FEED YOUR MIND: A Story of August Wilson written in poetic prose by Jen Bryant and skillfully illustrated by Cannaday Chapman, is a beautiful picture book for older children about this Pulitzer Prize winning Broadway playwright.
Frederick August Kittel, Jr. was born in 1945 in the Pittsburg Hill District---also know as Little Harlem to an absent German father, Frederick August Kittel and an always present African American mother, Daisey Wilson. His mother spotted his love of words very early when he began to read cereal boxes, soup cans and street signs. When he was five years old she took him to the Wylie Avenue branch of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburg and got him his very own library card.
When they moved to Hazelwood, he felt the anguish of discrimination. Some people made it perfectly clear that they were not welcome. He found comfort at the local library where he discovered books by such black writers as Hughes, Wright and Dunbar.
He dropped out of high school several times-----once when he was accused of not writing his 20 paged paper on Napoleon and it was given the mark of E. The illustration shows an angry Frederick standing in front of a blackboard filled with the statement: “I told you I wrote it! I told you I wrote it!” The illustrations throughout the book greatly inform the narrative.
Frederick changed his name to August Wilson and wrote poetry when not working as a dishwasher or a cook. His creative process for writing plays developed when he began daily to write down conversations of people gathered in coffee shops in the morning, lunch counters at noon and diners in the evening. These characters, their struggles, delights and words are found in his plays such as Fences.
FEED YOUR MIND: A Story of August Wilson written by Jen Bryant and illustrated by Cannaday Chapman also includes a stunning timeline for older readers 7-10 years of age (Abrams, 2019).
Activity Questions for FEED YOUR MIND: A Story of August Wilson
When Frederick was five years old his mother took him to the public library to sign him up for a library card. Do you have a public library card? If not, perhaps you could ask a parent to help you get one when they have a little time. If you were to design a fabulous looking library card for yourself, what would it look like? Use your imagination.
Frederick enjoyed reading all types of books from history books to books about boxers to books about cooking and antique cars. What sorts of books do you enjoy reading? Make a list of your favorite books in at least three of the following categories: history, nature, sports, biography, mystery and science.
Draw a picture of your own idea of a cover for one of your favorite books. Use ink, colored pencil, acrylic paint and or cut paper or any combination of these as illustrator Cannaday Chapman has done in this beautifully illustrated book. Have fun!
Jen Bryant’s writing is very poetic throughout this book. Look through the pages again and select three of her descriptions that stand out for you. Read them aloud. Why do you think they attract you?
