Barack Obama: Son of Promise, Child of Hope

Raised in Jakarta and Hawaii, Barack Obama has become a force for social change, first as an Illinois Senator and now as candidate for President of the United States.

This first-ever picture book about Obama follows his life from Hawaii to Chicago to Indonesia to Kenya. The elements of Barack Obama's life are explored in picturesque imagery, in the loose form of a conversation between a mother and her son living in a tenement house. With watercolor & collage illustrations and poetic text, this unique story of Barack Obama will introduce children to the basic framework of his life. 40 pages.

Ever since Barack Obama was young, Hope has lived inside him. From the beaches of Hawaii to the streets of Chicago, from the jungles of Indonesia to the plains of Kenya, he has held on to Hope. Even as a boy, Barack knew he wasn't quite like anybody else, but through his journeys he found the ability to listen to Hope and become what he was meant to be: a bridge to bring people together.

This is the moving story of an exceptional man, as told by Nikki Grimes and illustrated by Bryan Collier, both winners of the Coretta Scott King Award. Barack Obama has motivated Americans to believe with him, to believe that every one of us has the power to change ourselves and change our world.

“One day Hope stopped by for a visit,” begins this biography, narrowly framed as an exchange between an African-American mother and her son. They sit together on a “frayed” sofa in a “tenement” as she tells him who “Braco-what?” is and why he is so special; at the end she blinks back tears when he tells her that he, too, wants to be president when he grows up. (Hope later talks to Barack Obama, as does God.) Grimes (Bronx Masquerade) approaches her themes with a heavy hand, starting with her treatment of race as she describes “his mama, white as whipped cream,/ his daddy, black as ink” (she gets at awe similarly: “Barry’s mom married/ a man named Lolo/ and—Oh! The wonderland/ he took Barry to: Indonesia”). Collier uses watercolor and collage, a choice he explains as a metaphor for the way Obama has “piece[d] life’s issues together to create a courageous vision for the world.” There is much to find in each composition (artfully placed photo images, batik patterns, etc.), but the illustrations often feel static and a few (like the one in which a single tear streams momentously down Obama’s cheek), stagy. Ages 5–10. (Aug.)Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.

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Reviewed by ShameonYou (USA), September 26, 2009

I was floored by the Messiah-like portrayal and iconographic art stylings used to describe and show Obama in this book. The portrayals, descriptions, and even the story of his life was heavy with overt references to some sort of divine birth, etc. and I found it completely disturbing as a Christian. The only indoctrination I want my children exposed to is that that solely comes from the Bible itself, not near-sacrilegious depictions of a political figure.

Reviewed by Yvonne Mason (Valley Stream, NY), December 10, 2008

This a very good book on child Obama. I'm very fortunate to have such information and I hope my grandson will enjoy as much as I.

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