9781499801033_Medals
9781499801033.IN029781499801033.IN01

Freedom in Congo Square

By Carole Boston Weatherford, Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie

$18.99 US / $25.99 CAN

A poetic nonfiction picture book about a little-known piece of African-American history that demonstrates how New Orleans’ Congo Square was truly freedom’s heart.

Mondays, there were hogs to slop,

mules to train, and logs to chop.

Slavery was no ways fair.

Six more days to Congo Square.

As slaves relentlessly toiled in an unjust system in 19th century Louisiana, they all counted down the days until Sunday, when at least for half a day they were briefly able to congregate in Congo Square in New Orleans. Here they were free to set up an open market, sing, dance, and play music. They were free to forget their cares, their struggles, and their oppression. This story chronicles slaves’ duties each day, from chopping logs on Mondays to baking bread on Wednesdays to plucking hens on Saturday, and builds to the freedom of Sundays and the special experience of an afternoon spent in Congo Square. This book also has a foreword from Freddi Williams Evans, a historian and Congo Square expert, as well as a glossary of terms with pronunciations and definitions.

Download the official Freedom in Congo Square Discussion Guide here!

 

Praise for Freedom in Congo Square:

2017 Caldecott Honor Book for Illustration

2017 Coretta Scott King Honor Book for Illustration

2017 Charlotte Zolotow Award Winner

NCTE 2017 Notable Poetry Book

The Horn Book: 2016 Fanfare List Inclusion

School Library Journal Best Book of 2016: Nonfiction

Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2016: Picture Book

The Washington Post Best Book of 2016: Nonfiction

A New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Book of 2016

**A JUNIOR LIBRARY GUILD SELECTION FOR JANUARY 2016**

 

“Unique in its subject and artistic expression, this beautiful book belongs in most collections.”—School Library Journal, starred review

“The poetry is powerful and evocative, providing a strong and emotional window into the world of the slave. Christie’s full-bleed paintings are a moving accompaniment . . . Weatherford and Christie dazzlingly salute African-Americans’ drive to preserve their dignity and pride.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“Coretta Scott King Honorees Weatherford and Christie have created a gorgeously artistic and poetic homage to the birthplace of jazz and a people whose legacy is too often ignored . . . Subtle and layered, this is an important story beautifully told.”—Booklist, starred review

“Strong acrylic paintings that echo the best of Outsider Art illuminate the equally strong text. Freedom in Congo Square is nothing short of stunning.”—Tomie dePaola (Strega Nona)

 

Out of stock

Book Details

ISBN9781499801033
Page Count40
FormatHardcover
SubformatPicture Book
Trim size8.5" x 11"
Age range4-8
Publication dateJanuary 5, 2016
Publication seasonSpring 2016
RightsWorld

Author/Illustrator Bio

  • Carole Boston Weatherford has written many award-winning books for children, including Coretta Scott King winner RESPECT: Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul; Newbery Honor winner BOX: Henry Box Brown Mails Himself to Freedom; Caldecott Honor winners Freedom in Congo Square; Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer; and Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom, as well as Golden Kite Award winners Dear Mr. Rosenwald; Schomburg: The Man Who Built a Library; and The Roots of Rap. She is currently a professor of English at Fayetteville State University in North Carolina where she created a hip-hop course. Find out more about her at cbweatherford.com.
  • R. Gregory Christie is a 2017 Caldecott Honor recipient for Freedom in Congo Square, a four-time recipient of the Coretta Scott King Award Honor for illustration (Freedom in Congo Square; Brothers in Hope: The Story of the Lost Boys of Sudan; Only Passing Through: The Story of Sojourner Truth; The Palm of My Heart: Poetry by African American Children), a three-time winner of the New York Times’ 10 Best Illustrated Children’s Books of the Year (in 2000 for Only Passing Through, 2002 for Stars in the Darkness, and in 2016 for Freedom in Congo Square), an honor winner of the Theodor Seuss Geisel Award for illustration (Jazz Baby), and a recipient of the NAACP’s Image Award. He operates GAS-ART GIFTS, a children’s bookstore with autographed copies in Decatur, Georgia.

Product Description

A poetic nonfiction picture book about a little-known piece of African-American history that demonstrates how New Orleans’ Congo Square was truly freedom’s heart.

Mondays, there were hogs to slop,

mules to train, and logs to chop.

Slavery was no ways fair.

Six more days to Congo Square.

As slaves relentlessly toiled in an unjust system in 19th century Louisiana, they all counted down the days until Sunday, when at least for half a day they were briefly able to congregate in Congo Square in New Orleans. Here they were free to set up an open market, sing, dance, and play music. They were free to forget their cares, their struggles, and their oppression. This story chronicles slaves’ duties each day, from chopping logs on Mondays to baking bread on Wednesdays to plucking hens on Saturday, and builds to the freedom of Sundays and the special experience of an afternoon spent in Congo Square. This book also has a foreword from Freddi Williams Evans, a historian and Congo Square expert, as well as a glossary of terms with pronunciations and definitions.

Download the official Freedom in Congo Square Discussion Guide here!

 

Praise for Freedom in Congo Square:

2017 Caldecott Honor Book for Illustration

2017 Coretta Scott King Honor Book for Illustration

2017 Charlotte Zolotow Award Winner

NCTE 2017 Notable Poetry Book

The Horn Book: 2016 Fanfare List Inclusion

School Library Journal Best Book of 2016: Nonfiction

Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2016: Picture Book

The Washington Post Best Book of 2016: Nonfiction

A New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Book of 2016

**A JUNIOR LIBRARY GUILD SELECTION FOR JANUARY 2016**

 

“Unique in its subject and artistic expression, this beautiful book belongs in most collections.”—School Library Journal, starred review

“The poetry is powerful and evocative, providing a strong and emotional window into the world of the slave. Christie’s full-bleed paintings are a moving accompaniment . . . Weatherford and Christie dazzlingly salute African-Americans’ drive to preserve their dignity and pride.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“Coretta Scott King Honorees Weatherford and Christie have created a gorgeously artistic and poetic homage to the birthplace of jazz and a people whose legacy is too often ignored . . . Subtle and layered, this is an important story beautifully told.”—Booklist, starred review

“Strong acrylic paintings that echo the best of Outsider Art illuminate the equally strong text. Freedom in Congo Square is nothing short of stunning.”—Tomie dePaola (Strega Nona)

 

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