WE WAIT FOR THE SUN

Adapted from Roundtree and McCabe’s book for adults, Mighty Justice (2019), a powerful episode from the childhood of the real-life activist is presented as an adventure.

Dovey Mae and Grandma Rachel slip out of the house in the hour before dawn, when “the midsummer night is dark and cool.” They walk toward the woods to pick blackberries, and the girl thinks they are the only ones awake in the world—but, quietly, more women join their “silent march, [their] secret mission, [their] berry picking.” Her grandma teaches her to walk in the dark. They follow the birds and stay close together. They taste, and they pick, and soon enough, they watch together as the sky turns colors, and the sun rises to usher in the day. With nighttime scenes bathed in deep purples and a final scene of daybreak in golden hues, this touching tale successfully conveys special moments of hushed expectation and quiet exhilaration between a child and her strong, loving adult. Reading co-author McCabe’s note about the story behind the girl, Dovey Mae Johnson Roundtree, and her grandmother, Rachel Graham, will make the story even more significant. At a time when domestic terrorism against African Americans was rampant, here was a relationship in which a young Black girl felt safe. The aftermatter details the importance of that relationship on Roundtree’s later work as a civil rights attorney. (This book was reviewed digitally with 11-by-17-inch double-page spreads viewed at 67.5% of actual size.)

Makes magic out of a true moment, as the best picture books do.