Preaching to the chickens :

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Title :

Preaching to the chickens : the story of young John Lewis / Jabari Asim ; illustrated by E.B. Lewis.

Title:

Preaching to the chickens :

Author:

Asim, Jabari, 1962-

Format:

Books

Physical Description:

1 volume (unpaged) : color illustrations ; 29 cm

ISBN:

9780399168567

Production / Publication Information:

New York, NY : Nancy Paulsen Books, [2016]

Summary:

"Critically acclaimed author Jabari Asim and Caldecott Honor-winning illustrator E.B. Lewis give readers a fascinating glimpse into the boyhood of Civil Rights leader John Lewis. John wants to be a preacher when he grows up a leader whose words stir hearts to change, minds to think, and bodies to take action. But why wait? When John is put in charge of the family farm's flock of chickens, he discovers that they make a wonderful congregation! So he preaches to his flock, and they listen, content under his watchful care, riveted by the rhythm of his voice. Celebrating ingenuity and dreaming big, this inspirational story, featuring Jabari Asim's stirring prose and E.B. Lewis's stunning, light-filled impressionistic watercolor paintings, includes an author's note about John Lewis, who grew up to be a member of the Freedom Riders, chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, and demonstrator on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, and is now a Georgia congressman"--

Language:

English

Added Author:

Lewis, E. B. (Earl Bradley), 1956-

Geographic Term:

Alabama -- Rural conditions -- 20th century -- Juvenile literature.

Personal Subject:

Lewis, John, 1940-2020-Childhood and youth-Juvenile literature.

Subject Term:

African American civil rights workers -- Religious life -- Juvenile literature.

African American boys -- Alabama -- Biography -- Juvenile literature.

Chickens -- Juvenile literature.

Preaching -- Juvenile literature.

Rural children -- Alabama -- Juvenile literature.

Legislators -- United States -- Biography -- Juvenile literature.

African American legislators -- Biography -- Juvenile literature.

Christian biography -- United States -- Juvenile literature.

JUVENILE NONFICTION -- Biography & Autobiography -- Social Activists.

JUVENILE NONFICTION -- People & Places -- United States -- African American.

JUVENILE NONFICTION -- United States -- History -- 20th Century.

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Material Type	Library	Call Number	Item Barcode	Location
Book	Searching... Amesbury Public Library	JB LEWIS	32114002342633	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Andover - Memorial Hall Library Children's Room	J B LEWIS, JO.	31330008097549	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Chelmsford Public Library	J/BIOG/LEWIS	31480010922653	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Georgetown Peabody Library	JB LEWIS	32120001212479	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Hamilton-Wenham Public Library	J B LEWIS, JOHN	30470001523157	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Haverhill Public Library	J/BIOG/LEWIS	31479006301104	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Ipswich Public Library	J921 LEWIS	32122002616377	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Littleton - Reuben Hoar Library	J 92 LEWIS	39965002292505	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Lowell - Pollard Memorial Library	J-B LEWIS, J.	31481005188599	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Manchester-by-the-Sea Public Library	J B LEWIS	32124001756717	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Newbury Town Library	J 92 LEWIS	32127001121824	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Newburyport Public Library	J BIOGRAPHY LEWIS J	32128003474609	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... North Andover - Stevens Memorial Library	J BIO HISTORIC LEWIS	31478003324887	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... North Reading - Flint Memorial Library	J-B LEWIS, J.	31550002211990	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Tewksbury Public Library	J B LEWIS	32132002882184	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... West Newbury - G.A.R. Memorial Library	J 92 LEWIS	32135001351754	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Westford - J.V. Fletcher Library	J B LEWIS	31990004410184	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Wilmington Memorial Library	KIDS BIOGRAPHY LEWIS	32136003541863	Searching... Unknown

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

A New York Times Best Illustrated Book

Critically acclaimed author Jabari Asim and Caldecott Honor-winning illustrator E. B. Lewis give readers a fascinating glimpse into the boyhood of Civil Rights leader John Lewis.

John wants to be a preacher when he grows up--a leader whose words stir hearts to change, minds to think, and bodies to take action. But why wait? When John is put in charge of the family farm's flock of chickens, he discovers that they make a wonderful congregation! So he preaches to his flock, and they listen, content under his watchful care, riveted by the rhythm of his voice.

