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Brick by Brick: A True Story Picture Book About the Enslaved Builders of the White House for Kids
The compelling true story behind the building of the White House, a powerful part of history rarely taught. From Coretta Scott King Award winners Charles R. Smith Jr. and Floyd Cooper. The home of the United States president was built by many hands, including those of slaves, who undertook this amazing achievement long before there were machines to do those same jobs. Stirring and emotional, Floyd Cooper's stunning illustrations bring to life the faces of those who endured hard, brutal work when the profit of their labor was paid to the master, not the slave. The fact that many were able to purchase their freedom after earning money from learning a trade speaks to the strength of those individuals. They created this iconic emblem of America, brick by brick. Includes an insightful author's note and a list of selected resources.
32 pages, Paperback
First published December 26, 2012
3 people are currently reading
392 people want to read
About the author
Charles R. Smith Jr.
46 books34 followersCharles R. Smith Jr. is an award-winning author, photographer, and poet with more than thirty books to his credit. His awards include a Coretta Scott King Award for illustration for his photographs accompanying the Langston Hughes poem "My People" and a Coretta Scott King Honor for his biography of Muhammad Ali, Twelve Rounds to Glory. He is the author of Rimshots, Hoop Kings, Hoop Queens, Tall Tales, Short Takes, Diamond Life, and I Am America. A father of three himself, Charles brings his love of basketball and baseball right down to the toddler set in Let's Play Basketball! and Let's Play Baseball! His recent work celebrates subjects he's been interested in since he was a kid, such as The Mighty 12, which honors Greek gods and goddesses. He currently lives in Poughkeepsie, NY, with his wife, Gillian, and their three kids. You can visit him online at www.charlesrsmithjr.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 100 reviews
March 29, 2013
I really didn't like this one. The rhyming text felt amateurish and almost reminiscent of Dr. Seuss without the humor, if that makes any sense. I believe a Booklist review called it "clunky". Yep. Terse. Repetitive, and not in a way that works. Like it wants to be shelved in the Easy Reader section. Just absolutely did not work for me.
I enjoyed the Author's Note more than the story. The rhyme scheme forced Smith to leave out interesting, educational details that only show up in the Note. Readers would benefit more from these details than the generalizations throughout the poetry.
Teach us about this historical event. Show us the slaves' involvement in building the People's House. And do it with wise words and lovely language, not childish rhymes. I would like to read a well-written informational book for children on this subject.
I enjoyed the Author's Note more than the story. The rhyme scheme forced Smith to leave out interesting, educational details that only show up in the Note. Readers would benefit more from these details than the generalizations throughout the poetry.
Teach us about this historical event. Show us the slaves' involvement in building the People's House. And do it with wise words and lovely language, not childish rhymes. I would like to read a well-written informational book for children on this subject.
July 29, 2013
We see pictures of the White House everyday in newspapers, magazines, on televison. We use it as a metonym when we say the White House meaning the president and/or his staff. But how often do we think about how or by whom the White House was built.
Brick by Brick is about the first White House that was built for the new president of the United States, George Washington, back in 1792. It was a big job and required a lot of workers. Local workers were hired as well as free blacks, but when that wasn't enough, slaves were used:
Black hands,
white hands,
free hands,
slave hands.
But while everyone else was paid for their labor, slaves were hired out by their masters who collected their pay and kept it for themselves:
Slave hands saw
twelve hours a day,
but slave owners take
slave hand's pay.
But as new skills are learned, some slaves were able to receive pay and to save to buy their freedom:
Slave hand build
and slave hands save
shillings to be free
and no longer a slave.
The story of the slave labor in Brick by Brick is written in sparse verse, with four lines to a stanza, repetitiously using the word slave yet it paints am incredibly vivid picture of the blood, sweat and hard work that these men and boys were forced to do by their masters. What makes this such an outstanding book is that Smith uses the names of real slaves he discovered while doing the research for Brick by Brick. In this way, he humanizes them for us, turns them into real people rather than allowing them to remain a nameless, faceless, anonymous people, easy to overlook, easy to hurt and easy forget about.
