Parents' Guide to Go Forth and Tell: The Life of Augusta Baker, Librarian and Master Storyteller

Book Breanna J. McDaniel Picture Book 2024
Go Forth and Tell book cover: Older Black American woman towers over a town with large hands, holding a stack of books, while looking to the sky

Common Sense Media Review

Diondra K. Brown By Diondra K. Brown , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 5+

Beautiful story about a hidden figure in Black history.

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What's the Story?

GO FORTH AND TELL takes readers on a journey about the power of sharing authentic stories. As a young child, Augusta became fixated on the magic of storytelling and the way words could be woven together to transport the listener. She decided to go to school to help others travel through time and space in stories as well. After becoming the first Black person to earn a degree in library sciences and information studies, Augusta established and curated the James Weldon Johnson Memorial collection at the 135th Street branch of the New York Public Library in Harlem, so that Black children could see positive representation of their lives in books. This encouraged future writers James Baldwin and Audre Lorde. She served in different positions throughout the United States—breaking barriers and paving the way for diverse storytelling everywhere she went. She left a great legacy for those who followed in her path.

Is It Any Good?

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Kids say : Not yet rated

This lesser-known though still remarkable figure of Black history is given a meaningful tribute in this beautiful picture book. Go Forth and Tell renders Augusta Baker's powerful, change-making life in clear text and rich, dimensional, collage-like images, which readers will want to reach out and touch. Baker's call for authentic representation in storytelling, as well as her elevation of libraries as community-building spaces, may inspire young readers to value these things, too. The timely messages are sure to engage.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how, in Go Forth and Tell, Augusta Baker recognized the power of communication and storytelling from a young age. Which kind of stories are your favorite? What facts, lessons, or stories do your favorite books communicate to readers?

  • Did you know who Augusta Baker was before reading this book? What are three new things you learned about her? Share this book with your librarian—they might not know Augusta Baker's story.

  • In the 1950s, why were there hardly any books with Black people in them, in public libraries?

Book Details

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Go Forth and Tell book cover: Older Black American woman towers over a town with large hands, holding a stack of books, while looking to the sky

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