Brick by Brick was written by Charles R. Smith Jr. and illustrated by Floyd Cooper. This book contains rhymes and it is very poetic; therefore, I would say that this book is both a fictional book and poem at the same time. It uses it beautiful rhythmic text to tell a story of how the black men built the White House brick by brick in hopes for attaining their freedom. This book is very compelling because often times when people think of the White House, they think of the "Land of the Free" and "liberty for all". But this book makes children really think how can the White House be synonymous with freedom when the foundations of its very core was built by slaves? What is freedom? In my opinion, I think children will love the rhythmic flow of the text, even though it does not necessarily contain a rich, think plot. The characters depicted in the book are realistic because this book was based on history. The powerful illustrations vividly depict the emotional and harsh reality of slavery, and they match very well with the text. As a result, I find that these illustrations will keep the children's interest while they are reading. In terms of cultural foundations, the author and illustrator were both part of the group represented, African American men. Therefore, the lifestyles of the characters were genuine, especially since this book was based on real events. The only thing that would have made this book better was if it portrayed the perspectives from more than one cultural group. The pictures in this book are wonderful. The story is important -- how slaves helped build the White House. I didn't like that it was told in rhyme -- because in many places the rhymes didn't quite work. It was also a little confusing. It says more than once that owners took the slave hands' pay. Then it starts saying they were earning their freedom. Based on the note at the back, I think once they learned skilled trades to help build the White House, they could earn money to buy their freedom. But it's not very clear in the text itself.Those points are minor quibbles, though. It's a beautiful book with a strong message and a bit of history that should be told.
What do You think about Brick By Brick (2012)?
The cadence of the text is excellent. A powerful story told in simple terms.
—moni_rox
The poetry felt a little clunky, but what an important story to tell.
—Ami