And just as Smith's words give the slaves an identity, the illustrations give them a face, making the job all the more real and the workers all the more human for the reader. The illustrations were done by Floyd Cooper, one of my favorite illustraters. Cooper's oil wash paintings, done in earth tones, makes us feel the hot sun burning down on the workers, the sweat running down their bodies, the pain in their arms and legs, the blisters and aching back and muscles that must have plagued these men and boys day in and day out.
Brick by Brick is a poignant narrative that should be read aloud to appreciate its full impact and meaning. It is a book that should not be missed by anyone interested in American history and/or African American history. Be sure to read the author's note at the back of the book that explains why slaves were used to build the White House.
This book is recommended for readers age 4+
This book was borrowed from the NYPL
This review was originally posted at Randomly Reading
Brick by Brick is about the first White House that was built for the new president of the United States, George Washington, back in 1792. It was a big job and required a lot of workers. Local workers were hired as well as free blacks, but when that wasn't enough, slaves were used:
Black hands,
white hands,
free hands,
slave hands.
But while everyone else was paid for their labor, slaves were hired out by their masters who collected their pay and kept it for themselves:
Slave hands saw
twelve hours a day,
but slave owners take
slave hand's pay.
But as new skills are learned, some slaves were able to receive pay and to save to buy their freedom:
Slave hand build
and slave hands save
shillings to be free
and no longer a slave.
The story of the slave labor in Brick by Brick is written in sparse verse, with four lines to a stanza, repetitiously using the word slave yet it paints am incredibly vivid picture of the blood, sweat and hard work that these men and boys were forced to do by their masters. What makes this such an outstanding book is that Smith uses the names of real slaves he discovered while doing the research for Brick by Brick. In this way, he humanizes them for us, turns them into real people rather than allowing them to remain a nameless, faceless, anonymous people, easy to overlook, easy to hurt and easy forget about.
And just as Smith's words give the slaves an identity, the illustrations give them a face, making the job all the more real and the workers all the more human for the reader. The illustrations were done by Floyd Cooper, one of my favorite illustraters. Cooper's oil wash paintings, done in earth tones, makes us feel the hot sun burning down on the workers, the sweat running down their bodies, the pain in their arms and legs, the blisters and aching back and muscles that must have plagued these men and boys day in and day out.
Brick by Brick is a poignant narrative that should be read aloud to appreciate its full impact and meaning. It is a book that should not be missed by anyone interested in American history and/or African American history. Be sure to read the author's note at the back of the book that explains why slaves were used to build the White House.
This book is recommended for readers age 4+
This book was borrowed from the NYPL
This review was originally posted at Randomly Reading
June 1, 2016
I had no idea that slave labor was utilized in the making and building of the white house. It's so interesting to read about how much slaves contributed to our nations capitol. I didn't really care for the poetry element, but I did like how the author focused on using the term "hand" in two different ways. One way being the physical body part and the other focusing on another name for those contributing to the labor needed to complete the project.
May 31, 2020
The White House was built by slaves just so you know. This is a great picture book that tells the process of building the President's home.
March 25, 2013
Sometimes I feel like the older I get the more interesting history becomes. Not that history, real history, wasn't always fascinating. It's just that when I was a kid you couldn't have named a subject duller. And why not? Insofar as I knew, the history taught in my schools gave me the distinct impression that America was a country forged by white people and that folks of any other race would crop up occasionally in the textbooks to be slaves or to appear in internment camps or to suffer Jim Crow. If anything came up about post-Revolutionary War America it was a pretty dry recitation of more white people doing whatever it was that they did. So for me the recent bumper crop of children's books seeking to undo some of this damage is positively heady. Whether it's works of historical fiction based in fact like Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson and Jefferson's Sons by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley, or fascinating works of nonfiction like Master George's People by Marfe Ferguson Delano, we live in an era where kids can get a fuller, if not entirely complete, look at what has typically been a whitewashed era in their history books. For the younger sorts we have, Brick by Brick, a book that shines a light on something that I'm not even sure my own second grade teacher even knew, back in the day. Doesn't hurt matters any that it's gorgeous to boot.
