Heart and Soul tells the story of America from another perspective

Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans written and illustrated by Kadir Nelson; published by Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, New York; 2011.

I didn’t think Kadir Nelson could outdo his We Are the Ship, but he has done just that in this book.  Once again, he uses an “everyman” (well, “everywoman” in this case) narrator which made me feel like a child sitting at the feet of a grandparent sharing treasured family history.  The rhythm of language reflects the pride and anger in the story of African Americans in American history.  Nelson’s words are so well-crafted that images would only serve to put a face to the stories, right?  Well, no.  Like in We Are the Ship, Nelson’s paintings express so much emotion that they could tell the story on their own.  It’s no wonder that Nelson got the Coretta Scott King Award for the words and the CSK honor for his art.

I’ve already used this in a display for African American History Month.  It definitely is a book that needs to be displayed, to be studied.  But it also belongs on pathfinders about American history, African American history, and teacher resource lists.