Patricia and Fredrick McKissacks
extraordinary collection of Bible stories, LET MY PEOPLE GO: BIBLE STORIES TOLD BY A
FREEMAN OF COLOR, illustrated by James Ransome, was awarded the 1999 NAACP Image Award for
Outstanding Literary Work for Children.
Let
My People Go: Bible Stories Told by a Freeman of Color
(Click to buy book on-line)
Author: Patricia McKissack, Fredrick McKissack, James Ransome (Illustrator)
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's
Date Published: September 1998
Format: Trade Cloth
"Come, join me as I take you back to Charleston, South Carolina, to my father's forge in the early 1800s. Sit with me on the woodpile as he tells a tale faith, hope, or love." |
In this extraordinary collection, Charlotte Jefferies and her father Price, a former slave, introduce us to twelve best loved Bible tales, from Genesis to Daniel, and reveal their significance in the lives of African Americans -- and indeed of all oppressed peoples.
When Charlotte wants to understand the cruel injustices of her time, she turns to her father. Does the powerful slaveholder, Mr. Sam Riley, who seems to own all that surrounds them, also own the sun and moon? she wonders. Price's answer is to tell the story of Creation. How can God allow an evil like slavery to exist? she asks. Price responds by telling the story of the Hebrews' Exodus -- and shows Charlotte that someday their people, too, will be free.
With exquisite clarity, Patricia and Fredrick McKissack and James Ransome -- a Newbery Honor winner and all Coretta Scott King Award winners -- brilliantly illuminate the parallels between the stories of the Jews and African-American history. Let My People Go is a triumphant celebration of both the human spirit and the enduring power of story as a source of strength.