Module 3: They Were Strong and Good

APA Reference of Book: Lawson, R. (1940). They were strong and good. New York, NY: Viking Press.

Book Summary: The narrator tells the story of his parents and grandparents and how it represents the family tree history of Americans in general. His intention is to instill a sense of pride in Americans for their country, their family heritage, and history. Each page features detailed full page ink illustrations depicting how his parents and grandparents met their spouses and made a living. For example, his maternal grandfather was a Scotch sea captain who met his wife, the narrator’s maternal grandmother, at a wharf in New Jersey. The narrator’s father joined the army during the Civil War and met his wife, the narrator’s mother, when he moved up North to New York to make a living after the war.

Impressions: The illustrations are excellent even though they are not colored. There is so much detail, including shadows, textures of clothing, and wisps of hair. The story shows how complex and interconnected a family tree is and how rich with history it is. I liked seeing the historical aspects of the story (Civil War, a Minnesota town with Native Americans, etc.) and the cultural backgrounds of the characters (Southern preacher, Scottish sea captain, etc.). It really made the characters’ life stories seem realistic. My only concern is that some readers, especially the parents of children who will read the book to their child, will find that some aspects are offensive and racist, such as depictions of dark faced “Negroe” slaves, as well as Native American Indians being chased away because they intruded into someone’s home for some food.

Professional Review: “In this title, brief historical vignettes of the author- illustrator's family are meant to show the lives of ordinary Americans of past generations. Robert Lawson is the only person who has won both a Caldecott Medal and a Newbery Medal (for Rabbit Hill, in 1945). But he is best remembered, however, not for either of these books but as the illustrator of The Story of Ferdinand, published in 1936, a year before the Caldecott Medal was established. He employed the same technique for They Were Strong and Good that he had perfected for Ferdinand, using a fine-line brush and black tempera to create the portraits of his parents and grandparents in his telling of his own family's history. Unfortunately, his depictions of Native Americans and African Americans in both the text and illustrations are extremely dated - even a slight revision to the text in 1969, beginning with the sixteenth printing, couldn't save it from justifiable obscurity. (See the classroom activities below for discussion ideas with older students about the dated depictions.) Lawson used vertical lines in his human figures to give a sense of pride and formality, and diagonal lines to depict action. His illustrations also provide an excellent example of the use of cross-hatching to create contrasts and texture.”

Horning, K. (2012). They were strong and good [Review of the book They were strong and good, by R. Lawson]. Book Links, 22(2), 12. Retrieved from https://libproxy.library.unt.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/1146268908?accountid=7113

Library Uses: Help children construct their own family tree on poster board. It can be as simple or as complex as they want it to be. They can draw pictures of each family member or use stickers to represent each relative.