Barack Obama

Barack Obama

Son of Promise, Child of Hope

The New York Times Bestseller

Written by Nikki Grimes * Illustrated by Bryan Collier

Barack Obama Son of Promise, Child of Hope is a biography of the 44th president of the United States of America, Barack Obama. The story recounts the early life of Barack (Barry) Hussein Obama from his birth in Honolulu, Hawaii to eventually earning the office of President. This book is suitable for children in kindergarten through 5th grade.

This book fits into the biography/memoir genre because the author tells the story of Barack Obama's life. Nikki Grimes gives details of a little boy, Barry growing up in Honolulu, Hawaii with his mother and his grandparents. She also sheds light on Barry's father leaving the home. The story goes on to illustrate Barry's loneliness associated with his father's departure from the home. Nikki Grimes does an awesome job of story telling through a mother sitting in her living room with her son David as they watch the television and as David's curiosity leads to an abundance of questions. David's questions find themselves blurting out as his mother tries to explain who the man on the television is and why the man, Barack Obama is important. 

About the Author : Nikki Grimes is an American author, poet and journalist who was born in Harlem, New  York. She has written a number of books and is also the recipient of the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work for youth and children.

The illustrator, Bryan Collier created very vivid pictures with an authentic depiction that truly enhance the storyline. He uses a unique technique to create his artwork. He uses sketching, watercolors and collages to make his illustrations come to life.  

About the Illustrator : Bryan Collier is an American illustrator known for his collage work. He uses photos of people acting out scenes of the stories that he illustrates to examine the emotion and structure of faces during certain emotions and movements. He then sketches the scenes and adds water color. The final touch is his well know collage effect.

Motivational Activities : 

• After completing the book, students will create an election for class president

1. Students will brainstorm about the qualities that they want in a class president
2. Students will work together to choose 4 students for whom they will vote
3. Students will break up into four groups: group 1 (create voting booths) group 2 ( create a flyer for each candidate) group 3 (create slogans for each candidate) group 4 (count the votes to determine the class president)
4. Start the election and provide the results

• Create a gift for little Barry to make him happy and write an essay describing your creation

1. Each student will create a gift of their choice to present to Barry
2. Students will then write an essay that tells their classmates what they created and why that gift will help Barry's mood improve

Reader Response Questions:

What kinds of qualities do you think a president should have? How can we create a fair election? Who can vote? 

Why is Barry sad? What can you do to make Barry happy? 

References

 Grimes, N., & Collier, B. (2012). Barack Obama: Son of promise, child of hope. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. 
 Galda, L., & Cullinan, B. (2010). Literature and the child (7th ed.). Belmont, CA:
            Wadsworth/Cengage Learning.