FROM ME TO YOU

A Black mother explains slavery and the African diaspora to her young son in this illustrated work for children.

In this debut, inspired by a real-life discussion between attorney Moore-Janvier and her 9-year-old child, a mom explains slavery, racism, and the African diaspora in a forthright but age-appropriate way. She starts with basic geography, then defines the concept of slavery before digging into its history in the United States and how enslaved people resisted their captivity. The mother and son then discuss the experiences of Black people in America and around the world: the Civil War, Reconstruction, and Jim Crow; and the American civil rights movement. The book includes profiles nearly a dozen prominent historical figures, as well as contemporary Black role models. Bouthyette’s colorful cartoonlike illustrations of the mother, child, and other figures appear throughout, along with historical photos. There are also numerous excerpts from primary and secondary historical sources, with full citations in endnotes. Moore-Janvier does an excellent job of presenting complex and potentially painful information in a sensitive way that respects young readers’ intelligence. Some of the text seems specific to the author and her son’s experience (“All we will need are our cozy blankets, our pillows, the world map over there, and our book of pictures showing the Country Spotlights that were created in school”), but readers receive sufficient context, including reproductions of the aforementioned Country Spotlights, to make it broadly appealing. Mom’s narration is engaging, accurate, and emotionally resonant, and she makes it clear that although slavery is a fundamental part of Black history, it’s not the entirety of it, and presents a holistic picture of Africans and African Americans. With its prose narrative and somewhat advanced vocabulary, the book seems aimed at a slightly older audience than most illustrated children’s books. Overall, Moore-Janvier effectively shows how the history of slavery can be taught to young children accurately and honestly. As such, the book will be equally well suited to classrooms, libraries, or home bookshelves.

A thoughtful and skillfully written history for young readers.