Phillis's Big Test

by Catherine Clinton

In 1773, Phillis Wheatley published a book of poetry. It was a great accomplishment that made her very famous.
Only a year before, Phillis had had to take a test to prove that she was the actual author of these poems, because Phillis Wheatley was a slave.
Who would believe that an African girl could be the author of such poetry?
Phillis did! She believed in herself, and took every opportunity she could to make her life better. She believed in the power of her words, and her writing to prove her talent, and used the power of words to change a life.

Genres: Picture Books, Biography, Poetry, History, Nonfiction, African American, Childrens

32 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 21, 2008

About the author

Professor of history at Queen's University, Belfast, Northern Ireland. Specializes in American history, African-American history, the Civil War, and women's history. Previously taught at Brandeis and Harvard universities. Born in 1952, grew up in Kansas City, Missouri. Studied sociology and history at Harvard, earned a master's degree from Sussex and a doctorate from Princeton.

Reviews

[Shaimaa شيماء · Rating 4 out of 5]

سنة 1773 كانت اول فتاة أفريقية امريكية تنشر كتاب في الشعر، لكن كان لازم يمتحنوها الأول لأنها كانت عبدة!!!
إزاي فتاة إفريقية ممكن تألف شعر!!!

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A riveting and inspiring picture book biography. In 1773, Phillis Wheatley was the first African American to have a book of poetry published. However, before being granted publication, the young slave girl had to undergo a test to prove she was the author of these poems. Eighteen of Boston's city officials and leaders conducted the examination before unanimously signing a document that proclaimed Phillis a poet.

Favorite quotes:

"Why should she have to defend her own verse?"

"She did not know why she had been brought from Africa to Boston, or why she had ended up in the Wheatley home. But she knew that she must now make the most of her opportunity. She must make her voice heard."

"Good day gentlemen. I am the poet Phillis Wheatley."

The book's illustrator, Sean Qualls, creates intense, riveting, and thought-provoking pictures using a mixed media of painting, drawing, and collage.

[Elissa L · Rating 4 out of 5]

Phillis's Big Test focuses on a very particular event in Phillis Wheatley's life--the day she had to prove she was the author of her poems to a panel of white men--and then expands on her life from there, giving her backstory. The white characters in the book are portrayed perhaps a little too perfectly, considering that they were the owners of a human being; the sentence "She survived only by the kindness of her masters" particularly made me cringe. However, the illustrations are gorgeous and really bring the text to life creatively. It would have been nice to have an actual Wheatley poem included in the book, but the author does a good job of drawing out Phillis's perspective. This book could be very effectively used with older students to address issues of racism; for example, why did Phillis have to prove herself to a panel of white men? Are there ways that people of color still have to prove themselves? This book could be used to teach voice and sentence fluency.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book serves as a great introduction to lessons on at a variety of levels including: poets, racism, slavery, stereotypes, colonial era, philosophy and the role of a historian and historical research. The introduction and the epilogue provide the information to start a host of discussions about what we know of the past and how people thought in a particular time period. Blending imagination, research on Phillis Wheatley's life and work, and a more modern sense of self dialogue, author Catherine Clinton creates a picture of a young poet seeking to claim her work in a way that will resonate with young readers seeking to understand and relate the colonial mindset to more modern viewpoints.

[Melissa Nikohl · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was horrible! The author made it seem like slavery wasn't that bad. She wants you to believe that her OWNERS were good people. Anyone who felt it was okay to own people were bad people. What a disrespectful depiction of Phillis Wheatley's life.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Phillis Wheatley was born in 1754 in Africa, and arrived in Boston in 1761 aboard the slave ship “Phillis.” Barely eight years old, she was placed with other slaves on the auction block, and purchased by John and Susanna Wheatley, who named her after the ship. Her masters were more kind than many, however. Although Phillis served as a housemaid, the family’s daughter Mary befriended her and began to tutor her. Phillis did so well she soon learned not only English but Latin, religion, and literature. When she was just fourteen, she published her first poem, going on to publish a total of forty-six in her short lifetime. (She died at age 31.)

The appearance of Phillis’s first collection of poems met with so much skepticism that she consented to be cross-examined by a panel of Boston intellectuals (including the Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts, as well as John Hancock, then one of the wealthiest men in the Thirteen Colonies) on October 8, 1772. She was eighteen.

What the panel asked Phillis has not been recorded, but the signed conclusion of the panel has survived:

We whose Names are under-written, do assure the World, that the Poems specified in the following Page, were (as we verily believe) written by Phillis, a young Negro Girl, who was but a few Years since, brought an uncultivated Barbarian from Africa, and has ever since been, and now is, under the Disadvantage of serving as a Slave in a Family in this Town. She has been examined by some of the best judges, and is thought qualified to write them."

