Who Are Your People? by Bakari Sellers

Who Are Your People?

Bakari Sellers, Author

Reggie Brown, Illustrator

Quill Tree Books, Fiction, Jan. 11, 2022

Suitable for ages: 4-9

Themes:  African Americans, Family, Ancestors, Pride, Community, Dreams

Opening: When you meet someone for the first time, they might ask, “Who are your people?” and “Where are you from?”

Synopsis:

In these pages is a timeless celebration of the individuals and experiences that help shape young children into the most remarkable and unique beings that they can be.

New York Times bestselling author and CNN analyst Bakari Sellers brings this inspiration, lyrical text about family and community to life with illustrations from Reggie Brown.

Why I like Who Are Your People?

Bakari Sellers’s beautiful picture book celebrates who we are and the people we become. It depicts an African American father who encourages his two children to know their descendants and be proud of the things they accomplished as great activists who struggled for justice, equal rights, voting rights and the hope for a brighter future.  Sellers’s prose is eloquent and it beautifully transitions from the past to the present community that shapes us and encourages dreams. Reggie Brown’s richly textured and vivid illustrations carry the story. Lovely collaboration. Be prepared to read this uplifting book again and again. It is a perfect class read aloud. 

Resources: Although this book is for Black children, it really is a book for ALL children.  We all stand on the shoulders of our ancestors and do the best we can to make a contribution in the world.  So challenge kids and ask them what they dream about and what they want to do to make their world better. Encourage them to interview their grandparents and family members.  Ask them to draw pictures or share their stories. 

Bakari Sellers made history in 2006 when, at just twenty-two years old, he defeated a twenty-six-year incumbent state representative to become the youngest member of the South Carolina state legislature and the youngest African American elected official in the nation. He has been named to TIME’s 40 Under 40 list the The Root’s 100 Most Influential African Americans list. Sellers is the author of the New York Times bestseller My Vanishing Country. He practices law, hosts The Bakari Sellers Podcast, and is a political commentator at CNN. Visit Sellers at his website.

Every Friday, authors and KidLit bloggers post a favorite picture book. To see a complete listing of all the Perfect Picture Books (PPB) with resources, please visit author Susanna Leonard Hill’s website.

*Reviewed from a library copy.