Overview

An acclaimed historical fiction novel-in-verse about the life and times of Dave, an enslaved potter who inscribed his works with short poems during the years leading up to the Civil War. Now in paperback! Sometime before 1818, an enslaved young man named Dave was brought to Edgefield, in the heart of South Carolina's pottery-producing area. From the time he was first taught to turn a potter's wheel, Dave showed exceptional natural talent. Soon he was creating pieces of great beauty and often massive size. He also learned to read and write, even though South Carolina had laws prohibiting slave literacy. And then Dave did something even more daring: he began to sign his jars and carve many of them with sayings and short poems that reflected his daily life and experiences. With these courageous acts, Dave quietly protested the brutality of slavery and asserted his humanity. Here is an evocative portrait of Dave as memorable as one of his jars. Through simple yet powerful poetry, including some of Dave's inscriptions, we learn his extraordinary story of perseverance, creative inspiration, and hope. Today Dave's legacy lives on in the artistry of his pottery, in his intriguing words, and as a reminder of the dignity and resilience of the human spirit.

Full Product Details

9781620148075

Table of Contents

Reviews

"* ""Cheng's spare free-verse poems masterfully highlight the repeated hardships Dave endured. . . . [It is] at once intimate and universal; the riveting story of an unforgettable life lived during an unbelievable time."" -- Kirkus Reviews, starred review * ""A powerful and uplifting biography."" -- School Library Journal, starred review ""Cheng illustrates her stirring work with her own simple black-and-white woodcuts. Appended material adds additional information about Dave's life and the Edgefield Pottery, of which his work is an example."" -- Booklist ""Through her haunting, honed verse, Cheng has given readers a valuable thing indeed: the life of a quiet rebel."" -- Washington Post Best Children's Books of the Year, Bank Street College of Education Junior Library Guild Selection Parents' Choice Gold Award, Parents' Choice Foundation Teacher's Choices, International Literacy Association (ILA) Notable Books in the Language Arts, National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Choices, Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC) Notables in Language Arts, National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Skipping Stones Honor Award, Skipping Stones Magazine Storytelling World Award, Storytelling World Lee Bennett Hopkins Award for Children's Poetry, Pennsylvania Center for the Book Ohioana Book Awards, Ohioana Library Association"

* Cheng follows on the Caldecott Honor--winning Dave the Potter, by Laban Carrick Hill and illustrated by Bryan Collier (2010), to further open up the fascinating life of the enslaved potter named Dave for children.... Cheng's spare free-verse poems masterfully highlight the repeated hardships Dave endured: being relocated no fewer than four times when loaned or sold to a new owner; losing two wives when their owners forced them to move to different states; losing his leg after being hit by a train; and, in the face of severe anti-literacy laws designed to keep slaves down, bravely creating art that etched in clay his ability to read and write.... [It is] at once intimate and universal; the riveting story of an unforgettable life lived during an unbelievable time. -- Kirkus Reviews, starred review * A powerful and uplifting biography. -- School Library Journal, starred review Cheng illustrates her stirring work with her own simple black-and-white woodcuts. Appended material adds additional information about Dave's life and the Edgefield Pottery, of which his work is an example. -- Booklist Through her haunting, honed verse, Cheng has given readers a valuable thing indeed: the life of a quiet rebel. -- Washington Post Best Children's Books of the Year, Bank Street College of Education Junior Library Guild Selection, Junior Library Guild Parent's Choice Gold Award, Parents' Choice Foundation Teacher's Choices, International Reading Association (IRA) Notable Books in the Language Arts, National Council of Teachers of English Choices, Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC) Notables in Language Arts, National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Skipping Stones Honor Award, Skipping Stones Magazine Story Telling World Award, Storytelling Magazine Lee Bennett Hopkins Award for Children's Poetry, Pennsylvania Center for the Book Ohioana Book Award, Ohioana Library Association

* Cheng's spare free-verse poems masterfully highlight the repeated hardships Dave endured. . . . [It is] at once intimate and universal; the riveting story of an unforgettable life lived during an unbelievable time. -- Kirkus Reviews, starred review * A powerful and uplifting biography. -- School Library Journal, starred review Cheng illustrates her stirring work with her own simple black-and-white woodcuts. Appended material adds additional information about Dave's life and the Edgefield Pottery, of which his work is an example. -- Booklist Through her haunting, honed verse, Cheng has given readers a valuable thing indeed: the life of a quiet rebel. -- Washington Post Best Children's Books of the Year, Bank Street College of Education Junior Library Guild Selection Parent's Choice Gold Award, Parents' Choice Foundation Teacher's Choices, International Literacy Association (ILA) Notable Books in the Language Arts, National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Choices, Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC) Notables in Language Arts, National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Skipping Stones Honor Award, Skipping Stones Magazine Story Telling World Award, Storytelling Magazine Lee Bennett Hopkins Award for Children's Poetry, Pennsylvania Center for the Book Ohioana Book Award, Ohioana Library Association

Author Information

Andrea Cheng was the author of several award-winning and critically acclaimed books for young readers. Her works range from picture books to young adult novels, and her stories often draw on the experiences of her Hungarian relatives or her husband's Chinese family. Cheng was inspired here by Dave's heroism, courage, and creative struggle. She taught English as a Second Language at Cincinnati State Technical and Community College, and passed away in late 2015.

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