Big Jabe

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Nolen, Jerdine. 2000. BIG JABE. Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Book, New York, NY. Illustrator: Kadir Nelson. ISBN 0688136621

2. PLOT SUMMARY
The story begins with a young boy listening to one of Momma Mary stories where she speaks about slavery on Plenty Plantation and how one man named Jabe changed the lives of so many. Jabe story begins when a young slave girl named Addy finds him floating in a basket down the river. After planting a very special tree down by the river, Jabe begins to work on the plantation just like any other slave. Jabe though is not an ordinary man, he is stronger, bigger and works harder then 10 men combined and some how lets his people escape slavery.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Big Jabe is a story that is inspiring to read. The author Jerdine Nolen takes a very familiar tall tale and relates it to slavery and freedom that every generation can relate too. The setting of this story is on the Plenty Plantation which reflects what a working plantation in that time would look and feel like. You also get a real sense as to the way slaves were treated on cotton farms. The strength of this book to use in an elementary classroom is that there are many teachable aspects: tall tales, slavery, plantations or farms, and freedom.

The illustrations by Kadir Nelson are breathtaking. Mr. Nelson is able to represent every emotion a person can feel by drawing them into his pictures. The reader can also see how strong Jabe was compared to normal men by the illustration of Jabe carrying loads of cotton bags. The ways colors are used also create the mood and feelings of the slaves on the plantation. Whether it is blues and green or gray and brown the reader can understand the emotions of the characters in the book.

4. REVIEW EXCERPTS
* Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books- “Nelson's illustrations evoke a sense of bucolic beauty…”
* Publishers Weekly- “….use superhuman elements to distill all-too-human truths, and empower the audience to confront an unbearable history and come away with hope.”
* School Library Journal- “Nolen's writing draws readers into the narrative and presents the magical aspects matter-of-factly.”

5. CONNECTIONS
* Lead conversation with students about what they know about slavery and freedom. Other books on slavery by same illustrator: MOSES WHEN HARRIET TUBMAN LED HER PEOPLE TO FREEDOM by Carole Boston Weatherford. ISBN 97807868517592
* Series on Tall Tales and their characters: AMERICAN TALL TALES by Mary Pope Osborne and illustrations by Michael McCurdy. ISBN 9780679800897
* Have students write about different character and what made them special.