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From Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)

“Once upon a time near Tulsa, Oklahoma … ” There is promise in the opening pages of this picture-book history as the Black community in the booming city of Tulsa prospers in the early 20th century. Although they couldn’t escape racism and segregation in Tulsa, Black people built the 10,000-strong, thriving Greenwood neighborhood. In 1921, a young Black man was accused by a young white woman of assault. He was arrested, and a white mob intent on lynching him clashed with Black men intent on protecting him, leaving 12 dead. Then the mob descended on Greenwood. “Once upon a time in Greenwood,” up to 300 Black people died, more than 8,000 were left homeless, “and hundreds of businesses were reduced to ash.” A later investigation determined “police and city officials had plotted with the white mob to destroy the nation’s wealthiest Black community.” Author Carole Boston Weatherford’s affecting account of the tragedy and the racism behind it is followed by an author’s note that includes additional information about the unfounded arrest of the young Black man, “who either stumbled or stepped” onto the foot of the young white woman. Illustrator Floyd Cooper, who grew up in Tulsa and whose illustrations capture the dignity of individuals and the vibrancy of the community, as well as anger, chaos and fear, writes about his grandfather, whose memories of the massacre were how he learned about it as a child, noting it was never spoken of in school. (Ages 8-12)

CCBC Choices 2022 © Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 2022. Used with permission.

From School Library Journal

Starred review from February 1, 2021

Gr 3-6-One hundred years ago, the Greenwood district of Tulsa, OK, was a prosperous Black community. Restaurants, beauty salons, movie theaters, and dozens of other businesses thrived along "Black Wall Street." Cooper's sepia-tone illustrations depict the bustle of everyday life as people hurried to shops or churches and gathered with friends. A stark spread signals the tragic turning point that resulted in the decimation of Greenwood's Black community. A 17-year-old white woman elevator operator accused a 19-year-old Black man of assault. Incited by calls to action printed in white-owned newspapers, thousands of armed white men headed to the jail, where they met 30 armed Black men determined to stop a lynching. The confrontation resulted in the deaths of two Black men and 10 white men. Angry that they didn't get to the jailed Black man, a white mob invaded the town, looted, and committed arson. The police did nothing to protect the Black citizens. Up to 300 Greenwood residents were killed, and more than 8,000 were left homeless. Seventy-five years passed before an official investigation occurred. Cooper's illustrations are infused with a personal connection. Not only did he grow up in Tulsa, but Cooper also heard his grandpa's stories of surviving the events. The powerful photo spread on the endpapers documents the destruction and smoking ruins. Cooper's final illustrations of Tulsa's Reconciliation Park offer a bit of hope. Weatherford's author's note provides additional background. VERDICT This moving account sheds light on shameful events long suppressed or ignored. All collections should consider this title's value in providing historical context to current conversations about racism and America's ongoing legacy of white supremacy.-Kathy Piehl, Minnesota State Univ. Lib., Mankato

Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

From Publisher's Weekly

Starred review from January 4, 2021
Without glossing over important facts, Weatherford (Dreams for a Daughter) tells the historical events of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre in language appropriate for young readers. Rhythmic free verse text highlights a thriving community in segregated Tulsa: prosperous Greenwood, also known as Black Wall Street, had “nearly two hundred businesses in all,” including two Black-owned newspapers and 15 Black doctors. Using oil and erasure to form spare backgrounds and realistic, detailed portraits, Cooper’s (Sprouting Wings) illustrations pull readers through the events, beginning with a white woman accusing a Black man of assault and resulting in his arrest, an inflammatory headline that incited an angry white mob, and the mob’s subsequent massacre of Black citizens and burning of the entire Greenwood neighborhood. By focusing not just on the attack, but also on the positive achievements of the Black business owners, lawyers, and doctors of Greenwood, the book succeeds in teaching the tragedy of the Tulsa Race Massacre and the legacy of Black Wall Street. An author’s note explains the impact of the event and a subsequent cover-up by the city. Ages 9–10. Author’s agent: Rubin Pfeffer, Rubin Pfeffer Content. (Feb.)■

