An illustrated picture book of Langston Hughes’s classic 1926 poem about a Black boy listening to a relative’s shadow-crossed stories of slavery honors a culture’s history keepers.
Of particular interest to (and appropriate for) young readers ages 7-9, "Aunt Sue's Stories" is a unique and strongly commended pick for family, elementary school, and community library picture book collections on racism, African-American history and biographies.
–Midwest Book Review, 01/17/2024
Award-winning illustrator Kelley delivers a reimagining of Langston Hughes' 1926 poem, Aunt Sue's Stories, in a beautiful new picture book. Honoring the tradition of Black storytelling, Aunt Sue tells a young child her own and others' stories about their history. She tells of the reality of enslaved people working in the hot sun and singing songs of sorrow to pass their stories through the generations. Aunt Sue remembers, and those memories cross and recross in dark shadows across her face. The young boy realizes the depth of her stories, and he is quiet, listening to them, realizing none of them ever came from a book. This new picture book is a gorgeous rendering of Hughes' poem. Each picture is beautifully paired with the text and evokes emotion, curiosity, and empathy in the reader, as if they are sitting alongside the young boy, listening to Aunt Sue. This book is appropriate for elementary and middle-grade readers. It is best as a read-aloud so that students may hear the cadence of the words. Don’t miss out on this masterful new book, as it’s the perfect addition to classrooms and libraries.
–Children's Literature, 01/25/2024
Simple in words yet deep in context, this poem embodies the warmth and familiarity of snuggling in the bosom of a beloved family member to listen to stories of old. A brown-skinned child is rapt in his aunt’s stories of Black slaves working in the hot sun, walking in the dewy night, and singing sorrow songs near a mighty river. The child knows these stories are real, that his aunt lived these stories, and he is respectful as he listens in the quiet night. Hughes’s poetry strikingly articulates the stories as they “mingle themselves softly in the flow of old Aunt Sue’s voice.” This simple poem is juxtaposed with the strong visuals of Kelley’s bold and dark illustrations. Even in the soft embrace of his aunt, the boy can see she has lived a life of hard work and sacrifice. The “dark shadows that cross and recross” his aunt’s stories and the “sorrow songs” of the workers come though so tenderly despite the hard, black lines of the summer sun and the dust of an evening sky. The text would make a wonderful introduction to poetry for its brevity, but also for its inclination toward the visual. One can hear Aunt Sue’s flow of words, so reading this aloud would greatly enrich that connection. Kelley’s illustrations are a bold and striking depiction of the poem, but could also inspire discussion of how story and picture together deepen our understanding of history and, most importantly, culture.VERDICT A stellar combination of words and illustrations sure to inform and inspire children across a wide range of ages. A must-read.
–CJ Connor, School Library Journal(Starred Review), 04/26/2024