Francie Latour
Pictures by Ken Daley
Haitian heroes: Catherine Flon (top); Sanité Bélair (bottom); Jean-Jacques Dessalines (far right, top); Toussaint Louverture (far right, bottom).
The art was render ed in acrylic on illustration board. Design b y Michael Solomon.
No part of this publication may be reproduc ed in whole or in part, or stor ed in a retriev al syst em, or transmitt ed in any form or by any means , electr onic, mechanical, photocopying , recording , or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher . For information regar ding permission, write to Groundw ood Books, 128 St er ling Road, L ower L ev el, Toronto , ON M6R 2B7.
Text copyright © 2018 b y F rancie L atour. Illustrations copyright © 2018 b y K en D aley.
All rights reserv ed. Published b y Scholastic Inc., 557 Br oadway , New Yor k, NY 10012, b y arrangement with Gr oundw ood Books. Print ed in the U .S.A.
ISBN-1 3: 97 8-1-338-57121-9 ISBN-10: 1-3 38-57121-4
SCHOLASTIC and associat ed logos are trademarks and/or register ed trademarks of Scholastic Inc.
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Scholastic Inc., 557 Br oadway , N ew Yor k, NY 10012
To m y three lo ves , m y lit tle people gro wing so fast — Owen Sky, Riley R ose and L eo Sat chel. H aiti belongs to y ou, too . FL
To m y niec e V ada. KD
AUNTIE
LUCE’S TALKING
PAINTINGS
Francie Latour Pictures by Ken Daley
SCHOLASTIC INC.
I n m y mother ’s bedroom, behind the family pictures and the jar that holds her wedding-day fl wers , a painting sits on a shelf . It’s a painting of me, my eyes almost closed, like I’m dreaming . M y br aids hang lik e coal-color ed ropes . My face fill the fr ame, so big and so close that if you look long enoug h, it starts to look lik e a whole land — brown hills melting int o yellow valleys melting int o r ed riverbeds , and even the riv ers’ silver lig ht, running smooth over the rocks.
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When I think back to the firs time m y auntie Luc e paint ed me, I lose m yself in the memor y of people and places she brings to lif e with her brushes — fortresses in hig h cliff and crayon-color ed boats b y the sea, gingerbr ead houses , and coconuts pok ed with straws for coconut water . When I want to hear the stories of H aiti, the place where m y mother was born, I talk to Auntie Luc e’s paintings . The paintings always talk back.
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H “[T]he illustrator’s Afro-Caribbean roots amplify the love song the Haitian American author has composed to Haiti. …An excellent selection for exploring deep connections to Haiti through love, family, history, and art.” — School Library Journal , starred review
“Th ough Auntie Luce’s story, Latour has painted a vivid, authentic and beautifully lush tapestry of Haiti.” — Ibi Zoboi, National Book Award Finalist, author of American Street “ Auntie Luce’s Talking Paintings is a stunningly beautiful book inspired by one of Haiti’s greatest artists, Luce Turnier. Gorgeously written and exquisitely illustrated, the words and images are as vibrant and poetic as the life and work of this incredible artist as seen through the eyes of the writer she has moved and inspired.” — Edwidge Danticat, winner of the Neustadt International Prize for Literature, author of Breath, Eyes, Memory ; Untwine and Mama’s Nightingale: A Story of Immigration and Separation
“A rich, authentic guide on how to pass on one’s culture and heritage to the next generation …Ken Daley creates a perfect window into the world of Haiti as seen through the eyes of a Haitian- American girl — a wor ld far diff erent from the Haiti others tend to see.” H “Young readers will enjoy how Latour and Daley celebrate Haitian history and culture through this lovely, artistic story.” — Kirkus , starred review
— Eric Velasquez, Walter Dean Myers Award-winning illustrator of Schomburg: The Man Who Built a Library
This edition is only available for distribution through the school market.
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