Big Jabe

Young Addy, a house slave on Mr. Plenty's plantation, is fishing (unsuccessfully) for Mr. Plenty's supper one day when she notices a wicker basket bobbing in the water. Inside this basket is a smiling young boy who offers Addy "a plump round pear, as golden as the noonday sun," and then proceeds to amaze her with wondrous feats. First he calls up a wagon-full of fish from the river. Then he plants the seeds from the pear, which grow into a tree almost overnight. The boy himself, named Jabe, grows up quickly as well, and within months is working on the plantation, a giant man with the strength of fifty. Mysterious events take place around Jabe. Each time the plantation overseer punishes one of the slaves, a huge storm comes up in the night, and the following day the punished slave has vanished. Only Addy suspects the truth: that Jabe, with his mythic powers, is spiriting the slaves away to freedom.

This marvelous tall tale celebrates the dream of freedom and the strength of community among slaves in America. Jerdine Nolen's folksy style and light touch on a heavy subject give this original yarn a genuine feel for its setting and era, and the story matches perfectly with Kadir Nelson's stunning artwork in earthy tones and vivid textures. Both author and illustrator capture the harshness of a slave's daily life without resorting to explicit depictions of cruelty. The very talented Kadir Nelson also illustrated Salt in His Shoes: Michael Jordan in Pursuit of a Dream, and Jerdine Nolen is the author of the award-winning Harvey Potter's Balloon Farm. (Ages 5 to 8) --Emilie Coulter

"Each one must reach one and teach one", says George Fraser. "We've got to connect and work together - because we have no choice! We can't expect others to do for us that which we will not do for ourselves. A movement in the twenty-first century to more effectively network and leverage our collective resources and intellectual capital will parallel the importance of the civil rights movement of the twentieth century. African Americans must start now. We must get together to get ahead". With scores of anecdotes taken from interviews with successful African Americans, Fraser shows how to network for information, for influence, and for resources - not just for individual attainment, but also for the benefit of the entire African-American community. A call for the revival of Afrocentric communal spirit among the millions of African Americans seeking personal and professional success, Success Runs in Our Race is an inspirational, information-packed bible of networking. It features new insights into how Kwanzaa, tribalism, the new Urban Village, and Rites of Passage will help increase your effectiveness in the community. More than a guide for personal achievement, Success Runs in Our Race seeks also to inspire a social movement and a rebirth of the Underground Railroad in which successful African Americans share the lessons of self-determination and empowerment with those still struggling to scale the ladder of success.