[Many Calling Caldecott posts this season will begin with the Horn Book Magazine review of the featured book (or books), followed by the post's author's critique.]

In response to children’s letters to The Crisis magazine, W.E.B. Du Bois announced the creation of The Brownies’ Book. The purpose of the magazine was to show Black children that being Black was a “normal, beautiful thing” and to make them familiar with Black history (The Crisis, 1919). Two picture books of 2022 — Black Gold, illustrated by London Ladd and written by Laura Obuobi; and Standing in the Need of Prayer, illustrated by Frank Morrison and written by Carole Boston Weatherford — have continued Du Bois’s legacy of representing Black children and Black history accurately and with love.

In Black Gold, Ladd’s mixed-media collage art makes it clear to the reader that Black children are "normal" and "beautiful." Through collage, Ladd shows the universe creating a Black child. One of the double-page spreads that stood out to me depicts the child, their scalp being massaged by the universe’s hands. The child’s afro contains stars and planets, showing that the universe is transferring her love to the child. This image brought back memories of my grandmother and cousin doing my hair, massaging love and tenderness into my scalp. But the most powerful of the pictures is the double-page spread that also serves as the cover art. In this picture, we see the child in profile. Again, their afro contains stars and galaxies. The green, purple, and blue collage background gives the feeling of the child in the universe. The child’s focused stare to the right gives the impression that the child is taking in their future.

In Standing in the Need of Prayer, Frank Morrison uses oil and spray to create a timeline of the African American experience. The opening endpapers depict a slave ship with two men coming up from the belly of the ship. The first man stands with his head held up and his shoulders straight. In a later spread, a group of enslaved people are bunched together, ready for sale. One of the men wears an iron collar meant to keep him from running away. What stands out in this image is the man’s look of determination as he stares slightly past the reader. This look of determination is presented throughout the book. It is seen in Nat Turner’s open arms and large hands holding a bible as he preachers to others. It is seen in the praying woman as she prepares to migrate north. It is most clear in the image of Ruby Bridges. In this image, Bridges's jaw is set, her eyes face forward, and her hands hold tightly to the books she is carrying. Beneath her, grayish images yell and scream.

Through their illustrations, both Ladd and Morrison make clear that love and determination are integral to Black life. Ladd uses his images to present Black children as beautiful, while Morrison represents the Black experience in America, even the difficult ones. These books continue a long legacy of writing for Black children, and either would make great Caldecott Medal winners.