Faith Ringgold
Faith Ringgold grew up during the Depression years and was nurtured by hope. Now she creates bold, brilliant children's books that shine with color. Ringgold celebrates the hope that once nurtured her, and offers it to children living in another difficult era. Ringgold's finds a new freedom when she writes for children. "One of the things you can do so well with children is to blend fantasy and reality. Kids are ready for it, they don't have to have everything lined up and real. It's not that they don't know it's not real, they just don't care."
Dinner at Aunt Connie's House (1993, Hyperion, Ages 6 and up, $14.95) Ringgold's third children's book, is a story built on concentric rings of hope. First, Ringgold offers hope to Lonnie, an orphan newly adopted by Aunt Connie. The story is told by his cousin Melody, who falls "in love with him the first time I saws him." Not only does Ringgold sustain Lonnie with a caring cousin and the magic of immediate relationship, she fortifies him with the strong Swahili proverb "A good tree grows among thorns." Readers get the sense that he's taken the strength to heart.
During a game of hide-and-seek, Lonnie and Melody discover portraits created by their Aunt Connie. From the walls of Aunt Connie's attic gallery, twelve African-American women speake with an inspiration as strong as Ringgold's art. Ringgold introduces children to Fannie Lou Hamer, civil rights activist; sculptor Augusta Savage; actress Dorothy Dandridge, and others including well-known figures like Harriet Tubman and Sojourner Truth. All the women faced difficult situations and have an important message of hope to bring to today's children.
Ringgold believes, "since we are going to encounter scary situations, we need reinforcement when we do. We need to be aware that life is very scary. We also need to understand what other people have gone through in their lives-to understand who they are and why they are as they are. Children learn by seeing people doing things. If all they see are people that don't try, it's going to be difficult for them to try. People who reinforce us in these desperate times are to be celebrated, like Harriet Tubman, they came through."
Ringgold's art provides her with hope too. "Hope isn't something you get, and then you've got it, and you don't need it anymore. You need a daily dose of it. Sometimes you need it three, four, five times a day."
Reviews
Aunt Harriet's Underground Railroad in the Sky
Faith Ringgold
Ringgold relates a dream journey into the past where Cassie and Be Be encounter a fantastic train that follows the trail of escaping slaves on the Underground Railroad. Harriet Tubman relates the details about slavery and the bravery of the escaping slaves and those who aided them. Wonderful oil paintings by this award winning artist and author bring fresh life to the story. Additional biographical information and a resource list supplement the text. It is a Jane Addams Book Award winner and a School Library Journal Best Book. 1993, Crown, Ages 5 to 10, $15.00. Reviewer: Marilyn Courtot
ISBN: 0-517-58767-X
Bonjour, Lonnie
Faith Ringgold
The Caldecott award-winning author tells about an African American experience rarely presented to children. Lonnie's story is about his search for his heritage. It tells about the flight of African American artists, writers and musicians, including his grandfather, to Paris in the 1920's to achieve cultural freedom following World War I. It also tells of the bravery shown and honors bestowed on the Harlem Hell fighters in the 369th regiment, which opened the door for the beginning of the Harlem Renaissance. The mixed heritage of Lonnie's family also is related, including the internment of his Jewish mother by the Nazis and the death of his father in the French army during World War II. 1996, Hyperion, Ages 6 to 8, $15.95 and $15.89. Reviewer: Leila Toledo
ISBN: 0-7868-0076-3
ISBN: 0-7868-2062-4
Dinner at Aunt Connie's House
Faith Ringgold
How magical and thrilling to arrive at Aunt Connnie's house to find a new cousin to play with and an attic full of resplendent paintings. Ah, but there's more; the paintings talk, recounting their true and diverse stories. A full dozen African-American women come alive to explain their place in history. Caldecott winner Faith Ringgold has created this wondrous book for children based on her famous painted story quilt: The Dinner Quilt. The pages resonate with rich colors and inspirational testimony. Remarkable choice for a lively introduction to the vast contributions of African American women in history. 1993, Hyperion Books, Ages 5 to 9, $14.95, $14.89, and $4.95. Reviewer: Deborah Zink Roffino
ISBN: 1-56282-425-2
ISBN: 1-56282-426-0
ISBN: 0-7868-1150-1
If a Bus Could Talk: The Story of Rosa Parks
Faith Ringgold
Our narrator, a young girl on her way to school, boards an unusual bus and takes an enlightening journey in this fictionalized biography of Rosa Parks, civil rights activist. The bus tells its startled passenger Rosa's story, from growing up with the constant threat of a Ku Klux Klan attack to her act of passive resistance against the segregation of bus passengers. Faith Ringgold's account of racism in 1960's Montgomery is not meant to be comprehensive-but it is clear and concise, as is her explanation of the effects of Parks' courageous act. Her acrylic drawings are appealing and folksy. Readers will share the joy when the final passenger boards the bus and it is Rosa Parks herself. 1999, Simon and Schuster, Ages 4 to 8, $16.00. Reviewer: Heidi Green
ISBN: 0-689-81892-0
The Invisible Princess
Faith Ringgold
This is a beautiful African-American fairy tale about a princess who brings peace and freedom to her village. Mama and Papa Love are slaves who want to have a baby, but they fear Captain Pepper will make their child a slave too. Soon they are expecting a little girl, and they're told she is to be a princess. For her protection, Mama and Papa Love call upon the Prince of Night to hide her. When the baby girl is born, she is swept away from the Visible Village to the Invisible Village. Years later, Captain Pepper's blind daughter, Patience, "sees" the invisible princess in the cotton fields. It isn't long before the Captain is on a quest to find the princess and enslave her, but she and the others find a way to escape. Saved by the powers of nature, the slaves of the Visible Village enter the Invisible Village of peace, freedom, and love. Captain Pepper's daughter joins them, and through this loss, Captain Pepper himself repents and enters the new village too. Faith Ringgold's beautiful illustrations are bold and warm, just like her award-winning storytelling. Ringgold won a Caldecott Honor for her book, Tar Beach. 1999, Crown Publishers, Ages 8 to 12, $18.00. Reviewer: Tracy Defina
ISBN: 0-517-80024-1
My Dream of Martin Luther King
Faith Ringgold
In this striking and unique picture book biography of Martin Luther King, the author/illustrator uses a first person, child-like voice to describe some of the main events and accomplishments of the leader's life, within the framework of a dream. The distinctive, large format illustrations also have a child-like, dream-like quality. In spite of this perspective, the struggles of his life and his tragic death are not glossed over. A bibliography and timeline of his life are included. 1995, Crown, Ages 5 up, $17.00 and $18.99. Reviewer: Gisela Jernigan
ISBN: 0-517-59976-7
ISBN: 0-517-59977-5
To learn more aabout Faith and her books, click here.
Added 1999
To stay up to date on new books by this author, consider subscribing to The Children's Literature Comprehensive Database. For your free trial, click here.
If you're interested in reviewing children's and young adult books, then send a resume and writing sample to marilyn@childrenslit.com.