I Have Heard of a Land

by Joyce Carol Thomas, Floyd Cooper (Illustrator)

I have heard of a land
Where the imagination has no fences
Where what is dreamed one night
Is accomplished the next day

In the late 1880s, signs went up all around America - land was free in the Oklahoma territory. And it was free to everyone: Whites, Blacks, men and women alike. All one needed to stake a claim was hope and courage, strength and perseverance. Thousands of pioneers, many of them African-Americans newly freed from slavery, headed west to carve out a new life in the Oklahoma soil.

Drawing upon her own family history, National Book Award winner Joyce Carol Thomas has crafted an unforgettable anthem to these brave and determned people from America's past. Richly illustrated by Coretta Scott King Award honoree Floyd Cooper, I Have Heard of a Land is a glorious tribute to the Afrian-American pioneer spirit.

00-01 Sequoyah Children's Book Award Masterlist

Genres: Picture Books, Historical Fiction, African American, Childrens, Cultural, Fiction, American

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Joyce Carol Thomas was an internationally renowned author who received the National Book Award for her first novel, Marked By Fire, and a Coretta Scott King Honor for her first picture book, Brown Honey In Broomwheat Tea. Her other titles include I Have Heard Of A Land, a Coretta Scott King Honor Book; The Gospel Cinderella; cCrowning Glory; Gingerbread Days; and A Gathering Of Flowers. Ms. Thomas lived in Berkeley, California.

Reviews

[Davis]

An interesting air of sentimentality that ignores the colonialism inherent in the story, but maybe that's the point of the conditionality of the title

[Patrick Resse]

I Have Heard of a Land by Joyce Carol Thomas and illustrated by Floyd Cooper is an imaginative and dream-like story of a black women who longs to move out west and live freely like a pioneer. This book would be best for kindergarten and first graders and does not have any kind of awards to its name. The story starts with the main black woman spotting a poster promising free land as far as the eye could see out west and a promise of new life. She envisions this land as being a miraculous place of never-ending trees, the lullaby of a coyotes call, trees with swings, large pancakes, and most importantly an independent territory far from fear.
This is a great book that is written in a repetitive style that doesn’t feel overly repetitive and even remind me of MLKs I Have a Dream speech as it echoes similar messages, but on a different focus. It is obviously not aspiring as MLK’s speech, but it does make you want to dream, while also giving you a look into the concept of the open West and its history. This book is also a great look at how the West affected African Americans and how it gave them hope about a life outside of fear. This story is illustrated in a miraculous way, as it seems like it was illustrated as if it were a dream. This may not have been the illustrator’s purpose, but it still works incredibly well and adds to the story as a whole. One lesson to do with the kids would be to have them repeat the same line that is repeated in the book, but to put their own lines after and share with the class. A second lesson would be to listen to MLK’s I Have a Dream speech, have the class contrast, and compare the two.

[Jenny]

Loved it!!

[Charles]

The massive land grab that was the Oklahoma Land Rush in 1889 is mentioned in the history books. An estimated 50,000 people lined up to grab their piece of real estate. Some of the people cheated and crossed the demarcation line earlier than the designated start time of high noon on April 12, 1889. Their actions are remembered in the term “Sooners.”
What is largely ignored in the study of history is the significance of the Oklahoma Land Rush in Black History as well as the rights of women. Suffering under the oppression of white supremacists in the south, many blacks participated in the land rush, their claims were given equal standing. Rather than struggle as a sharecropper, they were assigned up to 160 acres of land of their own to work.
Another significant characteristic of the Oklahoma Land Rush is that single women could own land in their own name. Since this included black women, the rarity and uniqueness of the event should be a point of greater historical emphasis.
This book describes a few black families and single persons that derived a great deal of hope from the opportunity to claim a parcel of land. Entire black communities sprang up overnight. Even though life was hard, everything had to be built from scratch, the desire to be a free landowner under the Homestead Act made it all worthwhile. It is a great book for children to learn a key point of Black History.

