I Have Heard of a Land

by Joyce Carol Thomas, Floyd Cooper (Illustrator)

Overview

This "lyrical tribute to the pioneer spirit"* from an acclaimed author-artist team "is a powerful tribute to the African-American pioneers who participated in the Oklahoma land runs"** and was recognized as a Coretta Scott King Honor Book.

In the late 1880s, signs went up all around America: land was free in the Oklahoma territory. And it was free to everyone: Whites, Blacks, men and women alike. All one needed to stake a claim was hope and courage, strength and perseverance. Thousands of pioneers, many of them African-Americans newly freed from being enslaved, headed west to carve out a new life in the Oklahoma soil.

Drawing on her own family history, National Book Award winner Joyce Carol Thomas has crafted an unforgettable anthem to these brave and determned people. Richly illustrated by Coretta Scott King Award honoree Floyd Cooper, I Have Heard of a Land is a glorious tribute to the Afrian-American pioneer spirit.

"Thomas and Cooper both have their roots in Oklahoma, where this book is set. Thomas' wonderful author's note tells the story of her great-grandparents, who ran for land in the Oklahoma Territory, and illuminates the experience of African Americans 'surviving and thriving' in a place where freedom was more than a word."*

This picture book is perfect for shared family history projects at home or in the classroom, as well as units on pioneers, life in post-Civil War America, Oklahoma history, and lesser-known aspects of the expansion west in the United States.

I have heard of a land / Where the imagination has no fences...

*Booklist starred review; **School Library Journal

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780064436175
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	01/05/2000
Series:	Trophy Picture Bks.
Edition description:	Revised ed.
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	8.00(w) x 10.00(h) x 0.00(d)
Lexile:	NP (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Joyce Carol Thomas is an internationally renowned author who received the National Book Award for her first novel, Marked By Fire, and a Coretta Scott King Honor for The Blacker the Berry and for her first picture book, Brown Honey in Broomwheat Tea. Her picture book I Have Heard of a Land received a Coretta Scott King Honor and an IRA/CBC Teachers' Choice Award and was an ALA Notable Book. Her other titles include The Gospel Cinderella, Crowning Glory, Gingerbread Days, and A Gathering of Flowers. Ms. Thomas lives in Berkeley, California.

Floyd Cooper received a Coretta Scott King Award for his illustrations in The Blacker the Berry and a Coretta Scott King Honor for Brown Honey in Broomwheat Tea and I Have Heard of a Land. Born and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Mr. Cooper received a degree in fine arts from the University of Oklahoma and, after graduating, worked as an artist for a major greeting card company. His many beloved books form a lasting legacy.

Editorial Reviews

"In this lyrical tribute to the pioneer spirit, here personified by a Black woman. Thomas describes what it was like to arrive in untamed territory and try to turn it into a home. Thomas' mastery of language evokes both the feelings as well as the practicalities that came with the hard journey west. The strength and tenderness of Thomas' text are matched by Cooper's always evocative artwork. Thomas and Cooper both have their roots in Oklahoma, where this book is set. Thomas' wonderful author's note tells the story of her great-grandparents, who ran for land in the Oklahoma Territory, and illuminates the experience of African Americans 'surviving and thriving' in a place where freedom was more than a word." — Booklist (starred review)

"The voice of an African-American pioneer woman poetically describes the lure of the nineteenth-century frontier—specifically, Oklahoma, where (as Thomas ex­plains in a concluding note) opportunities for independent women and black home­steaders were plentiful. Demonstrates the settlers' quiet pride in self-sufficiency, and that alone could be a valuable starting point for listeners to consider the relationship between dreams and success." — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

"Land was a symbol of freedom to African-Americans, many of them former slaves, who settled the Oklahoma Territoiy in the late 1800s. The territories they staked out became their homes and then communities where their children could be raised as free. Thomas portrays how something as plain as the vast prairie, as simple as a sod hut, could look beautiful to these new settlers. She re-creates in fiction the histories of women, unrecorded except in diaries and anecdotes passed down through generations of her family; a note informs readers where the facts and writer's license diverge. Cooper's dusty drawings portray both the isoolation of the settlers' new life on the prairie and the strong human bonds that helped them endure." — Kirkus Reviews

"This moving, poetic account of a brave Black woman who stakes a claim offers a new perspective on an era otherwise well-docu­mented in picture books and school texts. Thomas de­scribes the natural beauty of a bold new frontier as well as the hopeful, strong and passionate people who created new lives there and realized their dreams. Will also hold much appeal for teachers and students. Thomas's author's note about the book's origins adds a special resonance to the pro­ceedings." — Publishers Weekly

