Common Sense Media Review
By Terreece Clarke
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Inspiring tale of enslaved workers building the White House.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 4+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
In 1792, a young country still recovering from the Revolutionary War cannot find enough laborers to build its new seat of power. It turns to society's bottom rung, its enslaved people, to complete the task. Craftspeople teach them trades such as carpentry and cabinet making -- skills these workers can use to earn money to buy their freedom. While stirring emotions about the institution of slavery, BRICK BY BRICK also points to slavery's role in America's economy at that time.
Is It Any Good?
Brick by Brick is an inspiring story of perseverance, heartache, and hope told in simple, rhythmic, rhyming verse that echoes the Negro spirituals of the era. Author Charles R. Smith Jr. exposes the heartache and irony of a society that compels one group into forced labor while honing its founding ideals of freedom.
Floyd Cooper's evocative oil-wash paintings in a mostly brown-and-white palette have an emotional richness that draws readers of all ages into the story and offers plenty of opportunity for discussion. The book wisely focuses on this history of enslaved Black people as a part of the creation of America rather than as a separate history. The enslaved workers' struggles, pain, and oppression are an American tale of struggle, pain, and oppression.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how the movie versions of slavery compare with written accounts. Have you ever seen movies or read other books about slavery?
What can you learn from the pictures in the book? Can you imagine how the laborers felt?
How do you feel after learning that enslaved Black workers built the White House, where eventually a Black president would live? What does that say about our country?
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : Floyd Cooper
- Genre : History
- Topics : History
- Book type : Non-Fiction
- Publisher : Amistad
- Publication date : December 26, 2012
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 4 - 8
- Number of pages : 32
- Available on : Hardback
- Last updated : December 3, 2025
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