Etched in Clay: The Life of Dave, Enslaved Potter and Poet

by James Cheng, James Cheng (Illustrator)

Overview

The acclaimed biography-in-verse about the life and times of Dave, an enslaved potter who inscribed his works with short poems during the years leading up to the Civil War.

Now in paperback!

Sometime before 1818, an enslaved young man named Dave was brought to Edgefield, in the heart of South Carolina's pottery-producing area. From the time he was first taught to turn a potter's wheel, Dave showed exceptional natural talent. Soon he was creating pieces of great beauty and often massive size. He also learned to read and write, even though South Carolina had laws prohibiting slave literacy. And then Dave did something even more daring: he began to sign his jars and carve many of them with sayings and short poems that reflected his daily life and experiences. With these courageous acts, Dave quietly protested the brutality of slavery and asserted his humanity.

Here is an evocative portrait of Dave as memorable as one of his jars. Through simple yet powerful poetry, including some of Dave's inscriptions, we learn his extraordinary story of perseverance, creative inspiration, and hope. Today Dave's legacy lives on in the artistry of his pottery, in his intriguing words, and as a reminder of the dignity and resilience of the human spirit.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781620148075
Publisher:	Lee & Low Books
Publication date:	03/06/2018
Pages:	160
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 8.20(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	790L (what's this?)
Age Range:	9 - 18 Years

About the Author

Andrea Cheng was the author of several award-winning and critically acclaimed books for young readers. Her works range from picture books to young adult novels, and her stories often draw on the experiences of her Hungarian relatives or her husband’s Chinese family. Cheng was inspired here by Dave’s heroism, courage, and creative struggle. She taught English as a Second Language at Cincinnati State Technical and Community College, and passed away in late 2015.

Andrea Cheng was the author of several award-winning and critically acclaimed books for young readers. Her works range from picture books to young adult novels, and her stories often draw on the experiences of her Hungarian relatives or her husband’s Chinese family. Cheng was inspired here by Dave’s heroism, courage, and creative struggle. She taught English as a Second Language at Cincinnati State Technical and Community College, and passed away in late 2015.

Editorial Reviews

* "Cheng's spare free-verse poems masterfully highlight the repeated hardships Dave endured. . . . [It is] at once intimate and universal; the riveting story of an unforgettable life lived during an unbelievable time." -- Kirkus Reviews, starred review

* "A powerful and uplifting biography." -- School Library Journal, starred review

"Cheng illustrates her stirring work with her own simple black-and-white woodcuts. Appended material adds additional information about Dave's life and the Edgefield Pottery, of which his work is an example." -- Booklist

"Through her haunting, honed verse, Cheng has given readers a valuable thing indeed: the life of a quiet rebel." -- The Washington Post

Best Children's Books of the Year - Bank Street College of Education
CCBC Choices - Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)
Junior Library Guild Selection
Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award - Pennsylvania Center for the Book
Notable Books in the Language Arts - National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE)
Notable Books in the Language Arts - National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE)
Ohioana Book Awards - Ohioana Library Association
Skipping Stones Book Awards - Skipping Stones Magazine
Teachers' Choices - International Literacy Association (ILA)

From the Publisher

Andrea Cheng takes the few historical details known about Dave and, in resonant poems and stark, expressive woodcuts, fleshes out his life…A poem is a "valuable thing," Dave says. Through her haunting, honed verse, Cheng has given readers a valuable thing indeed: the life of a quiet rebel.

The Washington Post - Mary Quattlebaum

Gr 5 Up—The pain of slavery and its disregard for human worth reverberates throughout this beautifully written, beautifully illustrated account of an enslaved potter in South Carolina in the 19th century. Cheng's sensitive verses, written in the voice of Dave and the people involved in his life, share the man's innermost feelings, the sensation of shaping clay on the potter's wheel, and hints at conflicts within a slave owner's mind. But even with a master who seems to have some appreciation of Dave's talents, the ugliness of slavery takes over. The matter-of-fact, unfeeling way in which Eliza, Dave's first wife, is sold off speaks volumes. Dave's need to communicate and be noticed comes out in the risk he takes by inscribing some verse and words on the pots he creates. This deep need squelches any fear of reprisals when literacy was a punishable offense for slaves. Motivated by her belief that everyone needs to read Scriptures in order to be saved, the slave owner's wife started Dave on his quest to read. Through all of the adversity, he stoically carries on despite being sold, despite having loved ones repeatedly taken from him, and despite losing a leg in a train accident, always spurred on by the need to communicate. Cheng has created a passionate homage to the human spirit, which speaks volumes in this brief book. Her woodcuts add another layer to the drama that unfolds in the telling. A powerful and uplifting biography.—Renee Steinberg, formerly at Fieldstone Middle School, Montvale, NJ

School Library Journal

Cheng follows on the Caldecott Honor–winning Dave the Potter, by Laban Carrick Hill and illustrated by Bryan Collier (2010), to further open up the fascinating life of the enslaved potter named Dave for children. Records indicate Dave, who was born in the United States in 1801, was most likely purchased at a slave auction at age 17 by Harvey Drake, who, with his uncles, held the Pottersville Stoneware Manufactory in South Carolina. Dave took to the wheel within weeks and went on to become one of the most accomplished potters in the region. Cheng's spare free-verse poems masterfully highlight the repeated hardships Dave endured: being relocated no fewer than four times when loaned or sold to a new owner; losing two wives when their owners forced them to move to different states; losing his leg after being hit by a train; and, in the face of severe anti-literacy laws designed to keep slaves down, bravely creating art that "etched in clay" his ability to read and write. Says Dave: "I am not afraid / to write on a jar / and fire it hot / so my word / can never be erased." Combining visual art with poetry as Dave did, Cheng includes her own striking woodcuts, illustrating both Dave's experiences and his artistry. At once intimate and universal; the riveting story of an unforgettable life lived during an unbelievable time. (Verse biography. 9 & up)

Kirkus Reviews