Joseph the Great, written by Candace Okin & illustrated by Kristin Gaston: #RWYK Certified Great Read – Book Review
Congratulations to Candace Okin!
Joseph the Great is our latest certified great read!
LET’S HAVE A LOOK AT THE BOOK BLURB
JOSEPH THE GREAT
Rushing home one evening to the promise of cherry pie, little Joseph is met with his entire life packed up in boxes and the news that he must move far away from everything he’s ever known. Leaving a small, rural town, he is deeply afraid to face the big city of New York.
Confronted with other troubles along the way, Joseph must find the courage within himself to overcome his fears and conquer the challenges of his journey. Against the historic setting of the Great Migration, Joseph the Great will engender courage in young readers as they confront their life’s challenges and inspire them to find their own inner strength.
Joseph the Great is now available for pre-order! Only on candaceokin.com!!
HERE’S OUR REVIEW
February is black history month and our latest certified great read celebrates! just that!
Joseph the Great by Candace Okin is a middle-grade novel that tells the story of a young boy named Joseph who loves his life in Todd Springs, Texas. He enjoys playing with his best friend Cody in the cotton field. Joseph’s life is turned upside down when his family becomes part of the Great Migration, moving from the rural south to New York City. What would Joseph do without Todd Springs and his bestie Cody? He is too scared to leave his perfect life and move to a place called New York which is too fast and too noisy. But a special gift from his father (A medal of honor from the war he received for valiance and bravery) reminds Joseph of the greatness within him whenever he is too scared or uncertain about his new life in the big city. Throughout the course of the book, Joseph learns how to deal with his sadness, confusion and worry in a positive way. Soon enough, he begins to love his new home and city life.
Joseph’s family is among the many thousand families who leave home, coming to the city, with their hopes and their courage, their dreams and their kids, to make a better life. The book depicts the experiences of families like Joseph’s, who found the courage to leave their homes behind and make new lives for themselves elsewhere. The Great Migration was a historical transformation in which over six million African Americans left the farmlands and cotton fields of the rural south for better jobs in the industrialized north between 1916 and 1970. The Great Migration is an important part of Black history and Joseph the Great allows young readers to understand the experience of those courageous people who chose to pick up stakes and move away from the south, in the hope of a better life.
The book is also perfect for children experiencing anxiety over moving.
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