(Nevertheless, even after this validation, no American would publish her work, so Susanna Wheatley asked British friends for help. Unfortunately, the overseas benefactors of Phillis cut her off after the American Revolution from Britain, especially because Phillis wrote poems in favor of independence.)

For a while however, Phillis achieved great success and was even invited to meet General George Washington after he received a letter and poem from her.

This book gives a brief introduction to who Phillis was, and then focuses entirely on the cross-examination she endured to prove that she, an African-born slave, actually was intelligent enough to write her own poems. The story is told as if from Phillis’s perspective, showing her bravery and determination.

The illustrations by Sean Qualls, using a creative combination of acrylic and collage, are lovely.

No poems are included in the text, which is not surprising if you read them! They are not very kid-friendly (although Phillis herself was a child when she wrote many of them), nor very compatible with current thinking. Take, for example, this poem, written when Phillis was around fourteen:

On Being Brought From Africa To America

"Twas mercy brought me from my Pagan land,
Taught my benighted soul to understand
That there's a God, that there's a Saviour too:
Once I redemption neither sought nor knew.
Some view our sable race with scornful eye,
"Their colour is a diabolic die,"
Remember, Christians, Negros, black as Cain,
May be refin'd, and join th' angelic train."

(Harvard literary historian Henry Louis Gates, Jr., who has written his own book on Phillis, observed: “This, it can be safely said, has been the most reviled poem in African American literature.” He further laments that “Too black to be taken seriously by white critics in the eighteenth century, Wheatley [is] now considered too white to interest black critics in the twentieth.”)

None of this controversy is recounted in this book, however. Rather, it is a celebration of one girl’s pluck in the face of a particular trial in which there were enormous odds against her.

Evaluation: While this book doesn’t tell much of Phillis’s story, it should create enough interest in the subject to inspire young readers to find out more about this remarkable girl from the early years of the American nation.

Rating: 3.5/5

[Shelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Phillis Wheatley was such an unlikely and unbelievable author that she was forced into a lengthy cross-examination by eighteen of the most learned and powerful men of the time to prove she in fact penned her own work. Why? Because the year was 1772 and Phillis was a teenage slave girl.

I had never heard of Phillis Wheatly before her briefly being mentioned in an adult biography on George Washington. I was so please to find this picture book at the public library to share her story with my daughter, even though her ending was not what I had hoped for.

[Erin Sterling · Rating 3 out of 5]

In 1773, an African slave girl named Phillis Wheatley in Boston published a book of poetry, only after having to take a huge test to prove that she was the author. This book is the story of the day leading up to the big test, but it ends sort of strangely, on a cliffhanger. The drawings are simple, with a muted color palette.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful book. My Caldecott guesses are always wrong, but I loved the illustrations and the text was fabuluous. My girls (6 and 8) wrote "what happens next" chapters to this and we presented it as a puppet show on 4th of July.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

My kids and I read this book yesterday. The historical meaning was powerful! Hundreds of years later, we have a black President-elect; time moves slowly in this country.

[KidsBooksWorthReading · Rating 5 out of 5]

In 1773, Phillis Wheatley became the first African American to publish a book of poetry and soon after she traveled with her poetry and became the most famous black person on both sides of the Atlantic.
But in 1772, Wheatley's book almost didn't get published, because printers in colonial Boston could not believe an African-born enslaved girl wrote such wonderful verses all by herself. To prove her poems were her very own, the teen poet agreed to be questioned by eighteen of the most learned and powerful men of Massachusetts.
Here's to Phillis and all the women still having to prove themselves, everyday. ❤️ #kidsbooksworthreading #kidsbook #kidsbooks #kidsbookstagram #kidlit #childrensliterature #philliswheatley #internationalwomensday

[Sammy Santos · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an inspiring tale of a young, enslaved girl who fought for her poetry to be published under her name. In 1773, it was unheard of for a slave girl to have an education, not to mention write poetry as beautiful as Phillis's. Therefore, when it came time that her poetry had the means to be published, Phillis had to face a court of 18 white men that would judge whether or not her work was truly her's.
The follows Phillis on her walk to the courthouse to be interrogated about her poetry. On her way there, her poems that she had rewritten in order to present to the court blew away in the wind. However, instead of being vexed and distressed, Phillis remembered that her work belongs to her, therefore if anyone can recite it for the credit that it is due, it's her. She recalls her masters, or more like her family, encouraging her to take a stand and never ceasing to help her in her education, even when it was not typical of a slave owner to do so. In the end, she is able to publish her poetry as her own.
I believe this book is very suitable for upper elementary school students because, though it doesn't show the complexities and true cruel hardships of slavery, it presented the doubt that was put upon them and was inspiring in the way that it presented her defying the odds and becoming the first published African-American poet.

