Mr. Williams - Hardcover

Barbour, Karen

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0805067736 ISBN 13: 9780805067736

Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR), 2005

Synopsis

The powerful and personal story of one American childhood

When Mr. Williams was a boy growing up in Arcadia, Louisiana, Calvin Coolidge was president, Martin Luther King Jr. had just been born, and children worked hard in the fields for most of the year.

Many years later, Karen Barbour grew up hearing Mr. Williams tell stories about his childhood. In this beautiful book, she not only shares the memories he passed on to her but also creates stunning paintings to illustrate them.

The story of Mr. J. W. Williams, lovingly told by his friend, evokes a specific time and place in American history in a way that is immediate, intimate, and relevant.

"Barbour's meticulously rendered artwork and Mr. Williams' astute observations vividly dramatize a distinct moment in American history, well worth remembering." - Publishers Weekly

About this title

About the Author:

Karen Barbour is an award-winning illustrator of many books for children, including I Have an Olive Tree by Eve Bunting. She lives in Point Reyes Station, California.

From School Library Journal:

Starred Review. Kindergarten-Grade 3–Recounting stories told by J. W. Williams, a friend of her mother's, Barbour captures the essence of a black Louisiana farmer's life in the early 20th century. In this first-person narrative, Mr. Williams describes his childhood, depicting an austere daily routine of hard work punctuated by Sundays and seasonal changes and embellished by his joy in the natural world. On summer evenings, I'd lie on the porch with a pillow...[and] listen to the owls hollering...and foxes barking their funny little dog barks. Racism was a fact of life, but the text does not dwell on it. Williams does recall the young white men who regularly tried to run him over as he walked to school: I was scared of some white people. They'd scare you up pretty good. If you ever saw white people you'd go way around them. The words are succinct but evocative of a larger picture, which Barbour leaves for readers to paint for themselves. The ink-and-gouache illustrations, punctuated with well-placed bits of fabric collage, are perfect. Polka-dotted cotton fields, unpainted raw floorboards, skin tones ranging from tan to gray to blue, and a radiant sun add texture and temperature to the pictures. The beauty of this book comes from the synergy of the spare narrative and rich artwork. The contrast makes each one more compelling; together they are powerful. This exquisite piece of oral history will surely elicit conversations about race, but it also provides a terrific opportunity to discuss the beauty of a simple life lived well.–Mary Hazelton, Elementary Schools in Warren & Waldoboro, ME
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About this edition

• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0805067736
• ISBN 13: 9780805067736
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Barbour Karen