Portals into the Past

In Coal Country by Judith Hendershot (1987) led me to learn about a catastrophic mine explosion on March 16, 1940 at the Willow Grove #10 mine. Despite several references to it online, I could not find its location. I watched an interview with an elderly man who was a breaker boy and saw footage of the harsh working conditions for children working inside a tipple. And of course, all this meant I needed to learn about coal mining. I then appreciated the dark, dusty quality to Thomas B. Allen’s illustrations.

the bracelet by Yoshiko Uchida (1976, 1993) sent me searching for information about Japanese-American internment camps. Old photographs found online had me questioning the accuracy of Joanna Yardley’s illustration of the camp. I was humbled by a survivor of the internment interviewed by children on the HiHo Kids channel.

Libba: The Magnificent Musical LIfe of Elizabeth Cotton by Laura Veirs (2018) prompted me to find the Oregon Historical Society’s footage of Elizabeth Cotton talking to school children. Before John was a Jazz Giant by Carole Boston Weatherford (2008) sent me to find Bill “Bojangles” Robinson. Harlem’s Little Black Bird: The Story of Florence Mills by Renee Watson (2012) taught me about the “cake walk” dance, and I watched a documentary about Coney Island.

This is one reason I enjoy picture books. They encourage me to teleport into times no one has taught me about.