{"product_id":"light-in-the-darkness","title":"Light in the Darkness by Lesa Cline-Ransome","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAn enslaved mother and daughter learn to read in spite of great danger in this beautiful testament to the power of literacy, written and illustrated by an award-winning author\/artist team.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRosa and her mama go to school together-in the dark of night, silently, afraid that any noise they hear is a patroller on the lookout for escaped slaves. Their school is literally a hole in the ground, where they and other slaves of all ages gather to form letters out of sticks, scratch letters in the dirt, and pronounce their sounds in whispers. Young Rosa is eager to learn the letters and then the words, because after the words comes reading. But she must have patience, her mama reminds her, and keep her letters to herself when she's working on the plantation. If the Master catches them, it'll mean a whipping-one lash for each letter. No matter how slow and dangerous the process might be, Rosa is determined to learn, and pass on her learning to others.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"In this tale, [Cline-Ransome] makes the point that learning was not just a dream of a few famous and accomplished men and women, but one that belonged to ordinary folk willing to risk their lives. Ransome's full-page watercolor paints-in beautiful shades of blue for the night and yellow for the the day-are a window, albeit somewhat gentle, into a slave's life for younger readers. A compelling story about those willing to risk '[a] lash for each letter'.\" ―\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold a-text-italic\"\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Told from the perspective of Rosa, a girl who makes the dangerous nighttime journey to the lessons with her mother, the story effectively conveys the urgent dedication of the characters to their surreptitious schooling and their belief in the power of literacy.... Solid text and soft, skillful illustrations combine for a poignant tribute to the power of education and the human spirit.\" ―\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold a-text-italic\"\u003eSchool Library Journal\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Dramatic, deep-toned, full-page illustrations mostly dark because of the nighttime setting, skillfully match the vivid, rich language of the text. The expressive faces of the characters shine through the darkness, clearly conveying the senses of determination, fear, and hope which permeate the story. This will surely spark a good number of questions about the condition and treatment of slaves, and why they would go to such extremes to educate themselves.\" ―\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold a-text-italic\"\u003eBooklist\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"The story illustrates the courageous acts that many slaves had to take in order to gain knowledge and freedom. Ransome's illustrations add to the mood and the danger inherent in this act. Recommended.\" ―\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold a-text-italic\"\u003eLibrary Media Connection\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold a-text-italic\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003eLesa Cline-Ransome\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e is the Coretta Scott King Award-winning author of numerous acclaimed picture books, many of which celebrate Black figures from American history, including \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eSatchel Paige, Major Taylor: Champion Cyclist\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e; \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eYoung Pele: Soccer's First Star\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e; \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eWords Set Me Free: The Story\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eof Young Frederick Douglass\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e; \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eJust a Lucky So and So\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e: \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eThe Story of Louis Armstrong\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e; and \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eGame Changers: The Story of Venus and Serena Williams\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e. Her biography in verse of Harriet Tubman, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eBefore She Was Harriet\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e (illustrated by James Ransome), received five starred reviews, was nominated for an NAACP Image award, and received a Coretta Scott King Honor for Illustration. Lesa's other books have received numerous honors and wards including NAACP Awards, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eKirkus\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e Best Books, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eSchool Library Journal \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBest Book, New York Public Library Best Book, ALA Notable, an NCTE Notable, CBC Choice Awards, two Top 10 Sports Books for Youth, an Orbis PIctus Recommended Book, an ILA Teacher's Choice, a Jane Addams Award, a Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction and a Christopher Award. She frequently collaborates with her husband, illustrated James Ransome, and they live in Rhinebeck, New York, with their four children.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold a-text-italic\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJames Ransome\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ehas received both the Coretta Scott King Award for Illustration and the IBBY Honor Award for his book, \u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eThe Creation\u003c\/span\u003e. He has also received a Coretta Scott King Honor Award for Illustration for \u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eUncle Jed's Barbershop\u003c\/span\u003e. Ransome has exhibited works in group and solo shows throughout the country and received The Simon Wiesenthal Museum of Tolerance award for his book, \u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eThe Wagon\u003c\/span\u003e. In 1999 \u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eLet My People Go\u003c\/span\u003e received the NAACP Image Award for Illustration and \u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eSatchel Paige\u003c\/span\u003e was reviewed in Bank Street College of Education's \"The Best Children's Book of the Year.\" In 2001, James received the Rip Van Winkle Award from the School Library Media Specialists of Southeast New York for the body of his work. \u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eHow Animals Saved the People\u003c\/span\u003e received the SEBA (Southeastern Book Association) Best Book of the Year Award in 2002 and the Vermont Center for the Book chose \u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eVisiting Day \u003c\/span\u003eas one of the top ten diversity books of 2002. His work is part of both private and public children's book art collections. The Children's Book Council named James E. Ransome as one of seventy-five authors and illustrators everyone should know. He frequently collaborates with his wife, author Lesa-Cline Ransome, and they live in Rhinebeck, New York, with their four children.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Hachette","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45951261900986,"sku":"9781423134954","price":18.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0444\/2213\/5968\/files\/imageloader_0edbca72-52e7-4603-94ff-898a9d88c488.jpg?v=1780587774","url":"https:\/\/naturenurture.shop\/products\/light-in-the-darkness","provider":"nature+nurture","version":"1.0","type":"link"}