Step Right Up: How Doc and Jim Key Taught the World About Kindness

by Donna Janell Bowman, Daniel Minter (Illustrator)

Overview

A biography of William "Doc" Key, a formerly enslaved man and self-trained veterinarian who taught his horse, Jim, to read, write, and do math, and who together with Jim became a famous traveling performance act and proponent for the humane treatment of animals around the turn of the twentieth century.

William "Doc" Key had a special way with animals. Growing up enslaved in Tennessee, Doc was sent to plantations around the state to care for sick and wounded animals. When the Civil War ended and Doc was freed, he began to dream of breeding a winning racehorse. But those dreams were dashed when his colt was born weak and sickly. Although many people would have euthanized the colt, Doc nursed him back to health and named him Jim.

Noticing a level of curiosity and eagerness in the horse, Doc began teaching Beautiful Jim Key first to recognize letters, then to read, write, add, subtract, and more. Doc soon took his talented horse on the road, spreading a message of patience and kindness, over cruelty, to all animals.

With striking illustrations by Daniel Minter, Step Right Up is the inspiring story of one man and one horse who showed the world the power of kindness.

This biography explores Common Core English Language Arts Standards and Social Studies Standards.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781620141489
Publisher:	Lee & Low Books
Publication date:	11/01/2016
Pages:	48
Sales rank:	389,993
Product dimensions:	9.20(w) x 10.90(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	910L (what's this?)
Age Range:	7 - 12 Years

About the Author

Donna Janell Bowman grew up on a quarter horse ranch where she trained for horse shows and developed her passion for writing. When she first heard about Doc and Jim Key, Bowman was skeptical about Jim’s "education." But after doing her own research, she was inspired to share Doc and Jim’s fascinating story with young readers. Bowman lives in Texas with her family and their rescue animals. This is her debut book.

Daniel Minter is the illustrator of several award-winning picture books. He is also an adjunct instructor of art at the Maine College of Art. Minter finds inspiration for his work from observing the natural world and thinking about history and science. He is the founding director of Maine Freedom Trails, an organization dedicated to identifying sites related to the Underground Railroad and the abolitionist movement. Minter lives with his family in Portland, Maine.

Editorial Reviews

★ 08/15/2016
Born into slavery, William “Doc” Key drew national attention at the end of the 19th century for his training of a horse that eventually became known as Beautiful Jim Key, teaching the animal how to “combine letters to spell words, choose numbers to make sums, find flags to identify states, move clock hands to tell time, and a whole lot more.” Themes of racial injustice and the harsh treatment of animals offer a poignant supplement to the main narrative (“Kindness, kindness, and more kindness, that’s the way,” was how Doc Key described his success with Jim), which has another sturdy complement in Minter’s (Ellen’s Broom) bold linoleum block prints. Though debut author Bowman focuses on Doc’s relationship with Jim, a substantial afterword will leave children eager to learn more about Doc Key’s remarkable life, including his reluctant service work with Confederate forces during the Civil War and his efforts to free the enslaved. Ages 7–12. Author’s agent: Erin Murphy, Erin Murphy Literary. (Sept.)This review has been corrected. An earlier version incorrectly named the breed of horse described in the book.

Publishers Weekly

* "An incredible story that ought to be widely known—a must-read." — Kirkus Reviews, starred review

* "This beautiful, picture-book homage to Doc and Jim is nothing short of enthralling." — Booklist, starred review

* "Born into slavery, William "Doc" Key drew national attention at the end of the 19th century for his training of a purebred Arabian horse, eventually known as Beautiful Jim Key, teaching the animal how to "combine letters to spell words, choose numbers to make sums, find flags to identify states, move clock hands to tell time, and a whole lot more." Themes of racial injustice and the harsh treatment of animals offer a poignant supplement to the main narrative ("Kindness, kindness, and more kindness, that's the way," was how Doc Key described his success with Jim), which has another sturdy complement in Minter's (Ellen's Broom) bold linoleum block prints. Though debut author Bowman focuses on Doc's relationship with Jim, a substantial afterword will leave children eager to learn more about Doc Key's remarkable life, including his reluctant service work with Confederate forces during the Civil War and his efforts to free the enslaved." — Publishers Weekly, starred review

ALSC Notable Children's Books - American Library Association (ALA)
Editors' Choice - Booklist
Junior Library Guild Selection
Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction Recommended - National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE)
Prairie Pasque Children's Book Award Nominee - South Dakota Library Association
Texas Bluebonnet Award Shortlist - Texas Library Association (TLA)
William Allen White Children's Book Award - Emporia State University

From the Publisher

10/01/2016
Gr 2–6—A profile of William "Doc" Key and his relationship with animals, specifically his skilled horse Jim. Key was born a slave in Shelbyville, TN, in the 1830s. After the Civil War, he stayed in Shelbyville and built a veterinary where he sold his homemade remedies, and became very successful. Referred to as "Doc" Key, he traveled extensively while pursuing various entrepreneurial goals. Key eventually trained a clumsy colt named Jim to amaze audiences with his uncanny ability to spell and do math. He donated portions of his proceeds to humane societies and was instrumental in raising awareness for the compassionate treatment of animals. Minter's linoleum block prints, painted with acrylic, add the perfect historic feel to an incredible true story. The extensive back matter will be useful for student reports. VERDICT A solid purchase for most collections with an interest in biographies and animal rights.—Jennifer Steib Simmons, Anderson County Library, SC

School Library Journal

★ 2016-07-20
Minter’s acrylic-painted linoleum-block prints combine with Bowman’s story of a former slave who trained a brilliant horse for a memorable book.Born circa 1833 in Shelbyville, Tennessee, William “Doc” Key earned his nickname by developing expertise in caring for horses. He had helped many horses give birth, but when his purebred Arabian, Lauretta, gives birth to a weak, “spindly, shank-legged” colt, Doc despairs of ever raising a prizewinning racehorse. Raising Beautiful Jim Key with the attention a doting parent gives a child, Doc soon realizes that he has no ordinary horse. Over time, Doc teaches Jim to answer questions, spell words, and write letters on a blackboard. Doc makes a living from selling his liniments on a medicine wagon, but when Jim performs in the Tennessee Centennial Exposition, held in Nashville in 1897, it catapults both of them to fame, which Key uses to promote animal welfare. Surrounding this amazing and mostly true story is the American segregation that prevented Doc and Jim from performing in certain places and for certain audiences. The strong, black lines of Minter’s prints give the book an old-time–y feel; colored in a palette of gold, brown, and green, they glow with life. Photographs of Doc and Jim in the backmatter along with useful historical information on the pair will give readers valuable background and context. An incredible story that ought to be widely known—a must-read. (Picture book/biography. 7-12)

Kirkus Reviews