WAW Reviews: The Amazing Age of John Roy Lynch and Drowned City
Welcome back for week two of William Allen White reviews!
Both books from the master list today are illustrated stories of true events and people. Tragic death will make an appearance in each as well. As always, you will see a summary below of each book, followed by my personal thoughts based on what students might say. If you aren't able to get through these books yourself, I hope this post will better prepare for conversations with your kiddos.
The Amazing Age of John Roy Lynch by Chris Barton
Summary:
John Roy Lynch spent most of his childhood as a slave in Mississippi, but all of that changed with the Emancipation Proclamation. Suddenly people like John Roy could have paying jobs and attend school. While many people in the South were unhappy with the social change, John Roy thrived in the new era. He was appointed to serve as justice of the peace and was eventually elected into the United States Congress. This biography, with its informative backmatter and splendid illustrations, gives readers an in-depth look at the Reconstruction period through the life of one of the first African-American congressmen. (from Amazon)
My Thoughts:
I am loving all the new illustrated nonfiction coming out for kids! This one does not disappoint. John Roy's Lynch's story is an amazing one, starting with his parents being of different races in a time that did not accept such families. Although his dad was white, John Roy Lynch was a slave. I think our third through fifth graders will enjoy this read. It keeps your interested while being informative, much like the author himself. I met Chris Barton a couple weeks ago at #nerdcampKS and he was a pleasure listening to. He truly does his research as to not misrepresent the subjects of his books, especially in cases where his own background is different than that of the character's. He would be a great author to come do an author visit at our schools.
Please note that there is a page that does show an idea of how slaves were treated. It depicts a scene in the forest with whips and nooses, but does not show them in actual use.
Drowned City by Don Brown
Summary:
On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina's monstrous winds and surging water overwhelmed the protective levees around low-lying New Orleans, Louisiana. Eighty percent of the city flooded, in some places under twenty feet of water. Property damages across the Gulf Coast topped $100 billion. One thousand eight hundred and thirty-three people lost their lives. The riveting tale of this historic storm and the drowning of an American city is one of selflessness, heroism, and courage—and also of incompetence, racism, and criminality. Don Brown’s kinetic art and as-it-happens narrative capture both the tragedy and triumph of one of the worst natural disasters in American history. A portion of the proceeds from this book has been donated to Habitat for Humanity New Orleans. (from Amazon)
My Thoughts:
I wasn't surprised to see this book on the list this year, as Brown's first graphic novel, The Great American Dust Bowl, was on it two years ago as well. This is another exceptional and informative illustrated read about Hurricane Katrina. I learned a lot about the days following the hurricane and I know kids will be just as intrigued as I was to learn about such a tragic natural disaster. The only thing that left more to desire was the ending. I felt like it was very abrupt and didn't go into enough detail about how the city put itself back together. I think that there is enough action throughout the book that kids won't mind the lackluster ending.
Please note that there are some scenes that are a little graphic since they show dead bodies that had drowned, but they aren't gory by any means. You may want to keep that in mind if you know you have sensitive readers. This may be why it was selected for the sixth through eighth grade list instead of the younger one.
I would love to hear your thoughts on these books!
What are some of your favorite illustrated nonfiction books that students love? Let me know!
See you next week. Until then...
Back to the books,
Audra