"Under a hazy, / hot summer sun, / many hands work / together as one." The time has come for the President of the United States of America to have a home to live in. So it is that white workers and free black workers are joined by slave labor to get the job done. In highlighting their work, poet and author Charles R. Smith Jr. focuses squarely on the hands of the laborers. Gentle rhyming text tells the tale, pulling in facts along the way. For example, we see that some of the more skilled laborers earned shillings that went towards buying their freedom. The house is built and the people look forward to a day when they won't have to be slaves any long. Some factual backmatter appears at the end.
Last year we actually saw a book that was relatively similar to this one. Called The House That George Built it was by Suzanne Slade and raised hackles on my hackles when I read it. I was fresh off having watched the HBO John Adams series and it seemed to me an utter waste that Slade would write a whole book about the construction of the White House without giving additional attention to the sheer irony inherent in the fact that its very creation rested in large part on the backs of slaves. To be fair, Slade did mention the slave workers and her book had a broader scope in mind. Still, I read it and wanted it to be something else. And the something else I wanted, as it turned out, was Brick by Brick. I just didn't know it yet.
Smith's poetry sometimes stands second to his writing, if that makes any sense. He's a great writer. Knows precisely what to highlight and how to highlight it. But I think it was the Booklist review of this title that mentioned that the rhythm sometimes feels "clunky, and the slant rhyme feels unintentional". This is not untrue., though to be honest I had no trouble with the rhythm myeslf. But there are times when you're not quite sure what Smith is going after. For example, there are two lists of names in the book. The first time you read the list, the slant rhyme works ("Len" and "Jim"). The second time you can't help but wonder if it was supposed to rhyme at all ("Moses" and "Thomas"). That said, let's get back to that writing, eh? Listen to this section:
"Chiseling, carving,
and transporting stone,
slave hands ache,
dark skin to white bone."
Now that is down and out beautiful. It really is. Dark skin to white bone. And the book is just chock full of little lines like that. This is what sets "Brick by Brick" apart from a lot of nonfiction fare for younger kids. Why can't children get their facts wrapped up in beautiful packaging? Why can't something be both accurate and poetic? As a work of nonfiction, there is sadly little backmatter to be had. Smith doesn't offer much more than a well-put answer to the question "Why Were Slaves Used to Build the White House?" He makes it clear that the house they built burned down in 1814, but that the contribution remains memorable. And he includes three Selected Resources, though sadly they all appear to be intended for adults. It would be nice if there had been something there specifically for children. Still, you go with what you've got.
And though it sounds odd, I cannot help but praise the author for not ending the book with Barack Obama. Don't get me wrong, I'm perfectly happy with most nonfiction works for children bringing the man up. But as I neared the book's end I had to swallow my sense of dread. A shot of the White House today with Obama and his family would feel forced and obvious if it were just stuck in there. Sure, it would drill home the point of the book on a certain level but (A) the White House that Barack lives in is not the same as the White House built by the slaves and (B) do you really want an author to just shoehorn in someone contemporary when the entire focus until that point was squarely on the past? More to the point, Smith is not inclined to hammer home points above and beyond the facts. He doesn't go on at length about what the White House would have symbolized (or not) to the slave laborers. He lets the facts stand on their own merit, and if there are connections to be drawn that is up to the teachers and the kid readers themselves.
Floyd Cooper likes the color brown. He's quite partial to it. If you yourself are not a fan of the color brown, I suspect that perhaps Cooper's style may not be to your liking. But for those of us that consider his work a step above mere sepia, Cooper gives readers a chance to feel as though they are peering at actual historical scenes through the foggy lens of history. I've always enjoyed the sheer beauty of a Cooper book but with Brick by Brick I found myself admiring his faces more than usual. If Smith's text gives life to the long dead, Cooper gives those same dead their humanity. In him the faceless acquire faces. There's a spread early on where the workers look at the reader dead on with mixed expressions. Front and center is a boy, not much older than the kids who would be reading this book, wearing a white shirt that with a little choice hemming would not be out of place today. This kid is there to give the child reader a chance to look and maybe realize that history is a bit closer than they may think.
As for the faces themselves, Cooper gives fellow illustrators like Kadir Nelson a run for their money. These are people who have worked their entire lives. One wonders where he pulled these faces from. They're not the folks you would necessarily pass on the street. There's toil in the lines of their foreheads. There's something in their eyes. It's unique. In terms of accuracy, I cannot say whether or not the image of the White House that appears here (that looks very much like today's White House) is an accurate depiction of the building that burned. All I can say is that Cooper's work on this book looks great. It's brown, but you won't mind. Not a jot.
