America, My Love, America, My Heart

January 1, 2021

Gr 2-4-The endpapers of this book depict the red, white, and blue American flag with the Pledge of Allegiance written in its stripes as if they are lines of wide-ruled paper. This flag, as the Pledge states, stands for "liberty and justice for all." But does it really provide those things to all its citizens? Throughout the pages of this book, various Black children ask the flag-and, by extension, the nation itself-do you love me back? It becomes a powerful refrain. Louisiana Creole words are mixed in with Spanish and English. Like most of the pictures in this book, the people are colored with shades of gray, but they have a variety of natural hairstyles, braids, and beautiful hats. Besides gray, the only other colors that appear are red, white, and blue. Shirts and blouses are white, the sky is a pale blue, church walls are a vibrant red. The patriotic symbolism is evident, but because color is used so sparingly, and the narrative arc so muted, the sequencing can start to lag. This book interrogates the concept of a nation that asks for unconditional love, respect, and honor but does not provide them to all its people, equally, in return. Back matter includes the author's mission statement, the history of Louisiana Creole, and pictures of the author with her family. VERDICT A book that encourages children to ask questions, this is a solid for all Americans.-Chance Lee Joyner, Haverhill P.L., MA

Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2021
An unnamed narrator--or perhaps a collective narrator--with diverse cultural heritage seeks to know whether America loves them. Front and back endpapers picture a United States flag with the Pledge of Allegiance printed in childlike handwriting. Within, gray-toned illustrations with accents of red, blue, and white depict people of color of all ages in outdoor and indoor settings: cities, fields and beaches, churches and schools. The text reads like a poem, narrated by a first-person voice who is, at first, unsure of their inclusion in the bold, brave United States. "Do you love me?" the voice asks its country. A series of questions addressed to "America," some literal and some figurative, reveal an obsession with and a lack of confidence in the narrator's relationship with their country, until at last the voice concludes that, despite all these questions, "America, I am you. / America, you are me." The text incorporates occasional phrases in Louisiana Creole and in Spanish (both without translation), a choice that is explained in the author's note as a reflection of her heritage. Through simple, poetic language and stark, symbolic imagery, Peoples-Riley delivers another powerful representation of the complex relationship between people of color and the country whose past and present call its love for some of its people into question. This book answers a deep fear about wholeness and belonging as it invites young readers to grow into its message. A sensitive rendering of the conflict at the core of double consciousness. (Picture book. 4-9)

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March 15, 2021
Preschool-Grade 2 A Black child questions the true meaning of America as she repeats the Pledge of Allegiance in school each day. Are we really one nation, with liberty and justice for all? She asks America: "Do you love my black? Do you love my brown?" While celebrating the culture and words of her Louisiana Creole, Spanish, and Black heritage, she wonders if everyone is truly treated the same in America. Illustrations done in oil paint and graphite use a palette of red, blue, and gray and show people in the city, the country, in church, in our nation's capital, and in the fields and forests of our country from one shore to another. Back matter includes photos of the author's Creole great-grandmother and grandmother. Concluding notes explain how the effects of racism have made her feel different, and also detail her hope to live in a country that embraces variations in skin color, language, and religion. Pair this with All Because You Matter (2020) by Tami Charles and Bryan Collier.

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