At the time Barack rolled off the press in fall 2008, the world knew Barack Obama as the Democratic Party presidential nominee. The election had not taken place, yet history already had been made by the then-U.S. Senator from Illinois, who was chosen as the first black presidential nominee for a major U.S. political party.
Barack: The Storyline
As many around the world asked, “Who is Barack Obama?” writers and pundits scrambled to respond. Jonah Winter and A.G. Ford collaborate to provide an answer to children from preschool through age 8. The result is an inspirational narrative – punctuated with vibrant, lifelike paintings – that tells Obama’s unique life story.
The tale begins with an account of Obama’s ethnic background and birth as the biracial child of a Caucasian woman from Kansas and an African father. The story details Obama’s childhood moves from the U.S. to Indonesia and back. It also explains Obama’s return to his birthplace – Hawaii – and the loving upbringing provided by his grandparents.
The young Obama questions his identity and sometimes feels out of place. As he grows into a teenager, the would-be president continues to ask, “Where do I belong?” and “Who am I?”. These questions persist throughout his college days and early career. It is at Trinity Church, Winter writes, that Obama finally resolves those questions: “And there, swept up in the waves of their singing, with tears on his cheeks, he knew why he was there. He knew who he was, and he knew where he belonged.”
Obama’s Passion
The book highlights Obama’s passion to help others, as well as his embodiment of Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream in a country with a deep-rooted history of slavery and racism. Specifically, the book mentions Obama’s rousing campaign speech in Birmingham, Ala., once a hotbed of racial inequality until the civil rights movement of the 1960s. This rally inspired award-winning author Winter to pen Barack.
The Book’s Lessons
Those who hope Barack will inspire children to get excited about politics likely will come away disappointed. This account mostly focuses on Obama’s quest for his identity. Ultimately, the answers would lead him to a successful calling in community and public service.
Winter packs a wealth of lessons into the book. Very much a “feel-good read,” Barack teaches children from preschool through second grade they can attain their dreams, even those that seem insurmountable. Additionally, the book conveys that it’s essential to love yourself in order for others to love you.
This engaging story provides children and adults who read to them an opportunity to learn more about America’s most famous biracial citizen, who often felt confused as a child. Jonah writes: “Barack’s mother was Caucasian. His father was African. So what did that make Barack?”. Youngsters of all racial and ethnic backgrounds – especially mixed-race children – will find comfort in the book’s message that it’s OK to wonder, “Who am I?” and “Where do I belong?”.
A Deeper Look Inside Obama’s Early Years
Barack features vivid, realistic paintings by Ford. Children who can’t yet read all the words will enjoy perusing the book alone. Barack is filled with brush-stroked snapshots of Obama’s life from birth through his campaign for the Democratic Party’s nomination.
More than a picture book, Barack provides a glimpse of the sadness Obama experienced early in life due to the absence of his father and the poverty he witnessed in Indonesia. Overall, the book celebrates Obama’s journey in a positive way and serves as a tribute to the 44th president of the United States.
Barack (ISBN: 978-0-06-170392-8)
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