It's baffling to think that a book on this topic hasn't really been written for children before. There's the aforementioned Slade title but a book that considers the contributions of slaves to the most famous house in America should unquestionably be everywhere. How to account for Smith's as the first? You can't. All you can do is be grateful that the book is as good as it is. With a plain purpose and no folderols or frippery to muck up the history, Smith and Cooper have crafted a work of nonfiction that might actually be interesting to those small fry forced to sit through a recitation of late 18th-century highlights. Beautiful in every which way, it's a gross understatement to call this book long overdue. Call it necessary reading instead. For every library, everywhere.
For ages 4-8.
"Under a hazy, / hot summer sun, / many hands work / together as one." The time has come for the President of the United States of America to have a home to live in. So it is that white workers and free black workers are joined by slave labor to get the job done. In highlighting their work, poet and author Charles R. Smith Jr. focuses squarely on the hands of the laborers. Gentle rhyming text tells the tale, pulling in facts along the way. For example, we see that some of the more skilled laborers earned shillings that went towards buying their freedom. The house is built and the people look forward to a day when they won't have to be slaves any long. Some factual backmatter appears at the end.
Last year we actually saw a book that was relatively similar to this one. Called The House That George Built it was by Suzanne Slade and raised hackles on my hackles when I read it. I was fresh off having watched the HBO John Adams series and it seemed to me an utter waste that Slade would write a whole book about the construction of the White House without giving additional attention to the sheer irony inherent in the fact that its very creation rested in large part on the backs of slaves. To be fair, Slade did mention the slave workers and her book had a broader scope in mind. Still, I read it and wanted it to be something else. And the something else I wanted, as it turned out, was Brick by Brick. I just didn't know it yet.
Smith's poetry sometimes stands second to his writing, if that makes any sense. He's a great writer. Knows precisely what to highlight and how to highlight it. But I think it was the Booklist review of this title that mentioned that the rhythm sometimes feels "clunky, and the slant rhyme feels unintentional". This is not untrue., though to be honest I had no trouble with the rhythm myeslf. But there are times when you're not quite sure what Smith is going after. For example, there are two lists of names in the book. The first time you read the list, the slant rhyme works ("Len" and "Jim"). The second time you can't help but wonder if it was supposed to rhyme at all ("Moses" and "Thomas"). That said, let's get back to that writing, eh? Listen to this section:
"Chiseling, carving,
and transporting stone,
slave hands ache,
dark skin to white bone."
Now that is down and out beautiful. It really is. Dark skin to white bone. And the book is just chock full of little lines like that. This is what sets "Brick by Brick" apart from a lot of nonfiction fare for younger kids. Why can't children get their facts wrapped up in beautiful packaging? Why can't something be both accurate and poetic? As a work of nonfiction, there is sadly little backmatter to be had. Smith doesn't offer much more than a well-put answer to the question "Why Were Slaves Used to Build the White House?" He makes it clear that the house they built burned down in 1814, but that the contribution remains memorable. And he includes three Selected Resources, though sadly they all appear to be intended for adults. It would be nice if there had been something there specifically for children. Still, you go with what you've got.
And though it sounds odd, I cannot help but praise the author for not ending the book with Barack Obama. Don't get me wrong, I'm perfectly happy with most nonfiction works for children bringing the man up. But as I neared the book's end I had to swallow my sense of dread. A shot of the White House today with Obama and his family would feel forced and obvious if it were just stuck in there. Sure, it would drill home the point of the book on a certain level but (A) the White House that Barack lives in is not the same as the White House built by the slaves and (B) do you really want an author to just shoehorn in someone contemporary when the entire focus until that point was squarely on the past? More to the point, Smith is not inclined to hammer home points above and beyond the facts. He doesn't go on at length about what the White House would have symbolized (or not) to the slave laborers. He lets the facts stand on their own merit, and if there are connections to be drawn that is up to the teachers and the kid readers themselves.
