Virginia Hamilton's beloved, prize-winning American black folktale is rendered in lyrical prose. There's the whipping of a woman named Sarah carrying her sleeping child on her back, and then for some the glory of realizing the magic of flying back to freedom. Prose and illustrations combine to express suffering and sadness, working in the cotton fields in the heat, the stern, pompous faces of ' Master', ' Overseer', and ' Driver'. It tells of freedom in Africa, chained captivity on slave ships, and being forced to leave the wings behind. Each page is embellished in exceptional muted tones and expressive faces, representative of the mood of the story. The second delight to the eye is a two-page lustrous, all-black background with embossed floating feathers, giving the appearance of silk. The jacket displays beautiful-winged African men and women, in native garments, carrying musical instruments. This time, the story appears in picture book format, once again illustrated by the Dillons, but this time in magnificent color. T he People Could Fly was originally released in 1985 as the title story of a set of folktales collected by Virginia Hamilton, and illustrated in black and white by Leo and Diane Dillon. The People Could Fly: The Picture Book by Virginia Hamilton, Leo Dillon & Diane Dillon
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