"Thomas and Cooper shine again in this powerful tribute to the African-American pioneers who participated in the Oklahoma land runs of 1889 and 1893. This gem reveals some hidden facets as it singles out a lone woman who hears of a place where she has only to 'Lift up her feet running for the land/As though running for her life/ And in the running claim it.' Thomas's evocative poem is exalted by Cooper's warm, joyous, and majestic paintings of people living out their dreams. The layout and design of the book capture the expanse of the prairie with ful double-page spreads and carefully placed text." — School Library Journal

From the Publisher

"The voice of an African-American pioneer woman poetically describes the lure of the nineteenth-century frontier—specifically, Oklahoma, where (as Thomas ex­plains in a concluding note) opportunities for independent women and black home­steaders were plentiful. Demonstrates the settlers' quiet pride in self-sufficiency, and that alone could be a valuable starting point for listeners to consider the relationship between dreams and success."

Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

"In this lyrical tribute to the pioneer spirit, here personified by a Black woman. Thomas describes what it was like to arrive in untamed territory and try to turn it into a home. Thomas' mastery of language evokes both the feelings as well as the practicalities that came with the hard journey west. The strength and tenderness of Thomas' text are matched by Cooper's always evocative artwork. Thomas and Cooper both have their roots in Oklahoma, where this book is set. Thomas' wonderful author's note tells the story of her great-grandparents, who ran for land in the Oklahoma Territory, and illuminates the experience of African Americans 'surviving and thriving' in a place where freedom was more than a word."

Booklist (starred review)

"The voice of an African-American pioneer woman poetically describes the lure of the nineteenth-century frontier—specifically, Oklahoma, where (as Thomas ex­plains in a concluding note) opportunities for independent women and black home­steaders were plentiful. Demonstrates the settlers' quiet pride in self-sufficiency, and that alone could be a valuable starting point for listeners to consider the relationship between dreams and success."

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Inspired by her own family's history, Thomas's (Brown Honey in Broomwheat Tea) stirring picture book explores the little-known experiences of African American pioneers who settled in Oklahoma during the late 1800s. This moving, poetic account of a brave black woman who stakes a claim "where the cottonwood trees are innocent/ Where the coyote's call is a lullaby at night/ And the land runs on forever" offers a new perspective on an era otherwise well-documented in picture books and school texts. In almost palpable imagery, Thomas describes the natural beauty of a bold new frontier as well as the hopeful, strong and passionate people who created new lives there and realized their dreams. In his third collaboration with Thomas, Cooper (Brown Honey in Broomwheat Tea, Gingerbread Days), an Oklahoma native, completes the mood with his signature grainy, dreamy oil-wash portraits. His landscapes, dotted with trees, crops and cabins, glow in soft pink, yellow and brown hues. Scenes of a girl soaring on a homemade swing, neighbors worshipping in the open air and building a log house are particularly uplifting. The book stands alone as a pleasant slice of historical fiction, but will also hold much appeal for teachers and students. Thomas's author's note about the book's origins adds a special resonance to the proceedings. Ages 7-11. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

K-Gr 4--All who gave their hearts to Brown Honey in Broomwheat Tea (HarperCollins, 1993) will have to clear a spot for I Have Heard of a Land. Thomas and Cooper shine again in this powerful tribute to the African-American pioneers who participated in the Oklahoma land runs of 1889 and 1893. This gem reveals some hidden facets as it singles out a lone woman who hears of a place where she has only to "Lift up her feet running for the land/As though running for her life/And in the running claim it," a place where "Her possibilities reach as far/As her eyes can see/And as far as our imaginations can carry us." Thomas's evocative poem is exalted by Cooper's warm, joyous, and majestic paintings of people living out their dreams. The layout and design of the book capture the expanse of the prairie with full double-page spreads and carefully placed text. In an author's note, Thomas provides some historical and personal context. Both she and Cooper demonstrate a love for the raw beauty of the land. Though good readers can enjoy the book alone, this lyrical poem sings when read aloud.--Jody McCoy, Lakehill Preparatory School, Dallas, TX

School Library Journal

Land was a symbol of freedom to African-Americans, many of them former slaves, who settled the Oklahoma Territory in the late 1800s. The territories they staked out became their homes and then communities where their children could be raised as free. Using an omniscient first-person narration and one woman as the focus of the experience she delineates, Thomas portrays how something as plain as the vast prairie, as simple as a sod hut, could look beautiful to these new settlers. In lyrical language, she also makes clear the hardships of settling the land and surviving cold winters. She recreates in fiction the histories of women, unrecorded except in diaries and anecdotes passed down through generations of her family; a note informs readers of where the facts and writer's license diverge. Cooper's dusty drawings portray both the isolation of the settlers' new life on the prairie, and the strong human bonds that helped them endure; his use of color gives the Oklahoma the look of paradise without sentimentalizing the work such a place entails. (Picture book. 7-11)

Kirkus Reviews