Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave

Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave
by Laban Carrick Hill, illustrated by Bryan Collier. 2010. New York: Litte, Brown and Company. (9780316107310).

Media: watercolor and collage on 400lb Arches watercolor paper

Author Website: http://www.labanhill.com/

Illustrator Website: http://bryancollier.com/

Awards and Honors: New York Times Bestseller; 2011 Caldecott Honor; 2011 Coretta Scott King Gold Award for Illustrations; Chicago Public Library's 2010 Best of the Best List; New York Public Library's 2010 Best 100 Books of the Year; Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People, 2011

Annotation:
At once personal and historical, this is the extraordinary story of Dave, a poet, potter and slave living in South Carolina during the 19th century.

Personal Reaction:
     Dave the Potter is the extraordinary story of Dave, a poet, potter and slave living in South Carolina during the 19th century. Laban Hill's simple yet noble prose and Bryan Collier's rich collage illustrations come together in this book to tell the story of one man who, despite having all freedom stolen from him, created lasting beauty and, we can imagine, a sense of dignity in his life. Dave's pots were meant to be functional pieces, but their beauty is plain to be seen. What's most incredible about his work is that on many of his pots, he inscribed short poems. In a time when reading and writing was forbidden to slaves, this was really something exceptional. This book really speaks to the innate human urge to create art and poetry that we hope will outlast our own temporal lives.