Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave

Hill, L.C. (2010). Dave the potter: artist, poet, slave. New York, NY: Little, Brown and Company.

Coretta Scott King Book Award - Illustrator Winner, 2011 

If the plot does not fit the traditional plot line, what plot line does the book illustrate?  Write a 5-6 sentence description of the book:   

Dave the Potter uses a nontraditional plot line as it follows Dave, a slave whose life revolves around clay, two hundred years ago, as he uses clay to mold a jar.  It discusses how to most of us clay is just dirt but to Dave it was what he used to form his life.  Dave mixes clay with water to spin on his potter’s wheel and eventually molds it into something new.   Dave finally finishes his jar.  On it, he writes a message, “I wonder where is all my relation, friendship to all – and every nation – August 16, 1857” (Hill, 2010).

Picture books only (Was this a well illustrated book? Describe how it was or was not well-illustrated in 3 sentences.):   

Bryan Collier, illustrator of Dave the Potter, uses lots of bold, rich brown hues in his paintings, much like Dave would have found in the clay he used daily.  His stunning illustrations help show the reader the process a potter uses in molding the clay into a new creation.  Collier also expertly depicts Dave’s love for his work through the peaceful and determined expressions on his face throughout much of the book.

Martina the Beautiful Cockroach

Deedy, C.A. (2007). Martina the beautiful cockroach: a cuban folktale. Atlanta, GA: Peachtree Publishers.

 Pura Belpre Honor Book for Narrative, 2008

Exposition (the beginning of the story, establishment of setting and characters):  This story begins with Martina Josefina Catalina Cucaracha, a 21 day old beautiful cockroach, who lives in a street lamp in Old Havana with her family, as she prepares to offer her “leg” in marriage.

Conflict (the problem(s) faced by the characters):  Martina must use her abuela's advice to find her perfect match among her many suitors.  

Rising Action (events in the story leading up to the climax):   Her family offers lots of gifts and advice, but she receives the most shocking advice from her abuela who tells her that spilling coffee on her suitor’s shoes will help her find a good husband; Martina begins to receive lots of suitors, and she follows her abuela’s advice and uses the coffee test on each one.    

Climax (the culmination of events in the story, point of highest reader interest):  Martina finds out each unsuitable suitor’s most deplorable qualities after doing the coffee test, and when she tries the test on her last suitor, Perez the mouse, he actually spills the coffee on Martina’s shoes, putting the coffee “on the other foot” (Deedy, 2007).

Falling Action (events leading to the solving of the story’s problems):  Martina is delighted that she has found her perfect match.

Resolution (how events and problems of the story are solved): When Martina asks Perez how he knew about the coffee test, he responds by saying that he also has a Cuban grandmother.

Picture books only (Was this a well illustrated book? Describe how it was or was not well-illustrated in 3 sentences.):  Michael Austin adds a lot of character and comedy to this lovely tale through his dazzling illustrations.  By looking at his illustrations, the reader cannot help but empathize with beautiful Martina as she searches for her husband among so many unsuitable suitors.  Each exquisite illustration is filled with vibrant colors and something to make the reader get a good chuckle.

 

Me, Frida

Novesky, A. (2010). Me, frida. New York, NY: Abrams Books for Young Readers.

 

Pura Belpre Honor Book for Illustration, 2011 

Exposition (the beginning of the story, establishment of setting and characters):  This story begins in Coyoacan, Mexico in 1931 as Frida Kahlo, wife of the famous artist Diego Rivera, prepares to leave her home to go to San Francisco so that her husband can work on a mural of the city.

Conflict (the problem(s) faced by the characters):   Frida, always hidden in the shadows of her famous husband, struggles to find her identity in a new place.

Rising Action (events in the story leading up to the climax):   Frida follows Diego as he studies the hills, skyscrapers, orchards, oil derricks, gold mines, and redwood groves of the city he is painting; even though Diego loves the new city, Frida feels restless, lonely, and very far away from home, and when she finally decides to explore the city on her on, she feels larger than life and proclaims, “Me, Frida!” (Novesky, 2010).    

Climax (the culmination of events in the story, point of highest reader interest):  While at a party, feeling unnoticed and tired of being quiet, Frida begins to sing Mexican folk songs, and everyone took notice of how marvelous she was, especially Diego.

Falling Action (events leading to the solving of the story’s problems):  After the party, Frida paints a wedding portrait of herself and Diego, depicting Diego as large and herself as small, just as the world saw them.

Resolution (how events and problems of the story are solved): Frida’s painting, Frieda and Diego Rivera, went on to be featured in the Sixth Annual Exhibition of the San Francisco Society of Women Artists, and Frida no longer faded into the background; instead, she walked proudly, and people stopped to stare at her in wonder.

Picture books only (Was this a well illustrated book? Describe how it was or was not well-illustrated in 3 sentences.):  David Diaz illustrates striking paintings to accompany this wonderful story.  Each illustration is filled with bold, rich colors, capturing the essence of Frida’s culture.   As Frida finds herself, Diaz moves her into the foreground of each picture, which accurately reflects the journey she is experiencing in discovering herself and following her dreams.