I Saw Your Face

by Tom Feelings, Kwame Dawes

Rich drawings of young people from around the world are posthumously paired with lyrical text, bringing the stories of these people, their worlds, and their unique experiences to life.

Genres: Picture Books, Poetry, Childrens, Cultural, Juvenile, History, Art

32 pages, Hardcover

First published December 29, 2004

About the author

Tom was a skilled cartoonist, illustrator, teacher, and activist for the African-American experience. For a time, he served in the Graphic Arts division of the U.S. Air Force. He created the cartoon Tommy Traveler in the World of Black History in 1958, received a Caldecott Honor in 1972, and two Coretta Scott King Awards in 1979 and 1994.

For more information, please see http://www.answers.com/topic/tom-feel...

Reviews

[Margaret Boling · Rating 4 out of 5]

11/21/2018 ~ A lovely collection of sketches from renowned artist Tom Feelings that have been linked with a poem written after the fact by Kwame Dawes. Interestingly, on this book, the illustrator's name is listed first. The Introduction by Dawes and Afterword by Jerry Pinkney are must-reads, as is the world map noting the locations mentioned in the poem.

My local library, the Indianapolis Public Library, has multiple branches, and one huge, downtown location. The Central Library houses an entire (large) room dedicated to the Center for Black Literature and Culture. I could lose myself for hours browsing this collection. When I wandered in there last weekend, I immediately found five "new-to-me" books from familiar authors. This was one of those books.

[Helen-Louise · Rating 5 out of 5]

A visually lovely book, with art work ranging from pen and paper, water color, pastels [?], to paintings. The poem supports the artwork, and vice versa. It is a book to keep on your coffee table, and look through often for the pure joy of seeing the faces and reading the words.

[Haley Hoenke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Socials Studies, Art, Race

[Bunmi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely tribute to people of African descent all across the globe.

[Ronnie Hobbs · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely poem with lots of visual art work.

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

A gorgeous book. Beautiful writing, wonderful backstory, incredible tribute to the artist.

[Vilma Diaz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. The art is lovely. The message in the poem is also lovely. I'm a librarian, and plan to use it during Storytime the next chance I get.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

So beautifully illustrated and written. Kwame Dawes, an award-winning poet introduces this book by telling of a game his mother always played who, whenever meeting or seeing a person of West African descent, tried to place them in a West African ethnic group. She was able to identify people living in Europe, the Americas, and Asia. Dawes met the incredible artist, Tom Feelings and they spoke of the rich history of African people, and the history that is told through the multiplication of faces. This book is a compilation of the result of Feelings travels around the world and the drawings of those he saw and Dawes beautiful lyrical text.

"... the result is a lovely, moving meditation on how, as wide and far as African peoples have traveled, they remain linked by their common roots."

[Brooke Devarennes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Subgroup: Immigration

Genre: Caribbean Poetry

Topics: skin tone, facial structure within African race, geography

Synopsis: An artist named Tom Feelings had travelled the world and drew sketches of the faces of many African descendants. “I saw a story of resilience and pride in the faces. This [is] the story of Africa and her diaspora.” The author was inspired by Tom Feelings drawings and created this poem to go along with all of his great artistry. The faces come from around the world for example; Benin, Ghana, Kingston, Louisiana, London Town, New Orleans, Suriname, Birmingham, Timbuktu, Havana, Savannah, Port- au Prince, Lagos.

4) Dawes, K., & Pinkney, J. (2005). I Saw Your Face. New York, NY: Dial Books.

[babyhippoface · Rating 4 out of 5]

A poem and striking portraits of children of African descent from around the globe celebrate the thread that binds them all together. Dawes paints a word picture of the faces he has seen in world travels and how they seem to echo back to Africa. The beauty of this book lies in Tom Feelings’ graceful sketches. The simple drawings have a quiet elegance and dignity; each subject’s eyes hold a remarkable depth of soul. "I Saw Your Face" begs follow-up discussion and personal introspection. It is a celebration of African heritage, a call to hold one’s head high with pride in the African legacy.

[Kari · Rating 4 out of 5]

This work of poetry explores African history and heritage and how it is seen in many faces around the world. The themes are geography, history, diversity, culture, and cultural diffusion. There is a map in the back of the book that could be used with children to identify the various places around the world that are mentioned in the book.

[Fisal Ansari · Rating 5 out of 5]

Age:
Grades 9-YA

Genre:
Informational/Historical/Fiction

Diversity:
African experience

Illustrations:
drawings

Personal response:
Amazing tale about people of African descent and the connections they carry around the world.

Curricular or programming connections:
Connections on Africans from around the world.

[Kathleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the pictures, but was not thrilled with the text. The text was clunky and an afterthought. When I read the foreward, I understood why. Tom Feelings had done these wonderful line drawings of faces and they (the publisher?) just added text to make it a children's book. It shows. Look at and enjoy the pictures, but don't bother with the words.