We Could Fly and Build a House Book Review

Rhiannon Giddens

We Could Fly

Illustrated by Briana Mukodiri Uchendu

 and 

Build a House

Illustrated by Monica Mikai

Published by Candlewick Press

Mom's Review

Rhiannon Giddens now has two songs rendered as picture books, and the artists have each done a stunning job envisioning the stories told in each song.

Build a House and We Could Fly both address the topic of Black freedom. We Could Fly is timeless and can be interpreted to refer to freedom in different capacities. The indistinct figures in the background can be interpreted as historic, but the words and illustrations taken together move the reader to consider ancestry and future and what freedoms are held at the present moment.

Build a House is a story of human resilience. Readers follow a family who lives through the history of Black experiences in America, from enslavement to emancipation to segregation and racial persecution. Ultimately, the family establishes a home and life in peace. Giddens and Mikai do not shy away from painful subjects, but they also do not cast the family as pitiable. Rather, the reader is guided toward an appreciation for strength of spirit, the important role of loved ones in times of grief, and the power of music (unsurprisingly, music is an important theme throughout both books). Build a House is a moving picture book - you won't want to skip the back matter either.

Both We Could Fly and Build a House are stunning!