[Onnalee Lach]

This book is about a woman who dreams of going to the land in Oklahoma where she would be able to have her own land, build her own house, and grow her own crops. It takes place after slavery is abolished, but at a time when there is still an abundance of racism. At this time, the Oklahoma Territory is land available to anyone for free. It is an opportunity like no other, and this woman takes it. The book is written in the format of a poem with an author's note at the end. That note connects the events in this story with the author's great-grandma and great-grandpa.

I gave this book three stars because it is it has a character who is set on building a life in Oklahoma. She doesn't encounter any real trouble, so the plot seems like it's missing some action. However, it does seem historically accurate, and would be good for teaching about this time period. This book is inspiring and uplifting, which are good qualities in children's books.

[Selena]

This story is about a woman who dreams of going to Oklahoma to build her life. Hope and courage was what people needed to journey west. The Oklahoma land is a dreamland to anyone and it was free to Whites, Blacks, men, and women. It is for anyone trying to find a better life. This book tells us all the great things about the land. I was confused after reading this book, it left me wondering did the woman went to Oklahoma or not. The theme of the book is wanting a better life. I like how it talked about great things about the land and making it easy to read. The text had a nice ring to it. We can use this in class to talk about the dream’s slavery had and the dream of having a better life.

[Daniel Kleven]

I "assigned" this to my 8yo. A powerful story about a trailblazing Black woman who homesteaded in Oklahoma in the 1880s. Floyd Cooper was nominated for a Coretta Scott King award for illustrator for this book, one of 5 nominations (he's won 2). Joyce Carol Thomas has been nominated in her own right for 3 CSK author awards, so needless to say this is a powerful combination to tell a power story.

[Stacy]

I came upon this book by accident at my local library and I thought this would be a perfect book to read to my 9 year old son as we are studying this time period in American history. I loved the hope and dreams that this book portrayed in the writing. The illustrations were also gorgeous.

I would recommend reading the authors note at the back of the book first to explain the background of history and what was happening during this period of history if your student does not already know.

[Skylar Higgins]

This is a poetic picture book about African Americans settling in Oklahoma. They were traveling to get away from racism. The “land” in the title symbolizes an ideal place of freedom, joy, and home. Through imagery and metaphor, the book celebrates African American heritage, family, and the power of dreams. This could be used in grades 3-5. This could be used as a way to explore African American history, focusing on the importance of passing down cultural values and experiences.

[Danna]

Beautifully written and illustrated book about an African American woman who dreams of making a journey west to Oklahoma land. She dreamed of owning her own land during the land run where land was open to everyone, blacks and whites, men and women.

[Alicia (PrettyBrownEyeReader)]

Beautiful illustrations help tell the story of the Oklahoma land runs, a part of African American history that is not often mentioned. I really enjoyed the way the author told this story in verse.

[Shai Barber]

I enjoyed reading this book and seeing the journey of the author's family. I thought it was very neat they made the poem into a book.

[Denise Bucklew]

One of my many little ones pick this book out at the library today for me to read to her. It was am unusual interesting book!!!

[Jackie]

Easy book to read. Great pictures. Hard to relate, especially with the complex poetic structure.

[Lynn Davidson]

This beautiful story is about a Black pioneer woman who lead her family to claim free land in Oklahoma in the 1800's. Wonderful illustrations.

[Sarah]

Oklahoma land rush

[Emily McDonald]

Perfect for migration west

[Ashleigh Jennina]

It IS a lesson learning book.

[Jacquie]

I loved this picture book! Gorgeous illustrations, poetic writing, and beautiful story.

[Kelle]

Oklahoma

[Jenngb]

A beautiful book all around - the prose, the artwork, the history and hope.

[Justice]

An interesting read and could be a way to get children interested in history when they would otherwise be bored with history.

[Lynnette]

Oklahoma. A beautifully illustrated book about an African American woman seeking land in Oklahoma and sharing the struggles and freedom.

[Cheryl]

The text and author's note leave out the impact on the Native people. This is written in homage to the author's heritage, in which a single Black woman could make a claim. Muchly a good thing. Eloquently told and beautifully illustrated, despite the incomplete history. Do read the long author's note at the back.

