Hold Them Close: A Love Letter to Black Children

A love poem to Black children that both educates and bolsters.

Gr 1-4--In this love letter to black children, the author encourages them to hold on to the good things, to not look away from the bad things, and to never forget their story. Dougher's mixed media collage includes black-and-white photographs by Jamel Shabazz, patterned paper, and paint. Together the images create the homey chaotic feel of a Brooklyn neighborhood, where both illustrator and photographer grew up. Through the illustrations, readers follow a boy and girl into their world and family, where they see the love that carries them through real life: dinner tables and school friends, family members who were incarcerated, and those who were enslaved or experienced violence. No subject is out of reach. While the verse may be too abstract for younger readers, this book is an uplifting family story as much as it is a beautifully fearless introduction to much of Black history and why learning about it is essential for understanding the modern world. Back matter gives context and depth to images and names of historical figures and victims of violence that are worked into the collage. VERDICT This is an important book for any collection that serves older picture book readers, but especially good for classroom use.--Hillary Perelyubskiy

Thompkins-Bigelow (Abdul's Story) pens a stirring free verse love letter to Black children and community, carrying readers through a range of experiences to be held tight or dismissed: "When happy things come to you, / hold them close and never let go." A lyrically wrought litany of things to retain includes "that one time when you just/ knew you had slam-dunked the sun," the eyes of children and of elders, and moments of freedom and joy: "the stories the grown folks tell of your greatness... of changemakers and truth-tellers and the first ones to break through." Shabazz (Back in the Days, for adults) provides contemporary photographs to which fine artist Dougher contributes intricate mixed-media collage, gold leaf crowns, and portrayals of Black individuals across time; in one spread, Assata Shakur, Sojourner Truth, and Malcolm X appear in the windows of a Black Wall Street building. The resulting images--of contemporary community and historical figures united by a single painted white ribbon that soars from spread to spread--simultaneously emphasize a painful past, a tumultuous present, and a hopeful future, making for a tribute both sobering and jubilant. Back matter includes author's and illustrator's notes. Ages 4-8. Author's agent: Essie White, Storm Literary. (Oct.)