Shortlisted for the 2011 Golden Oak Award Shortlisted for the 2010 & 2011 Hackmatack Award
The children of Africville, Nova Scotia, lived in a special community where everyone knew their neighbours, and all helped and cared for each other. It was the perfect place for children to play and grow up...before it was torn down and its families were forcibly "relocated."
"The Children of Africville" is the remarkable story of these children during the community's final years. Full of photographs and stories from Africville people, this book is an important celebration of Nova Scotia black history, its vibrant community, and the children who lived there.
This was a quick read. I didn’t readily recognize it as a children’s book when I saw it on display at the library. (Though it isn't for very young children; maybe for early teens). It is a colourful book full of information with accompanying photos (mostly from the 1950s/early 60s.) I had visited Nova Scotia many years ago and hadn’t heard about Africville until a few years after that, and so was curious to find out more about it. I was unaware just how long ago it had been dismantled, and its people relocated. So, this short book did explain a few things. I found its contents yet another sad commentary on how people treat one another, but also an example of resilience despite injustice.
I was impressed by this book. This was a part of Canadian history that I had known nothing about before. The history of the black settlements in Nova Scotia is one that more Canadians should be aware of.