Jerdine Nolen is the author of a diverse range of picture books, from the thoughtful In My Momma's Kitchen to the wildly imaginative Harvey Potter's Balloon Farm, which was made into a TV movie. Jerdine Nolen lives with her children in Ellicott City, Maryland.
"Freshly inspiring. This eloquent tale neither demeans the characters nor forces readers to identify directly with the character's suffering. Instead, the author and artist empower the audience to confront an unbearable history and come away with hope." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review)"Part magical savior, part tall-tale hero, Big Jabe personifies the tri-umph of African Americans who (miraculously it must sometimes have seemed) escaped from slavery. Jerdine Nolen recounts her original tale with a light touch and lyrical voice that add depth and resonance to its telling imagery and serious overtones. This powerful story will be particularly effective shared aloud." -- Horn Book (starred review)"Big Jabe seems not just larger than life, but a force of nature, subtle, secret, untouchable--and that undercurrent of mystery gives his story a mythic power." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review)"[Nelson's] finely hatched watercolor and gouache illustrations emphasize images of slave life; when he does depict Big Jabe's fantastic feats, his naturalistic style permits him to depict them with an apparent realism. Author and artist empower the audience to confront an unbearable history and come away with hope." -- Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books"Part Moses, part John Henry, the man who leads the slaves to freedom in this original tall tale first appears on the plantation as a smiling little buy floating in a basket on the river. In just a few months he has grown into the giant, Jabe, with the strength of 50. Nolen dramatizes the strength of community and of story. Nelson's full-page pictures in ink, watercolor, and gouache show life in the Quarters and also the wild glory of the natural world that gives Big Jabe his mythic power." -- Booklist"Nolen's writing draws readers into the narrative and presents the magical aspects matter-of-factly. The author uses traditional folklore motifs to good effect in creating this larger-than-life hero. Nelson's watercolor-and-gouache paintings bring the characters fully to life and provide a realistic and historically accurate setting for the fantastic events." -- School Library Journal"Tall-tale-hero Jabe is informed by echoes of traditional folk heroes like High John the Conquerer, John Henry, and old Toby from 'The People Could Fly.' Nelson's illustrations evoke a sense of bucolic beauty on the one hand and tall-tale merriment on the other." -- Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books"This book will be truly enjoyed by all ages." -- Multicultural Review"Uses traditional folklore motifs to good effect in creating this larger-than-life hero." -- School Library Journal"Tall-tale-hero Jabe is informed by echoes of traditional folk heroes like High John the Conqueror, John Henry, and old Toby from the African-American folktale 'The People Could Fly.' The final illustration of Big Jabe walking through the woods, towering over the trees, is a fitting image of this new hero." -- Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books"Big Jabe was part John Henry, part Moses and part magician." -- Children's Book Review Service
Folklore and history give an uncommonly rich patina to this freshly inspiring original tale set in slavery times. Readers will immediately recognize that Nolen (Harvey Potter's Balloon Farm) has set her sights high: the tale opens with an unmistakable reference to the story of Moses in the bulrushes. Addy, a slave on the Plenty Plantation, discovers a boy floating in a basket when Mr. Plenty sends her to fish by the riverbank. But the boy, Jabe, is no defenseless babe. To thank Addy for bringing him to shore, Jabe gives her a golden pear ("This must be the fruit of heaven," she sighs), and then plants its seeds by the river. Setting the pattern for many extraordinary feats to come, Jabe calls out to the fish that have eluded Addy's attempts to catch them, and they virtually fly right into Addy's wagon. Within a season, Jabe has grown into a full-grown man with "the strength of fifty" and the seeds have sprouted into a fruit-bearing pear tree. The plantation experiences unprecedented prosperity--but slaves begin to disappear without a trace. "Maybe Moses come in the night," says a slave still at the plantation, but Addy attributes the escapes to Jabe and that pear tree, with "the North Star shining through its branches." Nolen and Nelson give this inventively tall tale a welcome subtlety. The author draws on a variety of traditions: the equation of Moses with Harriet Tubman; the African-American folktale that gave its title to Virginia Hamilton's The People Could Fly; the legends of Paul Bunyan and John Henry; even the language of the Gospels. Nolen provides just enough information to enable readers to draw their own conclusions as to the identity of Big Jabe and the nature of the pear tree--and she makes readers want to ponder these questions. Nelson (Brothers of the Knight) resists the temptation of hyperbole. His finely hatched watercolor and gouache illustrations emphasize images of slave life; when he does depict Big Jabe's fantastic feats, his naturalistic style permits him to depict them with an apparent realism. In this way, Nelson supports Nolen in using superhuman elements to distill all-too-human truths. This eloquent tale neither demeans the characters nor forces readers to identify directly with the characters' suffering. Instead, author and artist empower the audience to confront an unbearable history and come away with hope. Ages 6-up. (Apr.) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.
"Freshly inspiring. This eloquent tale neither demeans the characters nor forces readers to identify directly with the character's suffering. Instead, the author and artist empower the audience to confront an unbearable history and come away with hope." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review)"Part magical savior, part tall-tale hero, Big Jabe personifies the tri-umph of African Americans who (miraculously it must sometimes have seemed) escaped from slavery. Jerdine Nolen recounts her original tale with a light touch and lyrical voice that add depth and resonance to its telling imagery and serious overtones. This powerful story will be particularly effective shared aloud." -- Horn Book (starred review)"Big Jabe seems not just larger than life, but a force of nature, subtle, secret, untouchable--and that undercurrent of mystery gives his story a mythic power." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review)"[Nelson's] finely hatched watercolor and gouache illustrations emphasize images of slave life; when he does depict Big Jabe's fantastic feats, his naturalistic style permits him to depict them with an apparent realism. Author and artist empower the audience to confront an unbearable history and come away with hope." -- Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books"Part Moses, part John Henry, the man who leads the slaves to freedom in this original tall tale first appears on the plantation as a smiling little buy floating in a basket on the river. In just a few months he has grown into the giant, Jabe, with the strength of 50. Nolen dramatizes the strength of community and of story. Nelson's full-page pictures in ink, watercolor, and gouache show life in the Quarters and also the wild glory of the natural world that gives Big Jabe his mythic power." -- Booklist"Nolen's writing draws readers into the narrative and presents the magical aspects matter-of-factly. The author uses traditional folklore motifs to good effect in creating this larger-than-life hero. Nelson's watercolor-and-gouache paintings bring the characters fully to life and provide a realistic and historically accurate setting for the fantastic events." -- School Library Journal"Tall-tale-hero Jabe is informed by echoes of traditional folk heroes like High John the Conquerer, John Henry, and old Toby from 'The People Could Fly.' Nelson's illustrations evoke a sense of bucolic beauty on the one hand and tall-tale merriment on the other." -- Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books"This book will be truly enjoyed by all ages." -- Multicultural Review"Uses traditional folklore motifs to good effect in creating this larger-than-life hero." -- School Library Journal"Tall-tale-hero Jabe is informed by echoes of traditional folk heroes like High John the Conqueror, John Henry, and old Toby from the African-American folktale 'The People Could Fly.' The final illustration of Big Jabe walking through the woods, towering over the trees, is a fitting image of this new hero." -- Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books"Big Jabe was part John Henry, part Moses and part magician." -- Children's Book Review Service
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