When We Say Black Lives Matter

Starred review from July 1, 2021

K-Gr 3-A powerful, painful, and honest celebration of being Black in the world today. This book not only affirms young Black children, but calls on all children to acknowledge the importance of Black lives and the Black Lives Matter movement. Without shying away from painful history and hard truths, Clarke, an Australian writer and illustrator of Afro-Caribbean descent, raises the call to bellow, sing, laugh, and cry, "Black Lives Matter." The illustrations resemble stained glass windows that feature silhouettes of Black characters embracing myriad ways in which to acknowledge and process the wonderfulness of being Black as well as the danger and sadness of living in a racist society. VERDICT Affirming language and inspiring illustrations make this poem in praise of the BLM movement a book that deserves a spot in every library.-John Scott, Friends Sch. of Baltimore

Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from September 27, 2021
With assured rhythm and poetic grace, Clarke offers this stirring epistle from a couple to their growing Black child, patiently enlightening them on the meaning of Black Lives Matter—surveying the phrase’s history and how it represents a call for justice, pride, compassion, and solidarity in Black experiences. Refrain-like repetition of “When we... that Black Lives Matter...” punctuates elegant text: “Darling, when we sing that Black Lives Matter,/ and we’re dancing through the streets,// we’re saying: fear will not destroy our joy,/ defiance in our feet.” A shifting typographic landscape highlights certain words in color while sentences dip and weave across the pages. Lightly tracing the maturing child’s journey from birth to graduation, dynamic watercolor pencil illustrations rendered in an earthy palette, and enhanced by jewel-toned stained glass motifs, follow abstract Black figures across textured cardstock. At once a solemn eulogy, stirring paean, and tender triumph of a book. Ages 6–9.

January 1, 2022
Clarke (The Patchwork Bike, rev. 11/18) pens a love letter from parent to child. The title page depicts a pregnant Black woman with one hand on her belly and the other held by a Black man, presumably the child's father. The vibrant colors and the positioning of their heads and hands give off a positive and affectionate feeling for the new baby. The poetic text opens with "Little one, / when we say Black Lives Matter, / we're saying Black people are wonderful-strong." The images that accompany these lines show the infant in the arms of their parent. As the child grows, the poem continues to define what it means to say "Black Lives Matter," with action verbs throughout: "...when we call out / when we scream out / when we sing...whisper...sob." The story ends with the child in cap and gown, preparing for the future. Textured, motion-filled collage art depicts Black lives as full and loving despite the pain inherent in much of Black history. Throughout, Clarke highlights the joys and struggles of what it means to be Black in ways that are affirming for all readers. Nicholl Denice Montgomery

(Copyright 2022 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

Starred review from September 15, 2021
Grades K-3 *Starred Review* Australian author-illustrator Clarke (The Patchwork Bike, 2018) has created a gorgeous and moving tribute to the Black Lives Matter movement in this story of two parents guiding their newborn son as he grows and encounters barriers to his freedom that arise as a result of his brown skin. Through simple, poetic language, the text turns over the phrase "Black Lives Matter," discussing the range of its meanings, from those rooted in joy and a pride in one's African heritage to pleas for change and rallying cries against racial injustice. Clarke's bold, saturated illustrations arrestingly spill their rich colors across entire pages and use simple figures and silhouettes to convey vast emotions and moments of bravery, fear, and triumph. The placement and appearance of the text also echoes the story's meaning, with a curved word smiling, font size increasing to become a shout, and key words--many creatively formed ("jazz-howl," "wonderful-strong," "a-thundering")--highlighted in different colors. Different verbs are also employed, so that the words "Black Lives Matter" are said, sung, bellowed, cried, laughed, screamed, and more, and the effect is a powerful one. The story ends at the child's graduation, where he's depicted wearing a cap and gown and his arms raised in a victory pose with the peace sign on one hand. A stand-out offering that celebrates, affirms, and supports efforts to overcome adversity.

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Starred review from July 15, 2021
The author of The Patchwork Bike (illustrated by Van Thanh Rudd, 2016) writes to children about the meaning of the phrase Black Lives Matter. Pastel illustrations, also by Clarke, on dark, textured paper are paired with oversized, contrasting text addressed to "Little one." In the visuals, a family that begins as a couple expecting a baby grows into a family with a child and then becomes part of a community in protest, marching for Black lives, before a final page shows a jubilant Black boy in a cap and gown. The adult narrator explains that "when we say Black Lives Matter, / we're saying Black people are wonderful-strong." Other meanings of the rallying cry, when it is called out, screamed, sung, laughed, and known, include a demand for respect, a defiant joy, a channeling of ancestors, an acknowledgment of trouble, and knowing one's worth. Clarke's text is poignant and mesmerizing, with design elements that raise the text to an artistic level, shaping it around the art and highlighting active and emotional words in color: enough, dancing, radiant, precious. The art is truly outstanding, gripping the heart from the very first spread and not letting go. With colored shapes and stained-glass motifs, these Black figures feel real and weighty. Within this deep dive are tragedy, fear, anger, and mourning alongside hope, comfort, strength, and triumph. This slim book contains a necessary and healing exploration of our current moment that will remain relevant for decades to come. An astonishing work of art and a crucial addition to every bookshelf. (Picture book. 4-10)

COPYRIGHT(2021) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

January 1, 2022
Clarke (The Patchwork Bike, rev. 11/18) pens a love letter from parent to child. The title page depicts a pregnant Black woman with one hand on her belly and the other held by a Black man, presumably the child's father. The vibrant colors and the positioning of their heads and hands give off a positive and affectionate feeling for the new baby. The poetic text opens with "Little one, / when we say Black Lives Matter, / we're saying Black people are wonderful -- strong." The images that accompany these lines show the infant in the arms of their parent. As the child grows, the poem continues to define what it means to say "Black Lives Matter," with action verbs throughout: "...when we call out / when we scream out / when we sing..whisper...sob." The story ends with the child in cap and gown, preparing for the future. Textured, motion-filled collage art depicts Black lives as full and loving despite the pain inherent in much of Black history. Throughout, Clarke highlights the joys and struggles of what it means to be Black in ways that are affirming for all readers.

(Copyright 2022 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)