Mr. Williams

by Karen Barbour

The powerful and personal story of one American childhood

When Mr. Williams was a boy growing up in Arcadia, Louisiana, Calvin Coolidge was president, Martin Luther King Jr. had just been born, and children worked hard in the fields for most of the year.

Many years later, Karen Barbour grew up hearing Mr. Williams tell stories about his childhood. In this beautiful book, she not only shares the memories he passed on to her but also creates stunning paintings to illustrate them.

The story of Mr. J. W. Williams, lovingly told by his friend, evokes a specific time and place in American history in a way that is immediate, intimate, and relevant.

Genres: Picture Books, African American, Biography, Childrens, Biography Memoir

32 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2005

About the author

Karen Barbour has illustrated many books for children, including You Were Loved Before You Were Born; Fire! Fire! Hurry! Hurry!; I Have an Olive Tree; and Marvelous Math: A Book of Poems, which was a Parents' Choice Gold Award winner. She wrote and illustrated Little Nino's Pizzeria, a Reading Rainbow selection. Her paintings have been exhibited in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Tokyo, and Rome. She lives in Point Reyes Station, California.

Reviews

[Shawn Deal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here is a slice of life story. This really isn't a narrative but what one persons life looked like in Arcadia, Louisiana in the late 1930's. Really this is a love letter to one persons childhood.

[Joshua Krieger · Rating 3 out of 5]

Barbour, K. (2005). Mr. Williams. New York: Henry Holt and.

[Stefanie Burns · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well done book that simply illustrates through text and image the way life was “back then.” Great for use in a classroom for now and then.

[Diego Sosa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recommend it to anybody who wants to know about slavery and what happened after.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mt. Williams' recollections about his childhood in the 1930s and 1940s in Louisiana. My 3-year-old loved the illustrations and the descriptions of daily life. Simple but beautiful text.

[Hannah Marshall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though I did enjoy the color and very abstract illustrations in this book I did not enjoy the book overall. I don’t feel that it had a very well laid out plot line. It discussed the many different activities that Mr.Williams does and it got to be a little boring, in my opinion. I feel like I would have been more interested in the book if I had more background knowledge of who it was about.

Genre: Biography
Reading level: 3-4

[Carly Bontrager · Rating 5 out of 5]

Biography
3rd-5th grade
I really enjoyed this book. It opened my eyes even more to what black people went through. I can’t believe a white man tried to run him over, that breaks my heart. It surprised me when it said that during the winter when they couldn’t work in the fields he’d go to school. It said that he would often have to walk the five miles just to get to school. He was getting a break from working, but he was having to walk so far when it was cold out just to go to school.

[Spider · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a beautiful way to honor the life of an adult the author knew and respected. This is a beautifully illustrated oral history that creates a vivid and honest snapshot of what life was like for a Black child growing up in rural America in the early 20th century. We found a copy in a Little Free Library near our home, and what a treasure! It was a wonderful way to learn about the past.

[Rhayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

For most of us the idea of even growing our own food seems foreign but flashback 80 years ago and it wasn’t so uncommon. Mr. Williams by Karen Barbour is the story of a young man and his families who live on a farm. This family grows their own food, raise their own animals and actually spend time together, which is so unlike families of the modern age. This story from Barbour is a perfect rendition of a poor black family making their own in a time of little to no acceptance.

The ink images that compose the pages are pasted together to give the book an almost collage affect, as if by the reader reading or the authors crafting the story all these memories being to fit together. This tactic is a wonderful tool exemplified within this story because this book is almost like a memoir of J.W. Williams, a family friend of Barbour. By crafting images that are bright and more organic in shape, the story appears light and whimsical which isn’t always a person’s view of an African Americans story, pre-civil rights. Also because young readers have not developed a knowledge of history, by creating characters that live off a land that seems brighter or more alive than our own, readers develop an understanding that this story isn’t taking place today.

Karen Barbour rendition of J.W. Williams life is wonderfully crafted and full of a love readers of any age can tap into. Barbour takes us on a journey back in time, to a place where life is simpler and everything you had/need was right in front of you. By allowing us the opportunity to experience his life as readers, allowing us the opportunity to experience his life as readers, Barbour allows people of all ages to live off the land again; To feel with your heart and look up at a starry night sky.

[Brenda Kahn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recently thought of this small but wonderful biography while preparing for a unit with a small but wonderful group of students. It is as charming as I remembered it. I'm a fan of Ms. Barbour's art and just love how she gathered stories from a beloved and respected family friend and spun them into a powerful biography of an ordinary man.

[Shannon Bradbury · Rating 5 out of 5]

This a beautiful story about Mr. Williams. But not just about Mr. Williams.. but about children born into slavery. Children who worked in the fields. You’ll enjoy reading Mr. Williams story as much as I did. I loved learning about this time of history and wonder why we weren’t taught this in school???

[Rachel Flan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was not what I thought it would be when I looked at the cover. I was hoping for some adventure or fun, but it turned out to be kind of boring. It was long and didn't really have a plot or main story besides that it was telling about Mr. Williams life.

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would like to include this as a book in my media center. A lot of rich and varied language. The illustrations were exceptional as well.

[Randie D. Camp, M.S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting biography of an African-American man growing up in Louisiana.

This book is also a great for making historical connections.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

An oral history of M. J. Williams as told by his friends. This story captures the feel of Mr. William's life.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice, simple description of country life.

[Haley Hoenke · Rating 4 out of 5]

#History

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love the illustrations in this book! Scan a page or two for desktop wallpaper inspiration.

[Kifflie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lovely, evocative illustrations to go along with a simple but powerful story.

[Hillvan]

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