A Change of Heart

October 1, 2016
Grades 1-4 Based on real-life events, this picture book for older readers relates the story of African American navy man Lanier Phillips, who, in 1942, survived a shipwreck that changed his life. Hoping to escape the racial discrimination he grew up with in Georgia, Phillips enlists in the navy at the onset of WWII, but aboard the ship, he and other black crew members still suffer prejudice. After a storm shipwrecks their boat, he washes up in Newfoundland, and being the sole black survivor, he fears mistreatment. Instead, he experiences kindness and respect, which alters his perspective about the goodness of others and brings new feelings of self-worth. Walsh's descriptive, suspenseful prose incorporates Newfoundland dialect, and Banks' full-page color illustrations, in an evocative, angular folk art style with thick-laid paints, contribute plenty of atmosphere, especially when Phillips is at sea. While perhaps best read in conjunction with some historical context, readers will find Phillips' story thought-provoking and affecting. Includes an author's note detailing Phillips' biographical information, which highlights his navy accomplishments and civil rights work.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)