[Abby Ambrose]

Lexile: 750L
DRA: 40
This is a really cool story based on the author's own family history about moving west. It's very poetic in nature and easy to read.

[Jamie McNiven]

For a historical fiction book, I enjoyed the type of writing and all the beautiful pictures. I would recommend this book to be in a little higher elementary grade but still a great read, just because of the thoughtful wording and the story behind the theme.

[China Harris]

I Have Heard of a Land is a winner of the Coretta Scott King Award. In the late 1880s, signs went up all around America that informed African-Americans that the land was free in Oklahoma. All they needed was hope, courage, strength and perseverance. A multitude of pioneers, many of which were freed African-American slaves, headed west to begin new lives in Oklahoma. There are many references to pioneer times and farm living, especially the brush arbor church services. The poetic text also speaks about a very beautiful land.

This book is a truly a good read. Floyd Cooper's illustrations stretch across both sides of every page in the book. The style reminds me so much of Georges Seurat's famous painting "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte." Like Seurat, Cooper uses Pointillism , which is a painting technique where tiny dots of color are grouped together in patterns that create a larger image. As a painter, I admire the intricate details that the illustrations have to offer. Aesthetically, they are simple yet complex. The characters are African-American, but the narrative appeals to adults and children and to all races.

[Esther]

I Have Heard of a Land by Joyce Carol Thomas Illustrated by Floyd Cooper
Published in 1998 by Joanna Cotler Books

Joyce Carol Thomas uses the experiences of her great-grandparents Charlie and Judy Graham in the early 1800's to depict the possibilities that were offered to African-Americans, especially women, during a time period when slavery was still in force. In an author's note at the end of the picture book, Thomas states that she heard stories from her aunt Corine about moving to Oklahoma and claiming land by "running the land". The explanation of claiming land in Oklahoma, the various activities that are done in the picture book, and the illustrated details provide the authentic details that move the story forward. Some examples are when the story refers to what type of vegetation grows in Oklahoma, such as the redbud and cottonwood trees as well as African-American women running to claim land. Another example is when Thomas refers to the type of home that settlers sleep in as a "sod hut dug deep in the heart of the earth" that is transformed into a log cabin through the help of neighbors and family. In addition, the detailed illustrations that depict the clothing, land, living spaces, and people who lived in Oklahoma during this time period enhance the authenticity of this story. These specific details provide a detailed, authentic depiction of the Oklahoman frontier that allows the reader to understand the excitement and hope of this time period and place.

[I Heart Corgis]

Grade/interest level: grades 3-5th
Lexile level: NPL
Genre: Picture book, historical fiction
Main Characters: An African American woman
Setting: The United States
POV: 1st person

This book is about an African American pioneer woman. She is describing a promised land of pure awesomeness. The land goes on forever and is fertile. People can go there and be free to live as they want, in peace and abundance. It’s a simple place with simple luxuries, like church outside and people working together to make sure everyone has a home. The story is written in a poem, supported by illustrations. The characters are strong and inspiring African Americans. The author notes at the end that the story was inspired by her own family’s journey to Oklahoma in the end of the 1800s. she points out that women flocked to this area, even alone, in search of opportunities.
This book would be great to use in the classroom for a unit on women and strong female examples throughout history. It would be good to start off researching other strong females and their impact on history. It would also be good in a historical unit on American expansionism and the movement of settlers from all ethnicities.

[Missy]

This book captured my attention about 15 years ago, and I have come back to it several times over the years. An historical picture book, I Have Heard of a Land tells the story of an African-American pioneer woman homesteading in Oklahoma. Buried in that description is a history of hope for freedom from the crushing weight of cruelly violent oppression.

I have heard of a land
Where a pioneer only has to lift up her feet...
running for the land
As though running for her life.
And in the running claim it.

In spare and poetic language, Joyce Carol Thomas highlights the hardships and the joys of working to make a life of one's own.

"Of a land
where a woman sleeps in a sod hut....
A hole in the ground is her stove
And a horse saddle is her pillow
She wakes thinking of a three-room log cabin"

I Have Heard of a Land is a prime example of the power and beauty found in children's picture books. This is a book that teaches and inspires and rewards repeated visits.