A School for Pompey Walker
Grade 2-5?Inspired by a true story, the creators of Elijah's Angel (Harcourt, 1992) rejoin for this harrowing tale of a young freed slave who, with the help of a white man, sells himself back into slavery?39 times?to raise money for a school. The narrative is cast as an address delivered by 88-year-old Pompey Walker to the children of "his" school in 1923. He describes a slave's bitter life, the escape to Ohio with his first master's son-in-law (who became a lifelong friend), and his decision (for which the word "courageous" seems too weak) to begin the deadly scam. The narrator's voice is startlingly clear and natural, that of an old man uncomfortable before so many listeners, self-effacing but proud of his accomplishment, and with his hatred of "...the evil that was the whole of slavery" undimmed by years. Rosen explains in an afterword that Walker is a composite figure, his memories drawn from various slave narratives, and his exploits based on those of an ex-slave named Gussie West. Using dyes and bold, sinuous lines to suggest the rich, transparent coloring and stylized figures of stained glass, Robinson's full- and half-page illustrations convey strong feelings through facial expressions and gnarled, slightly oversized hands. The text is long for a picture book, but even younger readers will be completely engrossed.?John Peters, New York Public LibraryCopyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.