Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave


Written by Laban Carrick Hill
Illustrated by Bryan Collier
Published in 2010

Why we chose this book:
This is matched up against I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes Her Mark in the 2018 March Book Madness.

Mom and Son's Review
(son age 3 years)

Dave, an artist, poet, and slave, crafts pottery and poetry.

Even for children who don't fully understand the context of Dave's work, this story of an artist can be captivating. The narrator compares "our" view of the world with Dave's - we see dirt, Dave sees a component of his next artistic creation. As T and I read, we discussed what we saw and what the text meant. He was particularly interested in Dave's tools, a potter's wheel and the clay covering his hands on a fold-out spread, and in Dave's creations. T asked many questions about what Dave was doing, such as, "What's a potter's wheel?" and "Is he wearing gloves?" (it was clay on Dave's hands). He was less interested in the poetry. Although T is not yet ready to comprehend the significance of Dave's story in the context of history, he still enjoyed reading about an artist and learning about pottery. I hope that we return to this book when T is old enough to have knowledge of US history.

For further knowledge about this man's life and impact, biographical data is included in the back of the book.

Comments