points and angles, as if looking down through the foliage. Young readers on walks may well experience the canopy above them a little differently after encountering the trees through Hutchens's and Tsong's eyes. Yet the book may do little to help them see people differently, since "Trees" also reinforces traditional gender roles. Female-identified trees are described as "silly" as they dance on "tippy toes" and sport "baubles." Meanwhile, the masculine trees are "strong" and "mighty" as well as "wise." An unfortunate choice for a book that might easily have resisted such bias. in reading poetry, we are sometimes so lulled by rhythm and sound that we forget to pay attention to meaning. This can be especially true with familiar poems, as they become ingrained in our consciousness. A picture book version of Robert Frost's the ROAD NOT TAKEN (Familius, 40 pp., $17.99; ages 4 to 8), with illustrations by Vivian Mineker, does a wonderful job of reintroducing a well-known poem without altering a single word. The choice to redivide stanzas and to rebreak lines, as well as to set the poem in the contemporary-feeling world of Mineker's soft palette, invites a fresh reading. In the beginning of the book, a young boy with a backpack stands near his dog, at a fork in the road. "Two roads diverged in a yellow wood." As the text reflects on this moment, we view him from a distance, and then from far above. We witness the boy's indecision, and finally his seemingly arbitrary choice. From there, the book continues, and we journey along with the poem and the boy, as he grows, goes to school, chooses a career and builds a family. Finally, at the poem's poignant end, we face the old man who has been reciting the poem and reminiscing all along, surrounded by his grandchildren. "And that has made all the difference." This is a book that begs rereading. Visually, it's unclear what beckons the boy along his initial path, and there's a sort of randomness, a meandering mazelike quality to the artwork, if an emotional inevitability to the poem's conclusion. Robert Frost might well have approved that ambiguity. "THIS IS FOR THE UNFORGETTABLE / the swift and sweet ones / who hurdled history / and opened a world / of possible." The beginning of Kwame Alexander and Kadir Nelson's THE UNDEFEATED (Versify/ Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 40 pp., $17.99; ages 4 and up) feels anthemic. Listen up, the book seems to say, I'm going to share something important. What follows is a powerful tribute to the African-American experience, replete with joy and pride in the accomplishments of individual artists and athletes, leaders and thinkers. But the book also communicates a strong sense of the suffering without which this history would be incomplete. Alexander's resonant twisting language, and Nelson's rich painterly style, serve to capture not just individuals but the community as a whole. "The ones who survived / America / by any means necessary." The book continues. "And the ones who didn't." This second line of text is set starkly against blank white pages, demanding that the reader consider the lives lost and the voices silenced by our history. We see this same kind of restraint a little further along, in the startling repetition of "This is for the unspeakable." Three spreads repeat this simple line, allowing the reader to sit with images of unforgivable acts from both past and present, inviting us to silently bear witness when words fail. Elsewhere, the text swells again, as words and art offer a litany of historical figures and important moments, filling the ears with rhythms that demand attention, calling on poetry of the past. "This is for the unbelievable / The We Real Cool ones. / This is for the unbending. / The black as the night is beautiful ones." These lines sing, and the accompanying paintings feel like a walk through a portrait gallery. Poetry knows when to lean forward and when to pull back, and in "The Undefeated," Alexander has walked that line perfectly. This book will fill readers with a sense of the wealth and the cost of history. LAUREL SNYDER is the author of many books for young readers. Her chapter book "Charlie and Mouse: Even Better" will be published next month.
School Library Journal Review
Gr 3 Up-This inaugural title from Newbery Medalist Alexander's new imprint is a poignant and powerful ode to the resilience and strength of black life and history in America. Originally performed for ESPN's The Undefeated in 2016, the poem adopts a picture book format with a new title, accompanied by stunning oil paintings in Nelson's trademark photorealistic style. The evocative illustrations stand out against stark white backgrounds and vary in their composition. On some spreads, the focus is on a single expressive portrait; others feature collages of African American icons from various disciplines, or refer to significant historical moments. The art functions in perfect harmony with the poet's spare, striking verse to electrify the Black American experience, and to celebrate black athletes, writers, musicians, activists, and heroes. From the unspeakable trauma of American slavery and the transatlantic slave trade to the brave service of black troops during the Civil War, from the fierce and unwavering fight for civil rights to the Black Lives Matter movement, from Selma to Birmingham to Harlem, this book is both a soaring tribute to the enduring perseverance and achievements of the past and a stirring call to action to "the dreamers and the doers" of the present and the future. Back matter includes an afterword from the author as well as additional information about the historical figures and events featured in the book. VERDICT Alexander and Nelson present an exceptionally moving and triumphant work. This book is an essential first purchase for all libraries. -Lauren Strohecker, McKinley Elementary School, Elkins Park, PA © Copyright 2019. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Past and present are quilted together in this innovative overview of black Americans' triumphs and challenges in the United States.Alexander's poetry possesses a straightforward, sophisticated, steady rhythm that, paired with Nelson's detail-oriented oil paintings, carries readers through generations chronicling "the unforgettable," "the undeniable," "the unflappable," and "the righteous marching ones," alongside "the unspeakable" events that shape the history of black Americans. The illustrator layers images of black creators, martyrs, athletes, and neighbors onto blank white pages, patterns pages with the bodies of slaves stolen and traded, and extends a memorial to victims of police brutality like Sandra Bland and Michael Brown past the very edges of a double-page spread. Each movement of Alexander's poem is a tribute to the ingenuity and resilience of black people in the U.S., with textual references to the writings of Gwendolyn Brooks, Martin Luther King Jr., Langston Hughes, and Malcolm X dotting stanzas in explicit recognition and grateful admiration. The book ends with a glossary of the figures acknowledged in the book and an afterword by the author that imprints the refrain "Black. Lives. Matter" into the collective soul of readers, encouraging them, like the cranes present throughout the book, to "keep rising."An incredible connector text for young readers eager to graduate to weighty conversations about our yesterday, our now, and our tomorrow. (Picture book/poetry. 6-12) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
