Bibliographic Data for Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave
Author: Laban Carrick Hill
Illustrator: Bryan Collier
Publisher: Little, Brown And Company
Publication Date: September, 2010
Place of Publication: New York, NY
ISBN: 978-0-316-10731-0
Dave the Potter was a slave in the U.S. during the 1800's. Not only did Dave know how to turn clay into works of art but he also had a gift for writing poetry which he would leave on his pottery along with a date. This sort of practice was nearly unheard of from the slave community. Hill spins a tale of Dave working on his creations just as he was likely to have done. From the description of how dirt turns to clay to a "completely hardened" glazed jar, Hill carries the reader through the artistic process this former slave, surely, took great pleasure in time and again.
Hill's poetic narrative invites us to enter, what might have been, the only place in Dave's life he experienced freedom. Poignant descriptions and lifelike illustrations draw the reader in as Dave creates art from the earth. Step by step, Hill methodically entrances those who engage with Dave's story without their knowing. Only when the clay dries, and Dave's signature and verse have been applied to the finshed product, does the observer release the breath they didn't know they were holding. Hill's ability to convey the beauty of this man's life juxtaposed with the injustice he endured daily is truly touching. Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave is a story that will calm its' audience with a soft rhythm and warm hues. The reader will look up from the last page ready to know more about the potter from South Carolina.
Winner of the Caldecott and Coretta Scott King awards, Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet Slave is "an accomplished, visually stunning homage to an important African-American artist" (Kirkus Reviews, August 2010).
To learn more about Dave, visit the following websites:
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