[Nicholas & Megan Clinch · Rating 4 out of 5]

By divine providence, my oldest read this aloud right after we read from Ezra 1-2, about the Hebrew exiles being allowed to return to rebuild Jerusalem. Our sons, transitioning into years 1-2, have delightfully insightful questions about slavery not only in the colonial era but also the ancient world. Parallel readings are really helping keep me from moralizing or preaching... we can take small bites, narrate, empathize in age-appropriate ways, & I'm forever grateful for library picture books like this one. ☝🏼

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let me get the bad news out of the way first - it's a little anticlimactic to read this story and then just sort of have a footnote explaining that we don't know what the test was, but she passed. Otherwise, this book is really great. I love the illustrations so much! I appreciated the way that Clinton told the story for little ears, but in a way that was straightforward and didn't glamorize the Wheatleys.

[Sarah Kaiser · Rating 4 out of 5]

This would be a good book to have in a classroom, purely from the informational/historical aspect of it. I would have it in my classroom because it is an enjoyable read, as well as an inspiring story of perseverance and persistence. I did only give this book a four-star rating, but only because it wouldn't work well in an ECE classroom. It's pretty long with a somewhat deep message/story, and I doubt that it would hold the attention of younger children.

[Valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a well written children’s picture book about Phillis Wheatley.

[Gina · Rating 3 out of 5]

The text is a bit wordy for children, but I checked it out for the art, and I think Qualls' style works well to depict Phillis's serene confidence.

[Kortney]

A Esq 0

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slave Phillis Wheatley has to prove to several learned men that she can write poetry in order to get her book published. Not much is known about this incident.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

A picture book biography about Phillis Wheatley, the first African-American to publish a book of poetry. Her authorship was called into question and Wheatley was required to testify in front of 18 of the most educated and powerful men in colonial Massachusetts.

The text covers the basics of Wheatley's life leading up to the cross-examination. An epilogue informs readers about its outcome and the remainder of Wheatley's life.

Acrylic and paper collage artwork gives reader a powerful visual of the incredible tension Wheatley must've felt as she prepared to prove her authorship.

I wanted more in terms of back matter (further reading etc), but this biography does a solid job of introducing young reader to an important African-American author.

Recommended for grades 2-4+.

[Marigold Bookhound · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Phillis Wheatley, an enslaved house servant in Boston, learned to read and write and wrote numerous fantastic poems, the most powerful white men in Boston did not believe she had written her own work. They tested Phillis on her literacy in court. Phillis’s strong will and identity as both a reader and a writer helps her persist through this tedious, sexist, and racist trial.
The writing as well as the illustrations of this book seem to walk hand in hand. Gentle and also fierce, imbuing Phillis’s humanity and her intersectional identities as a young, Black, enslaved woman. Well-researches blend of facts and story.

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm giving this a 3 overall, because I didn't like the illustrations, but a 4 for text, which was interesting. This book is about the time leading up to slave-poet Phillis Wheatley's examination by a group of men to determine if she, a black woman, could really have written the poems she claimed were hers. The pictures were lifeless and inadequate to illustrate the text. A disappointment, but still useful for the information about her life. Pair it with Kathryn Lasky's A Voice of Her Own: the Story of Phillis Wheatley, Slave Poet.

[Staci · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a hero, a young slave girl published her own poems in 1773, but only after she had to prove she was the poet to a group of 18 old white guys. They made her appear before them to examine and grill her to see if one such as her was capable of writing such poetry. She passed with flying colors and paved the way for women and people of color to create art in this new nation.

So happy to learn about her with my 6 year old daughter. We can't wait to find Philis's poems.

[Andreia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many (not enough) know about Phillis Wheatley published a book of poetry but even less know that she had to take a test to prove that she was the author of the poems. People simply did not believe that an African girl could accomplish writing a book. But she did. A nice picture book introduction to a very talented lady.

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was enjoyable to read. The plot focused on Phillis having to prove that she wrote her poetry to a group of intimidating professionals who questioned and disputed her abilities to write, being a black female.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ponderous - but definitely intrigued me to learn more about
Phillis Wheatley

[Wanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was about one important detail in her life--the test to prove that she wrote her poems.

[Monique · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story was easy to follow and full of details.

[Kimberly Wright Oelkers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just in time for my 4th graders unit on writer's biographies.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Describing the test that Wheatley had to endure to prove her authorship of the first collection of poems that she had published, this is a great way to introduce Phillis Wheatley to an elementary audience. It's sure to create discussion in the classroom. It would lend nicely to a poetry unit as a read aloud.