36. The People Could Fly by Virginia Hamilton

THE PEOPLE COULD FLY: AMERICAN BLACK FOLKTALES told by Virginia Hamilton (Alfred A. Knopf, 1985)

Illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon

GENRE: Folktale

HONORS: New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Books of the Year

REVIEW:

With The People Could Fly, Hamilton compiles twenty-four American black folktales that represent the attempts of those forced into slavery to remember the culture that white slaveowners suppressed.   The collection is divided up into four sections that stand for the majority of black folktales, consisting of stories about animals, fantasy, supernatural, and slaves earning their freedom.   Many of the tales feature a character that represents the slaves and the storyteller characterizes him as smart and able to outwit the slaveowner—or the larger animals as in the animal stories.  Accompanied by beautiful illustrations, the tales depict the sadness of the time, but there is also a ray of hope that shines through them.  In the introduction, Hamilton writes, “Remember the voices from the past.  As do the folktales, keep close all the past that was god, and that remains full of promise.”

OPINION:

This collection is filled with exciting and hopeful stories, demonstrating the strength of the storytellers as they endured such torturous times.  It is simply amazing that these folktales have been continuously passed down through several generations with one of the stories directly passed down through the author’s mother’s lineage.  At the end of each folktale, the author includes a passage discussing the history of the tale or other interesting information about it.  I think that this adds to the impact of the folktales, giving the reader a deeper understanding of the message or the inspiration.  Although folktales are not the most popular among tweens, these captivating stories of hope in even the worst circumstances can teach our tweens about their history as Americans and also about their own strength.

IDEAS:

This would be a great book for a library display about folktales from different regions, bringing attention to a genre that is highly overlooked.  Also, the stories within the book would be perfect to read aloud in a library program about African American history, as well as for a library display on the same topic.