Steamboat School

Hopkinson (Courage & Defiance) offers a graceful fictional recounting of a St. Louis minister's courageous and clever response to a 1847 Missouri law that prohibited the education of African-Americans. A former slave who worked tirelessly to buy his freedom (as well as that of his parents, wife, and children), John Berry Meachum ran a secret school for black children in his church basement. In this reimagining, new student James complains about the darkness of the school, which is illuminated only by a candle. "We make our own light here," replies Meachum. After the sheriff closes the school, Meachum builds a steamboat that his students help scrub and paint, then opens a new--and legal--school on the vessel, moored midriver on federal property. The determination of Reverend John and the children radiates from longtime Disney animator Husband's elegant illustrations, finely crosshatched in ink and colored in muted blues, reds, and browns. Gentle yet forceful, it's an affecting tribute to an unsung crusader for equal rights and education. Closing notes provide details about Meachum's life and Hopkinson's research. Ages 4-8. Author's agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. (June)

Gr 1-4--James, his sister, and his mother, a laundress, are free blacks living in Missouri in the 1840s, but being free does not give them equal rights. James and his sister attend school in the basement of a church. The secretive space is lit only by candles, but Reverend John, the teacher, tells James, "We make our own light here." A state law passed in 1847, however, makes it illegal to have any kind of school for "negroes or mulattoes," slave or free. Historical fiction based on the life of John Berry Meachum, the story describes how Reverend John got around the law by building a steamboat and holding classes on the Mississippi River, which was considered federal property. Husband, the first African American animator at Disney Studios, creates expressive illustrations that have the look and feel of the time period. Rendered mostly in brown and black tones, his detailed, cross-hatching style has the appearance of pen and ink. An author's note shares more of Meachum's life, describing how he worked in a mine to make enough money to buy freedom for himself and his father. Walking from Kentucky to Missouri, Meachum then worked as a carpenter and cooper in order to purchase his wife's and children's freedom. VERDICT Full of action and accomplishment, the story of James and Reverend John will impress and inspire readers. A powerful, well-written story to share with a class or with proficient readers.--Lucinda Snyder Whitehurst, St. Christopher's School, Richmond, VA