The Undefeated

About a year ago, I found a list of what some mommy-blogger had decided were the best children's books about kindness. I checked them all out and my son and I picked out our favorites. Probably among my top 5 was one called If You Plant a Seed by Kadir Nelson. It was beautiful in its message, its simplicity and the artwork was aMAZing. And so I was excited to recognize his name as the artist of one of this year's Newbery Honor books - The Undefeated! And it actually won the Caldecott Medal this year - double win!

The book is a poem by Kwame Alexander (probably only around 200 words) about important black people who shaped American history and overcame all odds to succeed. The paintings are beautiful and the text is fine. I knew most of the people/stories featured, but it was cool to meet a few more - Wilma Rudolph, Thelonious Monk.

Since it doesn't actually tell a story, my 3-year-old felt meh about it. My enjoyment was higher than meh but lower than wow. I actually enjoyed reading the epilogue with all the mini-bios of the American heroes painted in the book more than the book itself. Poetry has its merits and its fans, but I always prefer a good story.