Celebrating ingenuity and dreaming big, this inspirational story, featuring Jabari Asim's stirring prose and E. B. Lewis's stunning, light-filled impressionistic watercolor paintings, includes an author's note about John Lewis, who grew up to be a member of the Freedom Riders, chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, and demonstrator on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama. John Lewis is now a Georgia congressman, who is still an activist today, recently holding a sit-in on the House floor of the U.S. Capitol to try to force a vote on gun violence. His March: Book Three recently won the National Book Award, as well as the American Library Association's Coretta Scott King Author Award, Printz Award, and Sibert Award.

Reviews (4)

School Library Journal Review

Gr 2-5-Luminous artwork and stirring text shed light on the childhood of one of America's most respected civil rights leaders. Young John Lewis found his calling early in life, tenderly caring for the many chickens on the family farm and emulating his church's ministers by preaching to the attentive hens: "'Blessed are the peacemakers,' he'd say when [the chickens] fought over their morning meal. 'Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,' he would tell a hen who didn't want to share, 'for they shall be satisfied.'" The future Freedom Rider and U.S. congressman would even baptize newly hatched chicks. When a local businessman stopped by the farm to make a trade for one of Lewis's hens, the bighearted boy sagely figured out a way to make a transaction without handing over one of his beloved chickens. Lewis's strong faith and his deep connection to his family and community shine through in Asim's straightforward text and illustrator E.B. Lewis's full-page, light-dappled watercolors. An author's note briefly discusses Lewis's leadership in the March on Washington and other key events of the civil rights movement and explains that Asim based the story on Lewis's own recollections. VERDICT A quietly powerful and joyful look at the childhood of a living legend and a superb introduction to studying heroes of the civil rights era.-Kiera Parrott, School Library Journal © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Publisher's Weekly Review

Asim (Fifty Cents and a Dream) draws on an anecdote from congressman John Lewis's 1998 memoir, Walking with the Wind, as he recounts the story of the future civil rights activist tending to a flock of chickens, both physically and-in a way-spiritually. On the Alabama farm of his childhood, Lewis was in charge of the chickens; inspired by church ministers, Lewis would preach to the birds, which "swayed to the rhythm of his voice." E.B. Lewis (The First Step) stages the scenes under the bright springtime light of Alabama mornings, giving a full sense of John Lewis's world, from the dusty henhouse to the sturdy wooden pews of his family's church, while always emphasizing the tender care he devoted to the chickens. It's a moving portrait of the power of small actions and "learn[ing] to speak up for those who can't speak for themselves." Ages 5-8. Author's agent: Joy Harris, Joy Harris Literary. (Oct.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Horn Book Review

John Lewis, longtime member of the U.S. House of Representatives, was a member of the Big Six during the 1963 March on Washington and went on to solidify his place in history on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama. But who was he before that? He was a farm boy from southern Alabama, as described in Asims conversational text. While his father plowed the fields and his mother cooked food from her garden, John raised his beloved chickens. He felt peaceful when he fed themthe same peace he felt in church on Sundays. After church, young John liked to go to the chicken yard in his fine clothes and preach a sermon to the chickens. (When they dipped their heads in rhythm to his words, he knew they agreed with what he said.) Soon, Johns sermons became such a regular part of farm life that his siblings started calling him Preacher, foreshadowing the days when he would speak before thousands. Illustrator E. B. Lewiss bucolic-looking watercolor and gouache landscapes take modern readers back to a time when the entire Lewis family was busy on the farm from dawn to dusk. But even though the days were long and demanding, this family stayed together and used the lessons they learned on the farm and in church to grow into the people they were meant to be. A fine introduction to the life of an American icon. robin smith (c) Copyright 2016. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Booklist Review

Before he became a congressman of Georgia, leader of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, Freedom Rider, and civil rights activist, John Lewis was a farm boy who loved spring and his flock of chickens. This picture-book biography recalls those early days when young John, inspired by the faith and camaraderie he felt at church, practiced instilling messages of gratitude, peace, and cooperation among his private congregation of chickens. Although the concept may appear comical at first glance, this book is wonderfully sincere. Asim and Lewis' words and images convey their respect and admiration for John Lewis, and readers will feel the same way. A tender narrative, paired with watercolors filled with light and movement, captures the heat of a Georgia day and the unmistakable bond John formed with his feathery followers. Young readers will appreciate the gentle messages about the importance of hard work, persistence, and patience that lay the foundations for John Lewis' activism as an adult, which is detailed in a final author's note.--Chaudhri, Amina Copyright 2016 Booklist