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| Briana Mukodiri Uchendu | |
Last week, the American Library Association announced the 2024 Youth Media Award winners. Briana Mukodiri Uchendu won the Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Illustrator Award for her illustrations in We Could Fly (written by Rhiannon Giddens; Candlewick Press).
So, how are you feeling?
I'm feeling lucky and mystified!
We Could Fly by Rhiannon Giddens is your second illustrated book. Please tell our readers what the book is about.
We Could Fly, to me, is about an ancestral/spiritual song that connects us to our ancestors and uplifts us through our own life trials. After all, the lives we live are thanks to those who came before us. I think this book especially shines a light on the strength and resilience of the mothers, grandmothers, and aunts that raised their children, worked hard, and protected their families with their heads held high.
Giddens's text is the lyrics of her song "We Could Fly," inspired by her love of the collection of Black American folktales retold by Virginia Hamilton and illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon, The People Could Fly. What was it like to create images for such a poetic text?
I was actually not aware of The People Could Fly until I read the author's note upon completion of all the artwork. I felt honored that I was making something that could be associated with that. I think Rhiannon's lyrics really captured the essence of those texts because it was solely her lyrics and how they made me feel that inspired me.
You say in your illustrator's note that you "saw different souls and stories weaving and winding together to create the chords of an ancestral song. So that's what [you] drew." How did you turn that into concrete images?
All I had to go off was Rhiannon's lyrics and some questions I wanted to ask her about her inspiration. The actual lyrics and the "vibe" I got from the information I received was all that informed these visuals.
I love the double-page spread that shows the girl's hands inside her mother's larger hands. It reminds me of a spread from the work of another CSK winner, Dave the Potter, illustrated by Bryan Collier (Illustrator Award 2011). Why did you decide to use hands for the lyrics, "Every time she looked at you/ she saw the old-time ways"?
I have not read Dave the Potter, but now I will give it a look! I decided to use this composition because I wanted to show the lines on their hands. You know during palm readings and stuff? Apparently, the lines in our hands tell some sort of story about how our lives will turn out. I figured having this "ancestral string of light" weave through their handlines helped to imply the interconnectedness of our DNA and our life stories. I think the thought of our DNA holding stories from our ancestors is really interesting.
There's something lovely about winning an award for new talent for a book filled with so much history. Did it feel intimidating to take on a work like this?
My main thought when taking on this project is the same as any project I take on: "Let me try my best." I learned a lot from making my first book and I wanted to do better than I did before. Because the actual manuscript was simple, and a lot of the composition and visual story was left up to me, I actually felt a lot of freedom and was very excited to jump into this book. It wasn't intimidating because I didn't have any limits or a concrete direction that I was requested to go into. There wasn't a mold I thought I needed to fit. It was very exciting as an artist, and I think my enthusiasm shines through the art.
Did you have any specific hopes for this book or its readership before it went out into the world?
I don't ever have any expectations for anything because I learned if you don't have any expectations, you don't ever have any disappointment! Maybe that's a little pessimistic but it helps me move through life with less worry. I am very pleased by the books' reception though! I am probably my harshest critic so if I am proud of it then I'm content. I'm feeling new levels of joy and gratification that I didn't think were possible upon seeing the book's reception and even more so now upon receiving this award.
Is there anything else you'd like to tell Shelf Awareness readers?
Thank you for supporting my book and others like it! I don't think an award like this would even exist if it wasn't for active and dedicated readers and book enthusiasts like you. --Siân Gaetano, children's and YA editor, Shelf Awareness