With Books and Bricks

With Books and Bricks: How Booker T. Washington Built a School. Suzanne Slade. 2014. 32 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: From sunrise to sunset, young Booker worked hard. He carried water to the fields. He carried corn to the mill. He carried rocks from the yard. All day long, Booker lugged heavy loads with a heavy heart because he was a slave.

Premise/plot: This picture book biography of Booker T. Washington focuses on his mission of education. He believed that education would lead to empowerment and freedom and opportunity. Most of this one focuses on his work to literally build a school: working to find the right clay, making bricks, baking bricks, using those bricks to build school buildings. It was not simple or straightforward. It was challenging, frustrating, seemingly hopeless. But with fierce determination, he proved that anything is possible.

My thoughts: What an inspiring story of determination. When the third kiln broke, most anyone would have given up. But not him. I think this was a well-written story.

Text: 4 out of 5
Illustrations: 4 out of 5
Total: 8 out of 10
© 2017 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews