I Lay My Stitches Down: Poems of American Slavery by Cynthia Grady and Michele Wood - ADVISABLE

I Lay My Stitches Down:  Poems of American Slavery by Cynthia Grady, illustrated by Michele Wood. NON-FICTION PICTURE BOOK. Eerdmans Books For Young Readers, 2012. $19. 9780802856142

Content: PG (The poems talk about cruel injustices to the enslaved people)

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL:  SOME

Grady’s collection of poems use quilting imagery to talk about various experiences of enslaved Africans.  Interesting perspectives are shared by a house slave, a slave fleeing, a blacksmith, a broken hearted mother, and others.

Grady has created a group of very moving poems to express the cruelty of slavery.  The meanings are deep and would be lost on younger children.  Beautiful and colorful folk art illustrations accompany each poem.

PGPowers