The Walk (A Stroll to the Poll)

by Winsome Bingham, E. B. Lewis (Illustrator)

Overview

From award-winning creators Winsome Bingham and E.B. Lewis, TheWalk (A Stroll to the Poll) is a powerful, full-color picture book story celebrating a journey crucial to our democracy: the walk to vote—a perfect read aloud.

My granny is taking me on THE WALK.
“Because leaders are not born,” she says. “They’re made through molding and modeling.”
“What’s the walk?” I ask.
“You’ll see. And there’s a few treasured souls coming too.”

Granny and her granddaughter are going on a walk. But this is not just any walk. It’s a walk that must not be missed; one that is more important than ever but has been made increasingly difficult for many to participate in. It’s a walk that joins together a community; that lifts voices; that allows us to speak up, stand up, and say what’s on our minds. It’s a walk for hope.

Where are all these treasured souls going? Just WALK ON and find out.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781419747724
Publisher:	Abrams Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	09/12/2023
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	231,663
Product dimensions:	9.60(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.30(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Winsome Bingham is a soul food connoisseur, master cook, US Army war and disabled veteran, and the author of one of the New York Times Best Books of the Year, Soul Food Sunday. She received both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education and has more than 15 years of teaching experience. You can find her cooking up soul food or taking THE WALK to the polls with friends and family. She lives in Connecticut.


E.B. Lewis is the award-winning illustrator of numerous books for children, including Coming on Home Soon (a Caldecott Honor Book), Talkin’ About Bessie (a Coretta Scott King Award winner), and The Bat Boy and His Violin (a Coretta Scott King Honor book). In 2003, the Kerlan Collection at the University of Minnesota purchased a collection of original watercolors from Lewis’s first 50 children’s books. Today, his works are displayed in museums, owned by private collectors, and sold by art galleries throughout the United States and Europe. He lives in New Jersey.

Editorial Reviews

***STARRED REVIEW***
"Serious but not solemn, this picture book is an excellent readaloud choice for classroom units on democracy, civil rights, and voting."

Booklist

***STARRED REVIEW***
"Bingham effectively carries readers through an important yet simple event while conveying its significance as a milestone for an individual, a family, a community, and a nation. The child’s-eye view of the day, clear prose, and strong relationships between characters make this an engrossing read, while statements about injustice are communicated subtly in comments between adult characters and the length of the walk itself—layers that can be unpacked with children who are ready to learn more. Lewis’ work is at its best here; detailed watercolor paintings immerse readers in the life of a multicultural community on a bright day. This lovely introduction to an essential topic will be a new classic."—Kirkus

***STARRED REVIEW***
"Gorgeous writing paired with luminous art and combined with an impactful message make this work an essential purchase."—School Library Journal

***STARRED REVIEW***
"Serious but not solemn, this picture book is an excellent readaloud choice for classroom units on democracy, civil rights, and voting."

—Booklist

From the Publisher

★ 09/15/2023

K-Gr 2—This stirring picture book will inspire kids (and the adults in their lives) to speak up, stand up, and say what's on their minds. Granny tells her granddaughter that she is taking them on "The Walk," but they have to pick up a few souls on the way. The picture book's narrator is confused but joins her grandmother in gathering people from the neighborhood to make the long walk to the voting booth. In cars and on the streets, the trip is celebratory, determined, and triumphant, despite the long distance. This call to participatory democracy told through the eyes of a Black girl is a rallying cry to the next generation of voters and their grown-ups who may be discouraged because of recent elections. The sea of faces approaching the polls is diverse. The main characters are Black, and many of the other voters are BIPOC. The narrator connects with an Asian girl, and they walk hand in hand in front of their grandmothers, united in their purpose to make a change in their communities. Lewis's textured watercolor illustrations magnify Bingham's vitalizing words. The parade of people of all races, body types, and abilities recalls the marches that have taken place to secure the right to vote for every citizen, especially those who are non-white. Regardless of the result, The Walk is how voters can make positive change and be molded into the leaders of tomorrow. VERDICT Gorgeous writing paired with luminous art and combined with an impactful message make this work an essential purchase.—Shelley M. Diaz

School Library Journal

★ 2023-06-21
A Black child’s walk with Granny is a neighborhood event when the destination is the voting booth.

Granny is taking her grandchild on “THE WALK,” but she doesn’t say where they are going—only that “there’s a few treasured souls coming, too.” With a backpack, water, and sandwiches, the young narrator and Granny “WALK ON,” stopping at a neighbor’s house, the barber shop, and Mrs. Wong’s. At each stop, the child wonders if they’ve reached their destination, but instead, more people from the neighborhood join their walk. At last, the crowd arrives at the child’s school—but there’s no school today. Granny reveals the reason all these “treasured souls” have walked all this way: “for hope” and to “speak up.” Bingham effectively carries readers through an important yet simple event while conveying its significance as a milestone for an individual, a family, a community, and a nation. The child’s-eye view of the day, clear prose, and strong relationships between characters make this an engrossing read, while statements about injustice are communicated subtly in comments between adult characters and the length of the walk itself—layers that can be unpacked with children who are ready to learn more. Lewis’ work is at its best here; detailed watercolor paintings immerse readers in the life of a multicultural community on a bright day. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

This lovely introduction to an essential topic will be a new classic. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews