Module 12: Nelson Madela

Summary:

This biography tells the story of Nelson Mandela's heroic struggles. The story takes us through Mandela's life as a young boy and how he fought to create change - even at the expense of being imprisoned.  

Reference:

Nelson, K. (2013). Nelson Mandela. New York, NY: HarperCollins.

Impressions:

This book is a beautiful tribute to South Africa's revolutionary leader. While Mandela's story is an important one to be told, Kadir Nelson's illustrations take this book to another level. The paintings practically glow and jump off the pages. There is absolutely no question as to why this book won the Coretta Scott King illustrator award. 

Professional Review:

Starting with the full-page cover portrait, this glowing picture-book biography offers a celebratory introduction to Nelson Mandela’s life for young readers. Clear free verse and handsome, unframed paintings follow the iconic leader from his tribal childhood and his work as a young city lawyer through his political leadership against the brutality of apartheid, his long imprisonment, and then the triumph of his election as president of his country. The story doesn’t mention conflicts both political (the splits in the anti-apartheid movement) and personal (the bitter rift with his daughters), as well as the continuing inequality South Africans face. Still, words and images bring close the cruel apartheid segregation in daily life, including one double-page spread of Cape Town’s glorious beaches with the sign that reads White Area. Then there is the view of prisoners on Robben Island hammering rocks into dust. In contrast, the final pages show today’s nonsegregated beaches and people of all races standing together free at last. A long final note fills in more. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: With an internationally beloved leader as its subject and a multi-award-winning artist as its creator, this title is sure to be on every library’s must-purchase list.

[Review of the book Nelson Mandela]. (September 2012). Booklist. Retrieved from: https://www.booklistonline.com/Nelson-Mandela-Kadir-Nelson/pid=5648303

Library Uses: 

This is a great selection when introducing students to the concept of a biography written in narrative form. Have students look at this biography paired with another biography about Nelson Mandela written in expository form. Students can compare and contrast the two types of biographies noting that both types are providing factual information in different ways.