THE OLD African Julius Lester Jerry Pinkney HC Fiction 2005 NEW 0803725647

Item number:

170842794381

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Item specifics

Condition:	Brand new: A new, unread, unused book in perfect condition with no missing or damaged pages. See the seller's listing for full details. See all condition definitions- opens in a new window or tab ... Read moreabout the condition	ISBN-10:	0803725647
Language:	English	ISBN-13:	9780803725645
Subject:	History	Author:	Julius Lester
Age Level:	Ages 8 and up	Format:	Book, Trade Cloth
Special Attributes:	Illustrated	Publication Year:	2005
Country of Manufacture:	United States	ISBN:	9780803725645

Detailed item info

Synopsis
No one on the plantation had ever heard the Old African's voice, yet he had spoken to all of them in their minds. For the Old African had the power to see the color of a person's soul and read his thoughts as if they were words on a page. Now it was time to act-time to lead his fellow slaves to the Water-That-Stretched-Forever, and from there back to Africa. Back to their home. Based on legend and infused with magical realism, this haunting tale is beautiful in both its language and its images. Julius Lester and Jerry Pinkney have found a new, extraordinary way to express the horrors of slavery and the hope and strength that managed to overcome its grip.
Product Identifiers
ISBN-10	0803725647
ISBN-13	9780803725645

Key Details
Author	Julius Lester
Number Of Pages	80 pages
Format	Hardcover
Publication Date	2005-09-08
Language	English
Publisher	Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated

Additional Details
Copyright Date	2004
Illustrated	Yes

Dimensions
Weight	24.2 Oz
Height	0.6 In.
Width	9.2 In.
Length	11.2 In.

Target Audience
Group	Juvenile Audience
Grade From	Third Grade
Grade To	up
Age Range	4 - UP

Classification Method
LCCN	2003-015671
LC Classification Number	PZ7.L5629Ol 2004
Dewey Decimal	[Fic]
Dewey Edition	22

Contributors
Illustrated by	Jerry Pinkney

Reviews
"Whips sink into bare flesh and red blood glistens in Lester's painfully vivid, four-part story of the horrors of slavery that evolves into a fantastical escape myth. When a runaway boy named Paul is brutally beaten by Master Riley, his anguish triggers a flashback of the magical, shape-shifting Old African to the terror and stench of the slave ships he experienced ten years previous. Paul's vision inspired cry "Water! Water!" stirs the Old African to lead the slaves off the plantation to the ocean, the Water-That-Stretched- Forever. Fully clothed, the slaves walk into the waves to their freedom, down onto the ocean floor, over the bones of fellow captured slaves, all the way back to Africa where their homecoming is joyful and triumphant. Both author and artist draw on a story originating with the Ybo slaves of coastal Georgia for this moving collaboration. Lester's prose is powerful and poetic, and Pinkney outdoes himself in hauntingly expressive, often wordless double-page paintings that masterfully capture the strength and suffering of the African people." -Kirkus Reviews, starred review "Lester's story is based on a legend about Ybo Landing, GA, where a group of slaves walked into the water, saying they were walking to Africa. His resulting novella-length allegory about spirit, memory, and freedom shows how hope can live in a people even when the spirit dies... Lester and Pinkney combine their talents here to create an unusual, complex, and thought-provoking offering in which the Old African is the keeper of a power that brings comfort and, ultimately, salvation to his people." -School Library Journal, starred review

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The Old African
by Julius Lester
Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney

Product Category: Books > New Books > Fiction
Dial, 2005
Hardcover
Dimensions: 11.2 x 9.3 x 0.6 inches
80 pages
Ages 8 and up

This is a brand new book, unused and unread. No remainder marks.

No one on the plantation had ever heard the Old African’s voice, yet he had spoken to all of them in their minds. For the Old African had the power to see the color of a person’s soul and read his thoughts as if they were words on a page. Now it was time to act—time to lead his fellow slaves to the Water-That-Stretched-Forever, and from there back to Africa. Back to their home.

Based on legend and infused with magical realism, this haunting tale is beautiful in both its language and its images. Julius Lester and Jerry Pinkney have found a new, extraordinary way to express the horrors of slavery and the hope and strength that managed to overcome its grip.

From School Library Journal:

Starred Review

As the story opens, the Old African is watching a boy being whipped on a plantation in Georgia. He is putting a picture into the minds of his comrades–a picture of water as soft and cool as a lullaby–and the picture stops the boy's pain. The Old African doesn't speak–he hasn't since he was brought over on a slave ship–why should he when there is no one who would understand? As he cares for the boy, who had been whipped for running away, a hope sprouts in his mind–a way to return home–and he uses his powers to take his people on an incredible journey home. Lester's story is based on a legend about Ybo Landing, GA, where a group of slaves walked into the water, saying they were walking to Africa. His resulting novella-length allegory about spirit, memory, and freedom shows how hope can live in a people even when the spirit dies. Pinkney's characteristic mixed-media illustrations are uneven and not necessarily his best, but the numerous spreads are stunning, showing power in landscape and emotional energy in posture, and the series of three toward the end (the people entering the water, walking along the ocean floor, and emerging in Africa) completely redeem the entire book, capturing all of the literal vividness that the story suggests. Lester and Pinkney combine their talents here to create an unusual, complex, and thought-provoking offering in which the Old African is the keeper of a power that brings comfort and, ultimately, salvation to his people.

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#5460
1 lb. 12 oz.

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The Old African * Julius Lester Jerry Pinkney HC Fiction 2005 NEW!

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