Pithy verse and rich watercolor details introduce young readers to literacy as enslaved resistance in this picture book. An urgent yet straightforward first-person account, this book shows how one enslaved man, secretly named Teach, helps others learn to read and write wherever he can — in a stable, in a kitchen, in the dirt, at a log cabin church. Organized by the days of the week, as store clerk on Saturday, Teach recounts: “I write up receipts/ for Master’s deliveries/ . . . In ’tween/ I write up a receipt/ for her freedom.”
This picture book will spark discussions about enslavement, literacy as resistance, and courage. At the back, there is an author’s note that offers context on African American resistance to enslavement through education along with a list of more books on resistance. [Description by Rethinking Schools.]
ISBN: 9780763681555 | Candlewick Press (MA)
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