Floyd Cooper likes the color brown. He's quite partial to it. If you yourself are not a fan of the color brown, I suspect that perhaps Cooper's style may not be to your liking. But for those of us that consider his work a step above mere sepia, Cooper gives readers a chance to feel as though they are peering at actual historical scenes through the foggy lens of history. I've always enjoyed the sheer beauty of a Cooper book but with Brick by Brick I found myself admiring his faces more than usual. If Smith's text gives life to the long dead, Cooper gives those same dead their humanity. In him the faceless acquire faces. There's a spread early on where the workers look at the reader dead on with mixed expressions. Front and center is a boy, not much older than the kids who would be reading this book, wearing a white shirt that with a little choice hemming would not be out of place today. This kid is there to give the child reader a chance to look and maybe realize that history is a bit closer than they may think.
As for the faces themselves, Cooper gives fellow illustrators like Kadir Nelson a run for their money. These are people who have worked their entire lives. One wonders where he pulled these faces from. They're not the folks you would necessarily pass on the street. There's toil in the lines of their foreheads. There's something in their eyes. It's unique. In terms of accuracy, I cannot say whether or not the image of the White House that appears here (that looks very much like today's White House) is an accurate depiction of the building that burned. All I can say is that Cooper's work on this book looks great. It's brown, but you won't mind. Not a jot.
It's baffling to think that a book on this topic hasn't really been written for children before. There's the aforementioned Slade title but a book that considers the contributions of slaves to the most famous house in America should unquestionably be everywhere. How to account for Smith's as the first? You can't. All you can do is be grateful that the book is as good as it is. With a plain purpose and no folderols or frippery to muck up the history, Smith and Cooper have crafted a work of nonfiction that might actually be interesting to those small fry forced to sit through a recitation of late 18th-century highlights. Beautiful in every which way, it's a gross understatement to call this book long overdue. Call it necessary reading instead. For every library, everywhere.
For ages 4-8.
February 15, 2020
This is a kick in the teeth. White hands, blacks working together on the first page then what slavery is kicks in - equal or harder work only to see your pay go to an overseer w/uncalloused hands. This would be a great read aloud, but i don't know how i could keep from crying in shame or having anger in my voice.
The art is Floyd Cooper, everything he does could be hung in a gallery.
The art is Floyd Cooper, everything he does could be hung in a gallery.
June 29, 2017
The poetry writing was unexpected but I still liked it. It made the book story time friendly. I would recommend this for older children, around 6 or 7. It's a great conversation starter between children and adults on the subject.
January 19, 2022
I think that almost everyone has seen the White House - in a book, in person, on TV or the internet - but have you ever wondered how it was built? Would it surprise you to learn that slaves were used to build the original White House? When the house was built, there was no huge city of Washington, DC surrounding it. Trees needed to be cleared and cut, stone quarried, bricks built and laid. That needed a lot of people. Immigrants and free blacks were hired but that was not enough. So slave owners were asked to rent out their slaves as property to do the work. Twelve hours a day. Seven days a week. With no pay.
There is a note of hopefulness to this story - slaves did learn skills such as cabinet making and carpentry - that later allowed them to earn money that might, some day, pay for their freedom. Brick by brick.
Floyd Cooper's illustrations are, as always, amazing. The greedy slave owners, counting their money contrasted with the small children forced to make bricks every day and the end picture of raising the flag over the building tell a story all on their own.
I also think it is important to note the original White House was burned by the British in 1814. A large portion was destroyed but was rebuilt in the same spot using the same foundation.
There is a note of hopefulness to this story - slaves did learn skills such as cabinet making and carpentry - that later allowed them to earn money that might, some day, pay for their freedom. Brick by brick.
Floyd Cooper's illustrations are, as always, amazing. The greedy slave owners, counting their money contrasted with the small children forced to make bricks every day and the end picture of raising the flag over the building tell a story all on their own.
I also think it is important to note the original White House was burned by the British in 1814. A large portion was destroyed but was rebuilt in the same spot using the same foundation.
September 12, 2017
This book gave me goosebumps and is required reading.
February 23, 2013
The original White House in Washington, D.C. was built in the 1790s with the help of slaves rented from nearby plantations. The irony of the Founding Fathers who, in search of liberty and justice for all, utilized slaves to achieve it, is a subtle undercurrent in this poetic history of the construction of the new symbol of Free America.
