Dave the Potter Artist, Poet, Slave

by Hill, Laban Carrick; Collier, Bryan

• ISBN13: 9780316107310
• ISBN10: 031610731X
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2010-09-07
• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Summary

To us it is just dirt, the ground we walk on... But to Dave it was clay, the plain and basic stuff upon which he formed a life as a slave nearly 200 years ago. Dave was an extraordinary artist, poet, and potter living in South Carolina in the 1800s. He combined his superb artistry with deeply observant poetry, carved onto his pots, transcending the limitations he faced as a slave. In this inspiring and lyrical portrayal, National Book Award nominee Laban Carrick Hill's elegantly simple text and award-winning artist Bryan Collier's resplendent, earth-toned illustrations tell Dave's story, a story rich in history, hope, and long-lasting beauty.

Author Biography

Laban Carrick Hill is the author of the National Book Award Finalist Harlem Stomp! He has taught Literature and Writing at Columbia university, Fordham University, and currently teaches at St. Michael's College in Vermont. He has published his poetry and articles in a number of periodicals including American Letters & Commentary, Denver Quarterly, and Onion River Review, and has written twenty middle grade novels for Hyperion and Bantam.

Bryan Collier began painting at the age of fifteen and earned a B.F.A. with honors from the Pratt Institute in New York. He is the illustrator of over 10 picture books, including Martin's Big Words and Rosa (both Caldecott Honor and Coretta Scott King Award winners) and Barack Obama: Son of Promise, Child of Hope, a New York Times bestseller. Mr. Collier lives in Harlem, where he directs mural programs throughout the city for any child who wants to paint.