Juvenile nonfiction
A Day for Rememberin'
Leah Henderson, author of A Day for Rememberin', saw a picture that piqued her curiosity. It was one of a large number of Black children. Her subsequent research uncovered the origins of Memorial Day (originally called Decoration Day). She was inspired to write the book.
"Before the war, worry never left my insides 'lone--always scared that Mama or Papa would get sold away, never to come back home...But those days in the fields are over. Papa said unlike some, we aren't going back because we aren't enslaved no more."
Now Eli's father is working on an important project. He won't let Eli tag along. Eli is not only emancipated, but able to go to school. His parents, believing that education will give him a future, are making sure that he exercises this right.
So the day Eli's father lets him cut school to go with him ("'You need to see the work we's doin' before it's all done,' he says.") is really special. They head to an old race course Confederate soldiers had used to hold Union captives in, a place of deprivation where hundreds died, to help transform it into something sacred and special.
Floyd Cooper is one of the best ever children's book illustrators. His vivid, dynamic pictures, combined with Henderson's lyrical prose, bring an important but sadly mostly forgotten event beautifully to life.
Planting Stories
Have you heard of the Pura Belpre award? If so, have you ever been curious about the story behind it? Just track down Anika Aldamuy Denise's Planting Stories.
Belpre grew up in Puerto Rico. She carried inside her a treasure. Her grandmother had taught her traditional folk stories.
In 1921 Belpre went to New York for her sister's wedding. She ended up staying. At first she worked in a garment factory. Luckily a library had a need for a bilingual assistant. She liked this job much better. But she couldn't find Puerto Rican folk tales like the ones she grew up with.
You'll have to read the book to see what she did about that.
On a purrrsonal note, last month I forgot to mention huge news. The transfer place for all the city bus lines is in Bangor at Pickering Square. It used to be tucked into the ground level floor of the multi story parking garage. Then someone decided to move it and there was a debate as to where. Some people, considering the station and the bus riders who frequented it to be a blight on Bangor's commercial downtown, wanted it far away from there. Luckily other people realized that many riders needed the centralized location. The old shelter was shut down years before there was anything to replace it. Which meant those years people waited outside in all kinds of weather without bathroom access. I saw our new station the day before I saw the story about it in the newspaper. The first moment I thought I was hallucinating. With its indoor and outdoor seating and indoor plumbing it's almost as grand as Concord Trailways. In the story they did have to say they invested all that time and money to attract more upscale riders. But I can live with that. (Jules)
My Jules is staying home again today. Not going further than the mailbox. She was planning on going to Black Bear Exchange and the library. But we have plenty of food and the books aren't due soon. So I snuggled up and she saw the wisdom of staying home with me. (Tobago)
A great big shout out goes out to all who advocated for the riders while decisions were being made.
Tobago and Jules Hathaway
Sent from my U.S.Cellular© Smartphone
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