Illustrated by Candice Bradley
5 stars
A lyrical tribute to Black history, culture, and resilience. Fighting against Black history being boiled down to only slavery and the Civil Rights Movement, Oso highlights the complexity and diversity of Black history in the time before the transatlantic slave trade. She explores rulers, warriors, creators, builders, and stargazers across the African continent, closing the distance between the past and the present.
The breathtaking illustrations perfectly showcase the beauty, power, determination, joy, and intelligence expressed in the text. They wonderfully depict the diversity of their subjects across distance and time.
A moving, powerful celebration of the expanse of Black history and a beautiful place to begin diving in to a fuller view of history.