Smith uses rhythmic repetition that focuses on the hard tasks of mixing mortar and spreading it; chiseling, carving, and transporting stone; and bleeding and blistering under a hot son.
Perhaps the best part of this book is the way the author’s fierce passion for justice is evinced by his recitation of the names of some of these slaves, names which he uncovered in his research for the book. By giving them identities, he turns them from faceless slaves into real people, whose descendants would go on not only to gain their freedom, but even to see Michelle Obama, a descendant of slaves like them, occupy the White House with her husband.
Illustrator Floyd Cooper (like the author, a Coretta Scott King Award winner) captures the mood of the book perfectly in oil-wash paintings that emphasize the brown tone of the work site, and almost bring to mind the story of the Exodus, with slaves working in the desert to build the pyramids.
In an afterward, Smith shares some of what he learned in his research about the building of the first White House, and includes a list of selected resources.
Evaluation: This book is meant for children 5-8, but I think children will appreciate having a parent co-reader answer the questions they may have about this very different era in our history. After a first "explanatory" reading though, I imagine children will want to return to this book repeatedly. It offers mesmerizing pictures and a compelling story about a symbol of America children will undoubtedly recognize.
Smith uses rhythmic repetition that focuses on the hard tasks of mixing mortar and spreading it; chiseling, carving, and transporting stone; and bleeding and blistering under a hot son.
Up, down, push, pull
two men per pit saw,
spraying sawdust
until slave hands are raw."
Perhaps the best part of this book is the way the author’s fierce passion for justice is evinced by his recitation of the names of some of these slaves, names which he uncovered in his research for the book. By giving them identities, he turns them from faceless slaves into real people, whose descendants would go on not only to gain their freedom, but even to see Michelle Obama, a descendant of slaves like them, occupy the White House with her husband.
Illustrator Floyd Cooper (like the author, a Coretta Scott King Award winner) captures the mood of the book perfectly in oil-wash paintings that emphasize the brown tone of the work site, and almost bring to mind the story of the Exodus, with slaves working in the desert to build the pyramids.
In an afterward, Smith shares some of what he learned in his research about the building of the first White House, and includes a list of selected resources.
Evaluation: This book is meant for children 5-8, but I think children will appreciate having a parent co-reader answer the questions they may have about this very different era in our history. After a first "explanatory" reading though, I imagine children will want to return to this book repeatedly. It offers mesmerizing pictures and a compelling story about a symbol of America children will undoubtedly recognize.
picture-books
February 10, 2016I found this thanks to a list of "Better Books About Slavery" that was released after the A Birthday Cake for George Washington brouhaha. This book was powerful, and the illustrations luminous. And though the text was simple enough for younger kids, I wouldn't read it with a young crowd. I think this could be a great addition to a 3rd-5th grade class discussion about the founding of America and how a large part of our history was built on the backs of slaves.
February 2, 2013
With rhyming verse and moving illustrations, Smith and Cooper tell the story of how slaves were brought in to help construct the White House as a home for the president of our new country. The illustrations and rhythmic text convey the toil and struggle these men endured, but the overall tone balances these hardships with the pride workers felt and the skills they gained. "Month by month, / slave hands toil, / planting seeds of freedom / in fertile soil."
April 20, 2013
I am ashamed that I never really thought about who built The White House. This beautifully illustrated book, written in poetic form, does a wonderful job of describing how The White House was built using slaves.
February 21, 2020
I picked this book to read because it is about a great structure my students are often interested in. It brought about a whole different conversation though! We had just read a book from a series called Girls in Science and my students asked why they always write about girls in science and math. I told them that girls used to never go into jobs for people good at math and science. We started talking about lots of other things girls also used to not be able to do. They asked why it was this way and I said, "I don't know, but one day someone asked the same question. They said why is it this way? This is dumb." Because of this, people started changing what they thought girls and women could do. Then I told them, "If you think girls had it bad, you should read this story!" We had a very interesting discussion about racism, slavery and the history of it all. At the end of the book, it says that the British burned down the first White House. I told them that this was before Canada was a country and so it was the people who lived in Canada before it was formed that burnt down the White House. That brought about another interesting discussion on politics and working well together and more. What a great discussion. One student said, "This is why I love reading so much! This is so interesting."
