28 Days: Moments in Black History that Changed the World

One of the aspects I loved best about this compilation of memorable moments in African-American history is the Author's Note in which Charles Smith begins"
I've always had a love-hate relationship with Black History Month." He details his beefs with it (not unlike mine) --What about the rest of the year? I also loved Shane Evans' illustrations. Highly textured in use of fabrics and fancy papers, and vibrantly colorful the mixed-media art pulses with life. Organizationally interesting, tracing 28 people or events one for each day of Black History month (and then a lagniappe for leap year's 29th day), the book takes readers on a whirlwind look of history from Crispus Attucks's role in the Revolutionary War in 1770 to Barack Obams show more inauguration as president in 2009 to "today"--an invitation to the books' readers to how they will make history. A great book to emulate as a mentor text -- possibly with alternate people and events or with Women's History Month, Hispanic History Month, Asian History Month. show less

The author wanted to create a work for Black History Month that would go beyond the familiar names and faces bruited every year. His thoughts on this phenomenon that he gave in an interview are worth quoting, because they are so true!

"I remember sitting in my sixth grade class at Marian Anderson Elementary in Compton, California, when February rolled around and my teacher, Mr. Johnson, hung up the faces of Black History Month around the room. Sojourner Truth, Rosa Parks, Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. surrounded us until early March. Each picture had information about the person depicted on the back of the image, and the pictures hadn’t changed since first grade. With no new countenances added each show more year, it was as if once black Americans had achieved equal rights in the law books, our history was complete.

How could that be? Weren’t there others who accomplished great things, past and present? That question became the focus of 28 Days: Moments in Black History That Changed the World."

He begins in 1776, during the birth of America, and ends in the present with America’s first black president. He includes an extra day at the end - not only for “leap year” Februarys, but to show that “great things can happen on any day to anyone” and to suggest that Black History is not limited to 28 days!

It will no doubt be a relief to teachers as well as students to find such nice material (presented in free verse) on people other than “the usual suspects.” While he does feature Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, and Jackie Robinson, he also has stories about such notable but perhaps lesser-known African Americans as Crispus Attucks, Daniel Hale Williams, Henry Johnson and Matthew Henson. >

The form of the author’s verse changes according to the message he wants to convey. The spread on Althea Gibson and Arthur Ashe features lines that go back and forth like a tennis match. The verse devoted to Malcolm X reflects the way his words were meant to educate, and to convey a broader message to his followers.

I particularly like the author’s concluding sentiments for Day 29:

“What will today bring,
what will today be,
will today be the day
you make history?

….

Today is the day,
today is to be."

Illustrator Shane W. Evans, a three-time NAACP Image Award nominee, just keeps getting better and better. His collage and oil pictures employ a vivid palette with the dominant colors reflecting the story being told. For example, he uses blues and silver for the two-page spread on the first male and female astronauts, and the bright colors of Africa for his spread on Nelson Mandela.

Evaluation: One can only hope that this book’s appeal will not be confined to February. show less

A good concept and an appealing, handsome presentation with beautiful illustrations by Shane Evans but the author fails to achieve his goal of wanting "to go beyond the familiar names and faces I saw every year without new additions." The majority of names and faces I see here are those that have already been written about extensively for young people and serve as standard fare for Black History Month: Crispus Attucks, Bessie Coleman, the Little Rock Nine, Malcolm X, MLK, Barack Obama, Jesse Owens, Rosa Parks, Jackie Robinson, Harriet Tubman, Oprah Winfrey, and others. The inclusion of Nelson Mandela is odd given that all of the other figures and events are African-American. I am also surprised at the lack of suggestions for further show more reading given that these are brief introductions to subjects readers may want to explore in greater depth. show less

This book was astoundingly unique which made me like it a lot the moment I opened the first page. It held together a variety of writing: poetry, acronyms, songs, chants/phrases, eulogies, songs, and quotes. There are too many elements and factors of this book to extensively dive into (since there are 28 different sections of a different historical moment commemorating different people). However, the top three things I loved about this book are the illustrations, the structure/ format of the book, and the language from the excerpts picked out. In terms of illustrations, there was texture on shirts (like rough burlap), and contrasting backgrounds that reflect the mood of the story, and warm or cool colors that demonstrated how the event show more impacted black history. One particular illustration I liked the best had a man and a woman raising their arms and holding up a large building (Brown vs. Board of Educ) because this was such a strong visual symbolism for everyone to quickly grasp and understand the depth of this victory. The format of the book was that the title was numbered as ‘Day X’ (fill in number) and the text was interactive with the illustrations. The fonts changed would differ in sizes and the colors were vibrant with emphasis on words like liberty or freedom. Lastly, I noticed how the language from this book was not always easy for children to understand. There were some difficult and strong vocabulary that was included, but given the context and the illustrational background, the students have a higher chance of making correct inferences on the words. Sometimes they would have chants or songs included for the children to sing along with – other times, in the eulogy, the phrases and language was solemn and respectful. The author definitely incorporated a lot of high academic language in this collection, but it’s definitely worthwhile to explore and share with the class of any age. The main idea of this book was to highlight and celebrate the victories and people that shaped black history to what it is today. They are commemorating and remembering all the little things put together to bring out something proud for the black community. I would definitely recommend this book to be shared and used in the classroom curriculum. show less

Really well done! I'd love to see the print book. This is wonderfully narrated by a variety of readers, giving a fabulous texture to the writing. I was delighted to see some lesser known heroes of Black History. I learned a lot. Thank you to NetGalley and Spotlight Audio for sharing a copy with me in exchange for my honest review. I feel lucky to have experienced this fine audiobook.

-While this book has many uses for the classroom it does not hit me the way books like 'Martin Rising' have. I'm also a little disappointed that the author mentions he wanted to use people during the book who were unknown but most of those listed were still the most well known black figures (Martin, Malcolm X, Rosa Parks, Harriet, Oprah etc).

Geared for the 28 days of Black History Month, but perfect for any month, this book highlights an extraordinary event for each day of February. Laws, people, victories, and injustices are explicated through verse, quotes, and text. Bibliography.