They Call Me Teach: Lessons in Freedom

Secretly nicknamed Teach by the community in which he resides, the enslaved protagonist of this historically steeped picture book “learnt reading and writing/ comin’ up ’longside Master’s son Thomas.” Though literacy is illegal for enslaved people, Teach, clerking at his enslaver’s store, nevertheless knows “numbers and letters near as good as any man,” and he uses that knowledge to fulfill his late mother’s wish: “Use that learnin’ and make somethin’ of yourself.” Immediate, day-by-day narration and loose watercolor spreads from the married collaborators Ransome (Fighting with Love) give shape to Teach’s efforts “to do just that.” On Monday, in a corner of the stable, he whispers alphabet lessons to small children. Tuesday involves reading “the words Missus throws away,” and Wednesday sees him teaching a group of men to read late at night (“In the dirt I write out letters”). On Thursday and Friday, Teach is caught reading the enslaver’s newspaper and determines not to be caught, even as he writes a young woman a receipt for freedom on Saturday. And on Sunday, Teach amplifies a resonant biblical message: “Let My People Go.” Amid a potent reminder of the realities of chattel slavery, the creators deliver a powerful ode to the courage of teachers offering unfiltered truth. An author’s note and recommended reading conclude. Ages 5–8. (Sept.)