First sentence: In Slavery Time, when Hope was a seed waiting to be planted, Isabella lived in a cellar where the windows never let the sun in and the floorboards never kept the water out. She had ten or twelve brothers and sisters--she couldn't be sure, since almost all of them were sold as slaves before she was old enough to remember.
Premise/plot: So Tall Within is a picture book biography of Sojourner Truth.
My thoughts: One word: COMPELLING. I thought the text--the narrative--was fabulously written. I didn't love, love, love every single illustration, but overall I thought the illustrations complemented the text well. This one would be for older readers since it is so text-heavy. But older readers need picture books. There is nothing wrong in using the picture book format to craft a compelling nonfiction narrative. Words and illustrations can work together in powerful, creative way.
Text: 5 out of 5
Illustrations: 3 out of 5
Total: 8 out of 10
© 2019 Becky Laney of Young Readers
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