The Hired Hand (picture book)

The Hired Hand: An African-American Folktale is a 1997 book by Robert D. San Souci and illustrator Jerry Pinkney based on an African American folktale about an itinerant worker who is able to rejuvenate and resurrect people.

The Hired Hand: An African-American Folktale
AuthorRobert D. San Souci
IllustratorJerry Pinkney
LanguageEnglish
GenreChildren's literature, picture book, African-American folktales
Published1997 (Dial Books for Young Readers)
Publication placeUSA
Media typePrint (hardback)
Pages40 (unpaginated)
ISBN9780803712966
OCLC29258986

Reception

edit

A review of The Hired Hand by Booklist wrote "He [Pinkney] successfully blends historically realistic details with timeless folkloric magic, and he enhances San Souci's smooth retelling in the process. An obvious choice for primary story hours, this will also make a welcome addition to African American folklore and history units.".[1]

The Hired Hand has also been reviewed by Publishers Weekly,[2] Kirkus Reviews,[3] School Library Journal,[4] and The Horn Book Magazine.[5]

Awards

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ "The hired hand: an African-American folktale". Buffalo and Erie County Public Library. Retrieved February 17, 2017.
  2. ^ "The Hired Hand: An African-American Folktale (starred review)". Publishers Weekly. PWxyz LLC. April 28, 1997. Retrieved February 17, 2017. Shivery and superbly crafted.
  3. ^ "The Hired Hand: An African-American Folktale". Kirkus Reviews. Kirkus Media LLC. May 20, 2010. Retrieved February 17, 2017. What begins as a gripping, well-told tale starts to sound like a morality play, as Young Sam repents his lazy ways. .. Pinkney works his magic by blending both character and drama with the hushed tones of history.
  4. ^ The Hired Hand. 1997. OCLC 29258986. Retrieved February 17, 2017. San Souci makes a choice in favor of "softening the heavy use of dialect," found in the original tale. Pinkney adopts a corresponding tone in his illustrations, polishing any harshness away. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  5. ^ "The Hired Hand: An African-American Folktale: Reviews". catalog.wccls.org. Retrieved February 17, 2017. The illustrations, as explained in the artist's note, extend the African-American folkloric tradition, setting the plot in a particular time and place (a colonial-era village where free blacks were a significant part of the community) without sacrificing the sense of magic and wonder.
  6. ^ "Aesop Prize and Aesop Accolades". afsnet.org. American Folklore Society. Retrieved February 17, 2017.
  7. ^ Kathleen T. Horning; Ginny Moore Kruse; Megan Schliesman (1998). CCBC Choices 1997: Folklore, Mythology and Traditional Literature (PDF). Friends of the CCBC Inc. p. 22. Retrieved March 20, 2017.
  8. ^ "California Book Awards". commonwealthclub.org. Commonwealth Club of California. Retrieved February 17, 2017.
  9. ^ "Children's Books; Best Illustrated Books 1997". The New York Times. November 16, 1997. Retrieved February 17, 2017.