Frederick Douglass: The Lion Who Wrote History by Floyd Cooper (review)

Joining Rappaport’s Frederick’s Journey (BCCB 1/16) about Frederick Douglass is this notable picture-book bio, well attuned to introduce middle-graders to the history-changing ex-slave. The late Walter Dean Myers’ storytelling is in fine form, as he moves smoothly through the particulars of Douglass’ childhood (“If learning to read would make him unfit to be a slave, then that’s what Frederick would do”), his pivotal confrontation with brutal overseer Edward Covey, the shipyard work that would shape the strategy for his break for freedom, and his tenuous refuge among Massachusetts abolitionists. Some of the more contentious aspects of his adult years receive little critical attention, from his marriage to a free black woman ill-matched to her erudite husband, to the abolitionists’ debate on the propriety of buying Douglass’ freedom, to his own difficult decision whether to support John Brown’s uprising. Moreover, readers must occasionally rely on the appended timeline to illuminate episodes in the text. However, Cooper’s arresting artwork will make this an excellent choice for classroom sharing, with expressive close-ups that convey the inner workings of a mind always focused on his next argument, his next decision. A brief bibliography of primary sources and the text of Douglass’ manumission document are also included.