From Horn Book

January 1, 2021
In 1921, over the course of sixteen hours, the Black community of Greenwood, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, was all but destroyed, with most of its residents left homeless, injured, or dead. In picture-book form, Weatherford and Cooper skillfully present this history to young people. Great care is taken to describe the Greenwood community as it once was: known as "Black Wall Street" and home to Black professionals and working-class folk alike, "where some say Black children got a better education than whites." Small details add to the authenticity of the narrative, such as Miss Mabel's Little Rose Beauty Salon, where "maids who worked for white families got coiffed on their day off and strutted in style." Far from romanticizing history, Weatherford is equally descriptive in explaining how a false accusation of assault brought simmering racial tensions to a violent end, with a white mob "looting and burning homes and businesses that Blacks had saved and sacrificed to build." Many survivors left the area, and those who stayed "did not speak of the terror." Not until 1997 was the little-known incident investigated and discovered to be not a "riot" but a massacre -- abetted by both police and city officials. Cooper's illustrations ("oil and erasure") are the perfect partner to this history, the sepia-toned images resembling historical photographs. The portraits of Black residents are particularly moving, seeming to break the fourth wall to implore the reader to remember their story. The author's and illustrator's notes provide additional information, including their individual connections to the topic.

(Copyright 2021 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

From Booklist

Starred review from December 15, 2020
Grades 3-6 *Starred Review* "Once upon a time in Tulsa, there was a community called Greenwood." This Black community was rich in money, love, and culture. So much so that white people searched for any reason possible to tear that community down. This tragic, painful event in American history calls into question notions of freedom, equality, and opportunity ostensibly promised to Black Americans following the emancipation proclamation, and it's particularly pertinent in the current sociopolitical landscape, which is throwing a spotlight on systemic racism in America. Weatherford draws on the folktale flourish "once upon a time" to set a scene that feels far away and removed from our present reality, while Cooper's soft strokes of muted greens and sepia browns capture the event in a haze of both joy and mourning for the beauty of what Black Tulsa was. Unlike many historical picturebooks, Weatherford's doesn't shy away from naming white people as the perpetrator. This will cause obvious discomfort for some but will be the catalyst for conversation and change if read with eyes toward justice. Included are author's and illustrator's notes that explore their personal connections to the Tulsa Race Massacre in addition to photographs of Greenwood at the time of the massacre and today. Ideal for classroom libraries and a deeper study of American history, this title is a must-have for those seeking the painful and complete truth.

COPYRIGHT(2020) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

From Kirkus

Starred review from December 1, 2020
A once-thriving Black community was destroyed, and the story of how it happened went untold for decades. In the beginning of the 20th century, Tulsa, Oklahoma, was emerging as a thriving oil town, and African Americans worked to establish communities in the face of discrimination. The separate neighborhoods that grew out of segregation meant that Black businesses sprang up to serve those who could not frequent White establishments. The African American neighborhood of Greenwood had so many it became known as "Black Wall Street," with an impressive range of services and opportunities. The tenuous nature of Black prosperity was reinforced, however, when a White woman accused a Black man of assault. White mobs, unable to reach the suspect, descended on Greenwood, looting the businesses and burning the community to the ground. With no protection or assistance from law enforcement, all that the residents had achieved was lost. Further, it took 75 years before an official investigation was launched. Author Weatherford and illustrator Cooper join forces to present this important story with sensitivity and care for younger readers. Weatherford's measured prose depicts the events in a cleareyed, age-appropriate narrative. Oklahoma native Cooper's muted palette and oil-erasure style effectively portray first the achievement and then the devastation that followed. The author's and illustrator's notes provide valuable insight and context, as does the rear endpapers' photograph of the massacre's aftermath. A somber, well-executed addition to the history as the incident approaches its 100th anniversary. (Informational picture book. 8-12)

COPYRIGHT(2020) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

From AudioFile Magazine

Music and sound effects accentuate the moods in this nonfiction picture book about the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921. January LaVoy narrates with a range of emotions. She opens cheerfully, detailing the thriving Black community's prosperity, reading the repeated refrains: "Once upon a time in Greenwood . . ." and "Once upon a time on Black Wall Street . . ." City sounds and bright music play. Then the listener hears the ominous thud of an elevator landing and its metal grate opening--the beginnings of a racially motivated massacre. Tense music and the sounds of chaos punctuate the ensuing violence. Against a background of discordant music, LaVoy somberly details the aftermath--hundreds dead, thousands homeless, Greenwood in ruins. Her voice turns optimistic, however, reading the author's exhortation to "choose hope." The author reads the illustrator's and author's notes. L.T. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine