The 1619 Project: Born on the Water - Hardcover

Hannah-Jones, Nikole; Watson, Renée

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0593307356 ISBN 13: 9780593307359

Publisher: Kokila, 2021

Synopsis

The 1619 Project’s lyrical picture book in verse chronicles the consequences of slavery and the history of Black resistance in the United States, thoughtfully rendered by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones and Newbery honor-winning author Renée Watson.


A young student receives a family tree assignment in school, but she can only trace back three generations. Grandma gathers the whole family, and the student learns that 400 years ago, in 1619, their ancestors were stolen and brought to America by white slave traders.
But before that, they had a home, a land, a language. She learns how the people said to be born on the water survived.

 
And the people planted dreams and hope,
willed themselves to keep
living, living.
 
And the people learned new words
for love
for friend
for family

for joy
for grow
for home.
 
With powerful verse and striking illustrations by Nikkolas Smith, Born on the Water provides a pathway for readers of all ages to reflect on the origins of American identity.

About this title

About the Author

Nikole Hannah-Jones is a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter covering racial injustice for The New York Times Magazine and creator of the landmark 1619 Project. In 2017, she received a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship, known as the Genius Grant, for her work on educational inequality. She has also won a Peabody Award, two George Polk Awards, three National Magazine Awards, and the 2018 John Chancellor distinguished journalism award from Columbia University. In 2016, Nikole co-founded the Ida B. Wells Society for Investigative Reporting, a training and mentorship organization geared towards increasing the numbers of investigative reporters of color.
 
Renée Watson is a New York Times bestselling author. Her young adult novel, Piecing Me Together (Bloomsbury, 2017) received a Newbery Honor and Coretta Scott King Award. Her books for young readers include Harlem's Little Blackbird: The Story of Florence Mills, which was nominated for an NAACP Image Award, and Ways to Make Sunshine, which received the SCBWI Golden Kite Award. She has given readings and lectures at many renown places including the United Nations, the Library of Congress, and the U.S. Embassy in Japan and New Zealand. Renée is on the Council of Writers for the National Writing Project and is a member of the Academy of American Poets’ Education Advisory Council. Renée grew up in Portland, Oregon, and splits her time between Portland and New York City. To learn more about Renée’s work, visit her at www.reneewatson.net
 

Nikkolas Smith is a Houston, Texas-born Artivist, picture book author, and Hollywood film illustrator. He is the author/illustrator of The Golden Girls of Rio, nominated for an NAACP Image Award, My Hair Is Poofy And That’s Okay, and World Cup Women. As a Black illustrator, Nikkolas is focused on creating captivating art that can spark important conversations around social justice in today’s world and inspire meaningful change. Many of his viral, globally shared and published sketches are included in his book Sunday Sketch: The Art of Nikkolas. Nikkolas also speaks on his Artivism at conferences, workplaces, and schools around the world, and leads workshops in digital painting, character, and movie poster design. He lives in Los Angeles, California. Learn more here: www.NIKKOLAS.art 
 

Reviews

Gr 2–5—An illustrated work on the 1619 Project for young readers, this adaptation begins with a school assignment. A young Black girl is told by her teacher to trace her roots, but she is not aware of her origins beyond a few generations. When she recounts this at home her grandmother responds by gathering the family members together to tell their story. Thus begins a visual journey back centuries to the Kingdom of Ndongo in West Central Africa, the birthplace of their ancestors, "They had a home, a place, a land, a beginning." The authors' storytelling is utterly hypnotic, revealing a vibrant community that once spoke their own language and flourished in building and trade. "They spoke Kimbundu, had their own words, for joy, for grow, for home." The opening pages radiate warmth, elation, and celebration through the artwork, which moves and dances along with the people. Sweeping brush strokes and earthy tones are splashed with a bright yellow. With the turn of the page, the triumphant atmosphere vanishes as terror envelops the community, artfully represented in dark mournful blues and deep fiery reds. Entire families are kidnapped and sent by white people to a new country sailing on the White Lion: "We were born on the water. We come from the people who refused to die." The horror of the voyage and the subsequent life in Virginia where these families became slaves is deeply felt through the evocative images. Chaotic sweeps of color are in balance with the smooth lines on the faces of the people who endured, resisted, remembered, and survived. Smith also adds African scarification pattern motifs throughout that create a striking textured effect. The narrative is told in a flowing verse that informs yet also stirs emotion. The lyrical text does not leave readers in despair but confident in the knowledge of the legacy so many Black people forged, "Never forget you come from a people of great strength," Grandma says, "Be proud of our story, your story." VERDICT A stunning work, providing a glimpse into the history of the Black experience before and after the slave trade; the poetic language and breathtaking artwork will have a lasting effect on readers.—Claire Moore, Manhattan Beach Lib., CA

Edition details

• Publisher: Kokila
• Publication date: 2021
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0593307356
• ISBN 13: 9780593307359
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Smith Nikkolas
• Number of pages: 48