The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander

Alexander, K. (2019) The undefeated (K. Nelson, Illus.). Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

  Right from the first few pages of this book, the reader can tell that this is not a book where the author is going to shy away from the hard topics. It won’t be graphic because this is still a children’s book, but it won’t sugarcoat the past either because the author knows that it is important for children to learn of black history in any way possible. By the third spread, we are hit with a hard truth. The spread lacks any illustration; it simply states “And the ones who didn’t [survive]” on a stark pure white background. The font of the word “didn’t” is slightly bigger than the rest of the sentence, making sure it shows the impact it is meant to have.

The words of this book come from a poem that the author wrote for both his own daughter and Former President Barack Obama. The purpose of the poem is clear from the start: to recognize the successes and hardships of black history in America. The first two spreads show this by providing you a focus on an Olympic athlete (“This is for the unforgettable”) followed by a focus on an unnamed family meant to represent the many of its kind (“The ones who survived America by any means necessary”). The poem continues its dedications to people from the past and present including athletes, soldiers, social justice leaders, and police brutality victims. The intention is for the whole history to be focused on, not just positives or negatives. A story cannot be understood when told partly, so Alexander includes all parts in order for children to grasp the entire history.

    The portraits throughout the book are beautifully done oil paintings using a range of hues to truly capture the beauty and tones of black and brown skin. This book is about expanding the definition of what being black is like in America, so the pictures help this giving each portrait a range of shades illustrating variety to match the variety of lives being mentioned in the text. Each page has a white background making sure the images standout and do not become overwhelmed by a cluttered background. The stark contrast of the darker portraits against the white background make them memorable and eye-catching. Another way this book avoids clutter and distraction is by omitting names and descriptions of the images. The reader can imply who the portrait is of or what they were known for while reading and then better educate themselves at the end where a list of each person illustrated and a brief description is provided. It is better that the names and descriptions are put together at the end rather than placed with the text and images or it would distract the reader from the poem, allowing it to lose its impact. Above all else, the emotion, power, and variety in black culture is the most important takeaway – the biographies and educational information are just an added benefit.