Review of Ebony Sea by Irene Smalls ✊🏿
When I picked up Ebony Sea by Irene Smalls (available on Amazon) I found a book that could explain the complications of slavery to a young child. There are not many books out there that can do this. The story is told in a simple way so that young children will understand and ask questions. The history of African people who were made slaves is an important lesson for parents to share with their children and just one small aspect of the impact African people have had on the world.
Ebony Sea tells the story of the Ebo people who were stolen from their homeland in Africa and forced on slave ships. The human cargo included mothers, fathers, sons, daughters and even babies taken, stolen against their will from their homeland to provide free labor to a land called America. They would be denied every human right and treated worse than cattle. Everything was taken away from them, they were not allowed to speak their native language, learn, or even have families as everyone was separated once they touched the soil of the European-controlled lands. The story of the Ebos is that they somehow could sense the terrible fate that awaited them and instead of subjecting themselves and generations of their offspring to this destiny, they walked into the river water. The story of the Ebos is that they somehow could sense the terrible fate that awaited them and instead of subjecting themselves and generations of their offspring to this terrible destiny, they walked into the river and back home to Africa.
The pictures in this book are riveting and were done by Jon Pynes Lockard. He is able to capture the emotions of the Ebo people in great detail. His illustrations bring to life the story of the Ebo people, who were so dignified and proud that they never uttered a sound as they were led by their leader, a woman with a red kerchief on her head to the river and on their way back home to Africa.
Irene Smalls has written over a dozen picture books for children. Some of her titles are the bestseller My Nana and Me which has more than a thousand reviews on Amazon. Her others books are Kevin and his Dad; Jonathan and His Mother; PopPop and Me and a Recipe (this book includes a recipe for lemon bars) among others.
Candace Waller is the author of, What Goes Around Comes Around the sequel Good Things Comes, and the upcoming book Lessons I Learned From Loving You, A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Healing.