Two Friends

Based on the 2016 picture book by author Dean Robbins and co-illustrator husband-and-wife team Sean Qualls and Selina Alko, this iconographic-animated adaptation envisions a visit between friends—activists Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass. The story is set in snowy Rochester, NY, where Douglass rides up in a creaky buggy and Anthony prepares tea and cake. Presented as paper-doll-looking characters, the two figures talk about shared obstacles: both were denied education (in Anthony's case, “girls didn't need to know about important subjects”) and endured oppression. Both also were committed to the goal of helping others learn about rights (“so many minds to change…”). Narrated by Dion Graham—with snippets of actual quotes from Anthony and Douglass—this simple portrait (featuring optional read-along subtitles) of two titans who fought for the rights of women and African Americans is recommended. Aud: K, E, P. (J. Williams-Wood)