 | |
| Author | Patricia McKissack, Fredrick McKissack |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Joseph Daniel Fiedler |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Subject | Children's literature, United States history, African-American history |
| Published | 2004 (Aladdin Paperbacks) |
| Media type | Print paperback) |
| Pages | 68 |
| ISBN | 9780689861499 |
| OCLC | 824278600 |
Hard Labor: The First African Americans, 1619 is a 2004 book by Patricia and Fredrick McKissack about the first African Americans to set foot in America.
Booklist , reviewing Hard Labor, wrote "The McKissacks take on a difficult and disturbing subject in this small history in the Milestone Books series, an account of the very first Africans who came to this country in the early seventeenth century .. The type is big and clear, with occasional black-and-white illustrations, but middle-graders will need adult help with the sweeping history, which includes an overview of slavery around the world." [1] and the School Library Journal , although noting " The research is not supported by a bibliography or source notes, and the lack of a table of contents and index makes it difficult for students to find specific facts." concluded "Barring these shortcomings, this well-written offering will stimulate interest and spark discussions." [1]
The Horn Book Magazine found "Hard Labor benefits from a timeline and list of websites but covers too many topics, which results in a confusing narrative." [2] and Kirkus Reviews was more critical, writing "The McKissacks tell the story of the first African-Americans in America in an addition to the Milestone Books series. Unfortunately, they take a straightforward story and make it confusing. .. There are many stories in this volume that would make interesting history for the young reader; too bad they are sloppily combined into one choppy offering." [3]
The ALAN Review lists Hard Labor as a Recommended Young Adult Nonfiction book for United States labor history. [4]
Patricia C. "Pat" McKissack was a prolific African American children's writer. She was the author of over 100 books, including Dear America books A Picture of Freedom: The Diary of Clotee, a Slave Girl;Color Me Dark: The Diary of Nellie Lee Love, The Great Migration North; and Look to the Hills: The Diary of Lozette Moreau, a French Slave Girl. She also wrote a novel for The Royal Diaries series: Nzingha: Warrior Queen of Matamba. Notable standalone works include Flossie & the Fox (1986), The Dark-Thirty: Southern Tales of the Supernatural (1992), and Sojourner Truth: Ain't I a Woman? (1992). What is Given from the Heart was published posthumously in 2019.
Never Forgotten is a 2011 picture book by Pat McKissack about a blacksmith father in West Africa who has Musafa, his son, kidnapped by slavers and with the assistance of the four elements discovers that Musafa is working in Charleston as a blacksmith's apprentice.
Flossie & the Fox is a 1986 picture book by Patricia C. McKissack about a girl, Flossie, who takes some eggs to a neighbor, meets a fox on the way and manages to outwit it. In 1991, a film adaptation of the book was made with the author narrating.
Where Crocodiles have Wings is a 2005 children's picture book by Patricia McKissack and illustrated by Bob Barner. It is a rhyming story where imaginative animals occur.
Sojourner Truth: Ain't I a Woman? is a 1992 children's biography by Patricia and Frederick McKissack. It tells the story of African-American abolitionist and women's rights activist, Sojourner Truth.
A Million Fish ... more or less is a 1992 children's picture book by Patricia McKissack. It is about a boy of the bayou, Hugh Thomas, who has a fishing adventure.
Red-Tail Angels: The Story of the Tuskegee Airmen of World War II is a 1995 Children's picture book by Patricia and Frederick McKissack. It is about the African Americans of the 332nd Fighter Group and the 477th Bombardment Group of the USAF who were known as the Tuskegee Airmen.
Black Hands, White Sails: The Story of African-American Whalers is a 1999 book by Patricia McKissack and Frederick McKissack about the involvement of African-Americans in the history of whaling in the United States.
Color Me Dark: The Diary of Nellie Lee Love, The Great Migration North is a 2000 book by Patricia McKissack about a girl, Nellie, who from 1919 records her thoughts and experiences in a diary including her home in rural Tennessee, as a part of The Great Migration, and her new home in Chicago. It is part of the Dear America book series.
Days Of Jubilee: The End of Slavery in the United States is a 2002 book by Patricia McKissack and Fredrick McKissack which sets out the history of Abolitionism in the United States.
The Honest-to-Goodness Truth is a 2000 picture book written by Patricia McKissack and illustrated by Giselle Potter. It is about a girl, Libby Louise, who decides to only tell the truth, the problems this causes, and her eventual understanding about the need for empathy and kindness in some situations.
A Friendship for Today is a 2007 book by Patricia McKissack about the life of a girl, Rosemary Patterson, attending one of the first integrated Missouri schools during the 1950s.
Rebels Against Slavery: American Slave Revolts is a 1996 book by Patricia and Fredrick McKissack.
Abby Takes a Stand is a 2005 book by Patricia McKissack. It is the first book in the Scraps of Time series and is predominantly set in the 1960s. It concerns an African-American grandmother, Abby, talking with some of her young relatives about the time she was a young girl in Nashville, Tennessee, her experiences with racial segregation, and her involvement with the Civil Rights Movement.
Ma Dear's Aprons is a 1997 book by Patricia McKissack about the relationship between a son, David Earl, and his mother, Ma dear.
Stitchin' and Pullin': A Gee's Bend Quilt is a 2008 picture book by Patricia McKissack and illustrated by Cozbi A. Cabrera. It is about a young girl, Baby girl, who, growing up amongst the quilters of Gee's Bend, Alabama, makes her first quilt.
Best Shot in the West: The Adventures of Nat Love is a 2012 graphic novel written by Patricia and Fredrick McKissack and illustrated by Randy DuBurke. It is about the life of African-American cowboy Nat Love.
Scraps of Time: 1928, A Song for Harlem is a 2007 book by Patricia McKissack about a girl, Lilly Belle, who spends the Summer of 1928 in Harlem attending a writers' workshop led by Zora Neale Hurston.
Young, Black, and Determined: A Biography of Lorraine Hansberry is a 1998 book by Patricia and Fredrick McKissack. It is a biography of the playwright and activist, Lorraine Hansberry.
Let's Clap, Jump, Sing & Shout; Dance, Spin & Turn It Out!: Games, Songs & Stories From An African American Childhood is a 2017 book by Patricia McKissack. It is a collection of games, songs, proverbs, stories including those from McKissack's childhood.
