Cover Image

Build a house

by Giddens, Rhiannon, 1977-

Format: Print Book 2022
Availability: Available at 5 Libraries 5 of 13 copies

Available (5)
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Baldwin Borough Library Picture Book J GID
Location  Baldwin Borough Library
 
Collection  Picture Book
 
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Crafton Public Library Juvenile - Picture Books PICT F GIDDENS 2022 CRAFTON 10/22
Location  Crafton Public Library
 
Collection  Juvenile - Picture Books
 
Call Number  PICT F GIDDENS 2022 CRAFTON 10/22
 
 
Mt. Lebanon Public Library Children's Picture Books j Ea GIDDENS Rhiannon
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Northland Public Library Children's Picture Books J PIC GIDDENS
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Shaler North Hills Library Juvenile Picture Book j NEW PICT BK GIDDENS
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Collection  Juvenile Picture Book
 
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Summary
Grammy Award winner Rhiannon Giddens celebrates Black history and culture in her unflinching, uplifting, and gorgeously illustrated picture book debut.

I learned your words and wrote my song. I put my story down.

As an acclaimed musician, singer, songwriter, and cofounder of the traditional African American string band the Carolina Chocolate Drops, Rhiannon Giddens has long used her art to mine America's musical past and manifest its future, passionately recovering lost voices and reconstructing a nation's musical heritage. Written as a song to commemorate the 155th anniversary of Juneteenth--which was originally performed with famed cellist Yo-Yo Ma--and paired here with bold illustrations by painter Monica Mikai, Build a House tells the moving story of a people who would not be moved and the music that sustained them. Steeped in sorrow and joy, resilience and resolve, turmoil and transcendence, this dramatic debut offers a proud view of history and a vital message for readers of all ages: honor your heritage, express your truth, and let your voice soar, even--or perhaps especially--when your heart is heaviest.
Published Reviews
Booklist Review: "Start this book at the back, where there's a QR code to scan. As you listen to the powerful, plaintive strains of Giddens' voice, accompanied by Yo-Yo Ma on the cello as they perform Build a House, turn the pages and follow the story in the illustrations. The lyrics are deceptively simple, with layers of history rippled through each verse. They tell the story of enslaved people brought to this land to build for the slavers. The illustrations depict a small African American family (parents and child) being forced to build and move over and over until they finally find a safe place. The child carries a plant with her, and its growth represents her growth, as well as the strength of her people, ultimately depicted as a strong, beautiful tree that "will not be moved." Build a House is brimming with energy, simultaneously placid and raging. The book is straightforward enough to read (or sing) with young children, complex enough to analyze with older ones. Note the facial expressions and postures that complement the lyrics."
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Publisher's Weekly Review: "Originally released in 2020 to honor Juneteenth's 155th anniversary, the lines of this song, now a picture book debut by Giddens, invoke the storied heritage of African American music, discussing Black chattel slavery in America. Mikai's textured digital illustrations follow the text as a Black family of three is forced to build a house and work farmland for those who "brought me here." Subsequently told to "GO," the family is soon denied the chance to make a place for themselves when the home they build is burned down--an act of violence that precedes another home's construction. Throughout, images lend emotional gravity to reiterative verse ("I learned your words/ And wrote my song/ Wrote my song/ Wrote my song"), marking a contrast between the ample bounty the family is forced to create and the oppression that makes that bounty possible, in a story of freedom stolen and home long sought. An afterword and QR code to the recorded song conclude. Ages 7--10. (Oct.)"
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Additional Information
Subjects African American families -- Juvenile fiction.
Slavery -- United States -- History -- Juvenile fiction.
Racism -- Juvenile fiction.
House construction -- Juvenile fiction.
Resilience (Personality trait) -- Juvenile fiction.
African Americans -- Fiction.
Family life -- Fiction.
Slavery -- History -- Fiction.
Racism -- Fiction.
House construction -- Fiction.
Resilience -- Fiction.
Historical fiction.
Publisher Somerville, Massachusetts :Candlewick Press,2022
Edition First edition.
Contributors Mikai, Monica, illustrator.
Language English
Notes "Based on the song 'Build a house,' composed for the 155th anniversary of Juneteenth"--Jacket blurb.
Includes QR code that accesses an exclusive recording by Rhiannon Giddens and cellist Yo-Yo Ma.
Description 1 volume (unpaged) : color illustrations ; 26 x 28 cm
ISBN 9781536222524
1536222526
Other Classic View