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They Call Me Teach

Lessons in Freedom

Author Lesa Cline-Ransome

Illustrated by James E. Ransome

Hardcover

$18.99 US

Candlewick

11"W x 9.56"H x 0.34"D | 16 oz | 30 per carton

On sale Sep 24, 2024 | 40 Pages | 9780763681555

Age 5-8 years | Grades K-3

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Children's > Diversity > Black/African American
Children's > Fiction

In this stirring and powerfully illustrated story, an enslaved young man uses his ability to read and write to educate others in the pursuit of freedom.

Back inside the store
I write up receipts
for Master’s deliveries
for Master’s orders
In ’tween
I write up a receipt
for her freedom

The young man known as Teach secretly learned to read, write, and use numbers growing up alongside the master’s son. And although on this Southern plantation these are skills he can never flaunt, Teach doesn’t keep them to himself: In the course of a week, he’ll teach little ones the alphabet in the corner stall of a stable and hold a moonlit session where men scratch letters in the dirt. He’ll decipher a discarded letter bearing news of Yankee soldiers and forge a pass for a woman hoping to buy precious time on a perilous journey north. And come Sunday, Teach will cross the swamp to a hidden cabin, reading aloud to the congregation God’s immortal words to the pharaoh: Let my people go. With a spare, moving first-person narration told in an era-appropriate dialect, complemented by stunning watercolor illustrations, the celebrated duo of Lesa Cline-Ransome and James E. Ransome honor the bravery and generosity of spirit behind countless untold acts of resistance during the time of slavery. An author’s note highlights the vital role of literacy and education toward the securing of freedom, both historically and to the present day.

SELECTION | 2024
Junior Library Guild Selection

The first-person text and detailed watercolor illustrations illuminate an important facet of American history: enslaved people’s fierce thirst for literacy.
—The Washington Post

Cline-Ransome’s terse, staccato verse reflects the urgency of Teach’s situation. . . . Ransome’s stunningly expressive watercolors provide additional clarity, heightening the emotions. This beautifully crafted story honors the enslaved people who acquired literacy skills and found ways to aid those who were denied that opportunity. It also emphasizes that enslaved people understood and valued education, seeing it as a way to actively resist slavery. A profoundly moving tribute to the resilience and resourcefulness of many who lived in bondage.
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

The artist’s beautiful watercolor paintings capture the inherent drama and the even tone of the text. His skillful use of color, lighting, and silhouettes, as well as the sensitive character depictions, make this a memorable book.
—Booklist (starred review)

They Call Me Teach is rich with information and opens a door to conversations about United States history, equality and the struggle for freedom and education. And while They Call Me Teach is geared toward children, older readers will find it just as powerful and moving.
—BookPage (starred review)

[A] moving book that provides young readers with another perspective about the power of literacy and the important role it played in resistance to enslavement and discrimination.
—The Bulletin

A poetic picture book.
—The Horn Book

A highly recommended resource for fostering meaningful discussions in classrooms and libraries around history, perseverance, and the power of learning.
—School Library Journal

Lesa Cline-Ransome is the author of many books for children, including the novel Finding Langston, which was a Coretta Scott King Author Honor Book and winner of a Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction, and the picture book Before She Was Harriet, illustrated by James E. Ransome, which was a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Book, a Christopher Award winner, and a Jane Addams Honor Book. Lesa Cline-Ransome lives with her husband, illustrator James E. Ransome, in the Hudson Valley region of New York.

James E. Ransome, the 2023 winner of the Children’s Literature Legacy Award, is the illustrator of numerous books for children, including Granddaddy’s Turn and Northbound, both by Michael S. Bandy and Eric Stein, as well as The Creation, written by James Weldon Johnson, for which he won the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award. James E. Ransome lives with his wife, Lesa Cline-Ransome, in the Hudson Valley region of New York.

Lesa Cline-Ransome View titles by Lesa Cline-Ransome

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