The People Could Fly

As performed by Andrew Barnes, this prize-winning text, compiled by the illustrious Virginia Hamilton, is a gem. The only discordant notes in the four hours are banjo, fiddle, and harmonica playing that are more Appalachian than black vernacular music. This transcendent audio work entertains a multiplicity of generations and races. It enables us to understand the ways a people survived slavery and the racism that followed, continued folkways, and maintained their sense of the ridiculous in the face of unbearable oppression. These stories, however, are not about race. They are about the triumph of the human spirit against all odds. P.R. (c) AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine

January 12, 2009
Three winners of multiple honors have created this incomparable book. The Dillons illustrate Hamilton's 24 stories with marvelous pictures alive with the spirit of each: sly humor, mystery, pathos and, most powerfully, the human need for freedom. In the author's introduction and notes, we find information on black history, on the original slave storytellers"voices from the past''that include her own ancestors. The stories are given full effect by Hamilton's use of colloquial language, evoking the artless entertainer relating the exploits of ``Bruh Rabbit'' and other animal tricksters. The reader's emotional response, however, is to the artists' depictions and the author's narrative in ``The People Could Fly.'' They are the slaves from Gulla who, according to legend, escape the master's abuse one day. ``They rose on the air. Say they flew away to Free-dom.'' (All ages).

May 1, 2005
Gr 4-7 -Virginia Hamilton's collection of 24 black American folk tales (Knopf, 1985) receive new vitality as an audio presentation. After an informative introduction by the author, the tales are arranged into categories with explanatory notes for each story. In the "Animal Tales" section, Hamilton retells familiar stories about Bruh (Brer) Rabbit who almost always outwits Bear and Fox. There are tales described as real, extravagant, and fanciful, but reality takes a back seat in most of these sometimes scary tales. Struggles between good and evil are included in stories such as "Jack and the Devil" in the "Supernatural" group. Hamilton concludes with "Slave Tales of Freedom" where the title story relates the mythic escape by air of people too long oppressed. Andrew Barnes tells each story with ingenuity, a mix of vocal styles and, occasionally, a pleasant singing voice. Selections are set apart with brief, appropriate music. The cover features artwork by the book's illustrators, Leo and Diane Dillon. This is an enduring, much-honored book based on oral tradition and it returns to its roots in an audio format. Equally enjoyable listened to one story at a time or in its entirety, this is a solid purchase for school and public libraries. -"Barbara Wysocki, Cora J. Belden Library, Rocky Hill, CT"

Copyright 2005 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.