I agree my dear student. I agree!
I agree my dear student. I agree!
June 1, 2017
This book is an interesting account of the building of the original White House for our nations first president - George Washington. In 1792, Washington D.C. was in the middle of nowhere. A forest had to be cleared, and it took a whole lot of manpower to build the house and create all of its intricate details. Local white workers, immigrants from Scotland, free black people, and even slaves were put to work building this enormous home. The really neat thing about this story is that the slaves learned trades from the skilled immigrants, which would allow the slaves to earn outside money and eventually, buy their own freedom.
I really enjoyed this book. The illustrations were gorgeous! The story was one I'd never heard before. It is an important piece of history.
This book could be used as a read aloud for grades K-4. I'm not sure if the Kinders would grasp the slavery concept, but it would be a great introduction to history for them. With the other grades, I'd discuss learning a skill, slavery, teamwork, and unity. I'd also create a slideshow of the interior of the White House, so students could see the intricate details created by the craftsmen.
I really enjoyed this book. The illustrations were gorgeous! The story was one I'd never heard before. It is an important piece of history.
This book could be used as a read aloud for grades K-4. I'm not sure if the Kinders would grasp the slavery concept, but it would be a great introduction to history for them. With the other grades, I'd discuss learning a skill, slavery, teamwork, and unity. I'd also create a slideshow of the interior of the White House, so students could see the intricate details created by the craftsmen.
August 31, 2019
This book does a great job explaining how slavery literally built America, and in an accessible way for young learners. I appreciate so much how the author showed the enslaved people working for almost no money, just to buy their freedom. It also shows how America belongs to Black Americans just as much as the rest of us, because enslaved Black Americans literally built the White House.
I read this book to my third graders for Presidents' Day, after my school librarian shared a book about how George Washington built the White House. I noticed such a lack of Black faces in that book, while it praised Washington, that I had to correct the course. So I picked this book to read and explain to my students how actually, Washington didn't build the White House, and that he himself was an enslaver.
Highly, highly recommend this book as a great read-aloud and discussion starter for elementary-aged children. I appreciate how it depicts slavery in an age-appropriate way (no discussion of rape or violence) while still showing the horrors of forced labor.
I read this book to my third graders for Presidents' Day, after my school librarian shared a book about how George Washington built the White House. I noticed such a lack of Black faces in that book, while it praised Washington, that I had to correct the course. So I picked this book to read and explain to my students how actually, Washington didn't build the White House, and that he himself was an enslaver.
Highly, highly recommend this book as a great read-aloud and discussion starter for elementary-aged children. I appreciate how it depicts slavery in an age-appropriate way (no discussion of rape or violence) while still showing the horrors of forced labor.
April 10, 2020
This book is written and illustrated by Coretta Scott King Award winners Charles R. Smith and Floyd Cooper. I thought this book was interesting because how the white house was built is something we don't think about. This book was brought to life by these wonderful writers. In school we never were taught how the white house was built but it was built by slaves brick by brick. There was no great machines back then to do all the work but was done by hand by slaves. This is based on a true story of how we have our white house today. This would be a greatly entertaining book for teaching our unit about the civil war and slavery. It was built in 1792. I thought the author could've gave more of a point of view through a strong character. I thought that could've made the story better and more personable to the reader.
March 31, 2019
“The President of a new country needs a new home,
So many hands work together as one.”
When there weren’t enough other workers for this massive job, the government paid slaveowners $5 a month per slave to “rent” them. This poetic account of this time in our history shows the irony of building this building, the center of our Democracy, using workers who didn’t have a choice whether or not to be there and did not get paid. “Slave hands saw twelve hours a day, but slave owner’s take slave hand’s pay.” However, those who did some of the skilled labor did receive a small amount of money for their service and a chance to pay for their freedom one day.
Includes an author’s note and selected resources.
So many hands work together as one.”
When there weren’t enough other workers for this massive job, the government paid slaveowners $5 a month per slave to “rent” them. This poetic account of this time in our history shows the irony of building this building, the center of our Democracy, using workers who didn’t have a choice whether or not to be there and did not get paid. “Slave hands saw twelve hours a day, but slave owner’s take slave hand’s pay.” However, those who did some of the skilled labor did receive a small amount of money for their service and a chance to pay for their freedom one day.
