Freedom Over Me

This iconographic-animated adaptation of author and illustrator Ashley Bryan's 2016 Newbery Honor picture book uses five narrators—Bahni Turpin, J.D. Jackson, Ron Butler, Robin Eller, and Susie Berneis—to tell the stories of 11 African American slaves, based on documents including the original will of an 1820s plantation owner named Fairchild. Free verse vignettes describing the men, women, and children listed for sale contrast their monetary value with imaginings about their jobs—such as carpenter, seamstress, herb doctor—and dreams for the future (including a wish to have a real wedding). From the pain of reliving village raids and being separated from families to the hopes for freedom and the comfort found in singing and religion, Coretta Scott King Award-winner Bryan paints a poignant portrait of the inner lives of slaves. Also including an "Author's Note" and a read-along option, this historical portrait is highly recommended. Aud: E, I, P. (J. Williams-Wood)