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Ringgold, Faith
5 Reviews
(3)
K-3
Ringgold's poetic text and vibrant art affirm the message that diversity enriches us all. She does acknowledge that "Some of us were already here / Before the others came. / And some of us were brought in chains, / Losing our freedom and our names." The text also touches on varied reasons for immigration.
Reviewer: Megan Dowd Lambert
(1)
K-3
The book, originally created as a story quilt, recounts the dream adventure of eight-year-old Cassie, who flies above her apartment-building rooftop looking down on 1939 Harlem. The spectacular artwork, a combination of naive figures in a flattened perspective against a boldly patterned cityscape, resonates with color and texture. The Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award–winning book is as stunningly beautiful twenty-five years later.
Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
May, 1991
(2)
K-3
Lonnie (Dinner at Aunt Connie's House) and Uncle Bates take a trip back in time to the height of the Harlem Renaissance. The pair visits landmarks in search of writer Langston Hughes--meeting greats such as W. E. B. Du Bois and Madam C. J. Walker along the way. More history lesson than story, the book is also a vehicle for Ringgold's accomplished acrylic paintings. Glos.
Reviewer: Kathleen T. Horning
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
May, 2015
(4)
K-3
En route to school, narrator Marcie hops aboard a talking bus that tells the tale of civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks. The gimmick doesn't work--Marcie is a flat character, and the magic bus detracts from Parks's incredible story--but the book is easily redeemed by Ringgold's trademark black-outlined, richly textured, fiercely colorful illustrations.
Reviewer: Nell Beram
(2)
1-3
This literary fairy tale set in the days of slavery offers a vision of utopia and demonstrates the possibility of redemption and the power of love. The Great Lady of Peace tells Mama Love, a slave, that she and Papa Love will have a baby girl--"a princess who would bring peace, freedom, and love" to the plantation's slaves. The book's strength is the artwork; the colors are strong, and the images are memorable.
Reviewer: Rudine Sims Bishop
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
March, 1999
5 reviews
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