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Never Forgotten (2011)

by Patricia C. McKissack(Favorite Author)

4.11 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

0375843841 (ISBN13: 9780375843846)

languge

English

genre

Historical Fiction

publisher

Schwartz & Wade

review 1: Not only is the story of Dinga, a Mende blacksmith in West Africa, and his lost son Musafa not to be forgotten, but the lush, incredibly detailed acrylic and watercolor illustrations of this book are just as memorable. Told as a novel in verse that has the rythmn of a folktale, passed down from generation to generation, the story focuses on the love Dinga has for his son. When Musafa's mother dies in childbirth, Dinga entreats Earth, Wind, Fire, and Water to help him raise his son. All goes well until the boy disappears. Eventually, the elements discover the details of his disappearance and reveal that he has been captured and enslaved. Wind finally locates him in Charlestown with a new name, Moses Shannon, using the blacksmith skills his father had passed down from his fo... morerefathers. Not only do I love how the tale is related by a griot who makes the father's love for his son clear, but I also appreciated the story's ending when the storyteller says, "The last part of the story is the silence/ that comes at the end./ A time to think, to reflect" (unpaged). The back matter consists of an Author's Note that explains that there is a Caribbean legend that considers a hurricane to be Mother Africa looking for the children she has lost. This one will be treasured by many readers.
review 2: Audience - Grade level K and up, students studying slavery and black history, Subject - multi-cultural, black history, African storytelling and musicAppeal - This is the story of what happened when the slaves were taken in Africa. It is the story of Dinga and his son Musafa. Musafa was brought up by Dinga with the help of Earth, Fire, Wind and Water and was taken and sold into slavery. His father never stopped missing him and loving him. Mufasa grew to be a strong, wise man bcause he never forgot what his father had taught him. "Loved ones are never forgotten when we continue to tell their stories." This is written lyrically to express the sounds of African poetry and music. This could be used as a lesson on family history or as a focus of black history month.Awards - 2012 Coretta Scott King Author Award less

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