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roseleaf24's review
4.0
What a fascinating story. I am so glad to know of this potter, and especially his poems. I am amazed that he was able to mark his work with the poetry without getting in trouble for knowing how to read and write, and I would love to know more about how and why. What a rare gift for the world that this slave's work has survived to tell at least part of his story. The illustrations do an amazing job of showing the life and the work, and this book made all of this accessible to my young children.
mnstucki's review
3.0
The actual text was so short that it felt unfinished, but there was a good deal of biographical information at the end that helped it feel more complete.
kristenremenar's review
4.0
I heard about a library that read this biography to kids, gave them clay to make pinch pots or coil pots, and then gave the kids toothpicks to write little poems on the pots. Loved this one, simple enough to read to younger ones, deep enough to inspire the older ones.
sducharme's review
4.0
Dave, a slave born in 1801 was a gifted potter. We watch him in his pottery shed as he moulds a lump of clay into a beautifully grand but simple jar. When it's finished, he signs it with his name, the date, and a short poem. One of the most engaging aspects of this story is the viewpoint the illustrator chooses: we're over Dave's shoulder or looking down directly at his hands as he works. It creates an intimate feeling giving us the sense we're part of the creation process.
brandyryann's review
4.0
I read this book to my eighth grade South Carolina history students and had them write their own couplets in the style of Dave the Potter. It was an interesting short children's' book and has influenced a couple of my students to ask for more information on Dave the Potter.
thowell's review
Source: Children's Books in Children's Hands
Age Range: 6-10
Evaluation of Quality: This book tells what we know about Dave the African American slave potter and poet through a beautiful combination of lyrical prose and watercolor illustrations.
Assessment of Potential Use: This book can be used in an Elementary-grade art class or history class to show that oppressed peoples produce art that should be celebrated.
Assessment of Appeal to Children: Children be engaged with the tactile process of using a potter's wheel to produce pottery.
Age Range: 6-10
Evaluation of Quality: This book tells what we know about Dave the African American slave potter and poet through a beautiful combination of lyrical prose and watercolor illustrations.
Assessment of Potential Use: This book can be used in an Elementary-grade art class or history class to show that oppressed peoples produce art that should be celebrated.
Assessment of Appeal to Children: Children be engaged with the tactile process of using a potter's wheel to produce pottery.
turrean's review
5.0
This is a beautifully illustrated picture book about a potter in the mid-1800's in South Carolina. Since this artist, some of whose work has survived to the present day, was also a slave, this deceptively simple book works on many levels. Young kids will enjoy hearing how the clay was shaped into pots; older kids will be fascinated by the life of an artist who wasn't permitted the dignity of his own last name. It would be a marvelous part of an art unit on pottery, or a history lesson on life before the Civil War.
wiseowl33's review
4.0
Hugely inspiring book when you think about all Dave the Potter overcame to be the person he was. Awesome story!