It's rare that a picture book completely floors me but multi-award-winning
The Undefeated from African American writer Kwame Alexander does just that.
Written originally, in 2008, as a piece of performance poetry commemorating Alexander's newborn child and Obama's presidency, it was recently adapted to book form in 2019.
The poem celebrates ordinary folk and historical icons—their Black resistance, persistence and magnificent achievement no longer denied by white ethnocentrism.
It's a lyrical ode to all Black Americans, which sweeps through 400 years of US history from the origins of enslavement in the 1600s, to the civil rights movement in the 1950s and '60s, to the rise of the Black Lives Matter protests in the present day.
Although the book contains points of silence that force you to contemplate unmentionable past horrors, Alexander's overriding message is positive. Despite all the atrocities we've endured and our painful losses, Black people continue to rise up and overcome.
Every page is exquisitely crafted to stimulate higher-level discussion, which makes it a fitting text to support reading comprehension in year 6. The gaps between the words and images offer opportunities to develop inference skills and critique the effect of the book's layout on the reader. Discussion might focus on how, despite the terrible events depicted, the writer and illustrator manage to make the reader feel happy and hopeful by the end. You could also talk about the poetic features used: rich vocabulary, repetition, subtle alliteration, and elements of list-style.
It would make a powerful stimulus for poetry performance using extracts from the book or, perhaps, children could write their own poems with the themes of freedom, perseverance or Black Lives Matter, similar to Virgin Radio's recent
500 Words BLM Competition (PSHE). Children might also find it useful to analyse Alexander's delivery of the poem to inform their own performances (see link below).
Although the text focuses exclusively on African American historical figures, many icons including Dr Martin Luther King Jr, Muhammad Ali, Michael Jordan, Serena Williams and LeBron James should be familiar to children. If not, the book includes a detailed glossary that explains the significance of each person/event, which is helpful for follow-up biographical research.
Alexander also interweaves references, in italics, to famous Black songs, speeches and literary texts, for example,
The Weary Blues by African American writer Langston Hughes. It might be interesting to highlight the use of this device and challenge children to identify the Black authors of each reference, if appropriate.
The succinct free verse, punctuated with alliterative un-words, is arranged economically on the page so that you linger on the imposing realist images, typical of Kadir Nelson's inimitable style. His painted illustrations are so mesmerizing—vibrant and alive—they can hardly be contained by each double-page spread. For example, Olympian Jesse Owens almost hurdles off the page to victory over white supremacy, and the 'unafraid' soldier, representing Blacks who fought in the US Civil War despite overt racial discrimination, stares knowingly into the enemy's eyes.
An elegant synergy between writer and illustrator, The Undefeated is a masterclass in picture book creation and an essential read for all. Once read, it will be eternally imprinted on your memory, connecting you to the 'unforgettable' Black experience, whether you like it or not.
Useful links
Note for teachers
The centre spread of
The Undefeated portrays the horrific conditions on board a slave ship in the
Middle Passage. The Middle Passage was the second stage in a
triangular trading system where Africans were transported across the Atlantic to the Americas. It's believed around 12 million Africans were transported this way and at least 2 million died en route. When touching on this difficult topic, it's important to introduce it sensitively (see the
History Association's website and my detailed review of
Freedom for ideas.) That said, it's also crucial, in the light of recent events, for children to begin to recognise the significant role British slave traders played in this complex trading relationship.
Guide for teachers and parents
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Genre
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Poetry: free verse
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Child-led interests (EYFS)
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N/A
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Age group (EYFS, KS1, KS2)
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KS2 (year 6)
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Curriculum links/topics
(EYFS/NC)
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English:
Spoken language (Y1-6) – ask relevant questions to
extend their understanding and knowledge; give well-structured descriptions,
explanations and narratives for different purposes, including for expressing
feelings; participate in discussions, presentations, performances, role play,
improvisations and debates; gain maintain and monitor the interest of the
listener(s); Reading comprehension (Y5/6) – continue to read and
discuss an increasingly wide range of fiction, poetry, plays, non-fiction and
reference books and textbooks; increasing their familiarity with a wide range
of books including myths, legends and traditions stories, modern fiction, fiction
from our literary heritage and books from other cultures and traditions;
identifying and discussing themes and conventions in and across a wide range
of writing; learning a wider range of poetry by heart; preparing poems and
plays to read aloud and to perform, showing understanding through intonation,
tone and volume so that the meaning is clear to an audience; checking that
the book makes sense to them, discussing their understanding and exploring
the meaning of words in context; asking questions to improve their
understanding; identifying how language, structure and presentation
contribute to meaning; Writing – perform their own compositions, using
appropriate intonation, volume and movement so that meaning is clear
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Suitability
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whole-class teaching, school
library, home-reader (supported by a parent/carer)
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General features
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rich
vocab, free verse, list structure, alliteration, references to other literary
works, repetition
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All the Black children's books that I review are checked against my
Jericho Benchmark.
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