Includes an author’s note and selected resources.
February 20, 2018
I think that the older I get, the more I realize how interesting (and important) it is to know our history, even the parts that don’t sit well with my own soul. This book is an incredible blending of text and illustration that brings to light the literal building up of our country on the backs and in the hands of slaves as they built the first White House from the ground up, with no recompense for their work. Something I am sad to say I knew very little about until I read this book. Once again I find myself immensely grateful for the work of children’s authors and illustrators who prove over and over that children’s lit isn’t just for children.
Read
February 22, 2022 Brick by Brick opens as George Washington looks out at the area where the White House would be built. There's a distinct focus on the enslaved laborers in both the words and images, with only a few pages in which white overseers and enslavers are seen getting paid for others' work. Smith repeats phrases, giving the words a rhyming quality and emphasizing key points. The grainy chalk/pastel illustrations give the book an old-fashioned feel. The last page shows a Black family watching the US flag rises over the White House, symbols of this country raised by the people who put in the labor to literally and figuratively build it.
September 29, 2021
The story repeatedly says that the slaves worked, but the owners got paid. But then says that the slaves earned their freedom and doesn't really explain how that was possible if the money they worked for was the owners.
I'll agree with the other reviewer who said the end note had better information than the text in the book.
I wondered when reading if the list of names included are really the names of people who worked? Or just representative names? I couldn't find anything that says.
The rhythm and rhyme of the text didn't work for me.
I'll agree with the other reviewer who said the end note had better information than the text in the book.
I wondered when reading if the list of names included are really the names of people who worked? Or just representative names? I couldn't find anything that says.
The rhythm and rhyme of the text didn't work for me.
October 22, 2017
An excellent, over-sized picture book with rhyming texts that depicts the relentless overworking of slaves in the building of the White House, which began in 1792. I see it as a good introduction to this whole issue of slavery for the youngest readers. It's a book parents should read with their children. The artwork in subdued tints is created in double spreads which bleed off each page. The rendering of hands is most apropos for the text.
January 27, 2019
1/26/2019 ~ One of those books to read multiple times. The story of slaves' role in building the White House, home of the U.S. president and seat of the government. This tale also includes the less thought of aspect of the slaves' toil: that they learned important trade skills from highly trained European crafts people and were then, in some cases, able to earn money later to purchase their own freedom.
April 19, 2021
This book teaches us something a lot of people don't know about how the White House was built. The book is written by a African American author. It shows how it was built by slaves brick by brick. There was no machines back then to do all the work but was done by hand by slaves. This book is perfect for a unit on civil war and slavery. It shows the history of the United States and African Americans. The story I wish was more personable with the characters.
October 13, 2017
Building the White House, Washington D.C., slavery, slaves, African-American history, poetry.
Previewed this book but didn't work for inclusion in my class. Written in verse which was clunky when I read it aloud and not enough information for my use. I decided to just read the Author's Note at the end. Too bad because this is a story that should be widely known.
Previewed this book but didn't work for inclusion in my class. Written in verse which was clunky when I read it aloud and not enough information for my use. I decided to just read the Author's Note at the end. Too bad because this is a story that should be widely known.
Read
November 21, 2019This is a great poetry book that gives the story of slaves that built the white house and the pain and suffering they went through building the white house "brick by brick" to earn their freedom. I would read this to 3rd-8th grade because the message is deeper and takes some conceptual thinking to understand.
December 3, 2018
Genre: Historical Fiction
Grade Level: 3-5
This is a great story. It tells of how men bought their freedom by working hard. I think it can be used as a great teaching tool. There is also some rhythm which makes it interesting for students to read and enjoy.
Grade Level: 3-5
This is a great story. It tells of how men bought their freedom by working hard. I think it can be used as a great teaching tool. There is also some rhythm which makes it interesting for students to read and enjoy.
August 12, 2023
I didn’t like the flow of the text, but the story is powerful. The illustrations are wonderful, so much detail and emotion. The history included at the back of the book is helpful and interesting…AND heartbreaking.
August 27, 2017
Nice introduction but very basic. Good for kinder to 2nd grade.
January 18, 2019
A great picture book for “Again and Again”...signpost
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