STRONGER THAN

An Afro-Indigenous boy experiencing nightmares learns about the events experienced by his ancestors in a nested telling from African American poet Grimes (A Cup of Quiet), Choctaw author Wells (the Tana Cooks series), and Lenni Lenape artist Lewis (Sparrow). Living with his family in a place "now named Oklahoma," Black and Choctaw eight-year-old Dante Dawes isn't afraid of much--just the bad dreams that visit him regularly. After yet another nightmare wakes him, his mother tells him about ancestors who were "stronger than" the history they endured: the Trail of Tears and the Tulsa Race Massacre. The authorial collaborators weave sensate anchors into an extended telling, adding to the text's depth, as when Dante, researching his lineage, realizes, "This was a hard story,/ sharp as a thorn." Realistic watercolor illustrations intersperse full-color present-day spreads with dark-blue nightmare sequences and sepia-toned historical scenes as Dante finds his way toward sound sleep, and the understanding that "we come from people stronger than fear" in this thoughtful picture book. Closes with creator notes, more about the historical events discussed, and a Choctaw-English glossary. Ages 4--8. Authors' agents: (for Grimes) Elizabeth Harding, Curtis Brown; (for Wells) Savannah Brooks, Jennifer De Chiara Literary. Illustrator's agent: Jeff Dwyer, Dwyer & O'Grady. (Jan.)

After learning about the courage and resilience of his Choctaw and African American forebears, a young Oklahoma boy confronts his fears. Eight-year-old Dante awakens screaming from a terrifying nightmare of a shadowy figure pursuing him. His mother holds him and shows him photographs of two ancestors, his maternal great-great-grandmother, Taloa Homma, a Choctaw woman "stronger than" the Trail of Tears, and his paternal great-grandmother, Ora Lee Scott, a Black woman "stronger than" the Tulsa Race Massacre. When Dante asks about those events, his mother encourages him to seek the answers himself; at the public library the next day, he immerses himself in history. The violence, cruelty, and destruction that his people faced sadden him, but he discovers another feeling--pride in the people who were "stronger than a nightmare" and confidence that he must be, too. Grimes and Well's (Choctaw) quiet text feels a bit didactic at times, but it's wholly edifying, and Dante's journey hits poignant emotional notes. Lewis' (Lenni Lenape) signature watercolor art uses vibrant color for present-day scenes and sepia tones to distinguish the historical figures and moments; he welcomes young people into Dante's world yet offers them a level of remove from the events he reads about so that readers can decide when and how to learn more. Enlightening and empowering. (authors' notes, historical context, Choctaw-English glossary, note from Heartdrum author-curator Cynthia Leitich Smith)(Picture book. 4-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.