The People Could Fly: The Picture Book

by Virginia Hamilton

Book Overview

"THE PEOPLE COULD FLY," the title story in Virginia Hamilton's prize-winning American Black folktale collection, is a fantasy tale of the slaves who possessed the ancient magic words that enabled them to literally fly away to freedom. And it is a moving tale of those who did not have the opportunity to "fly" away, who remained slaves with only their imaginations to set them free as they told and retold this tale. Leo and Diane Dillon have created...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0375824057
• ISBN13: 9780375824050
• Release Date: November 2004
• Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers
• Length: 32 Pages
• Weight: 1.13 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 9.4" x 12.1"
• Age Range: 4 to 8 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 3

Customer Reviews

The People Could Fly

I bought this book about 20 years ago - It was a favorite of my then young children. TO this day, my daughter, son and I remember the great stories and pictures. They are now 24 and 26 years old. I have given this book for a gift as well. You can't beat this one!

Fascinating stories passed down to the generations

"The People Could Fly" has it's roots in Angollah and the "Gullah" people. It is beautifully illustrated and written. The colors only enhance the beauty of the original black and white drawings. This book will spark a child's interest in African American history and mythology.

A masterpiece!

The story, prose, and illustrations of this book are beautiful and timeless. We checked this book out from the library and it became an immediate favorite--we didn't want to give it back! I'm buying my own copy for our collection.

Only their imaginations to set them free

The death of author Virginia Hamilton in 2002 was a blow to the world of children's literature, no question. Hamilton was an extraordinary writer, creating complex fantastical books for children that seamlessly integrated contemporary interesting situations with aspects of African-American culture. Heck, one of the first ways I learned about the Underground Railroad was through her "House of Dies Drear". I hadn't read her collection of black folktales entitled "The People Could Fly" though I intended to. I was a little confused, therefore, when a brand spanking new "The People Could Fly" was published in 2004. I soon learned, though, that the book had taken one of the stories from the original collection, in a beautiful retelling of the amazing title story. This is a book that is beautiful to look at and a joy to read and reread. For you see, they say the people could fly. Long ago in Africa there lived people who had beautiful bright black wings and who could soar in the sky. When they were captured by white slavers, the people shed their wings in the tight confines of the slave ships and forgot how to soar. They were sent to work in the field under the whips of the "masters" and overseers. One day, a woman and her babe were suffering too much to go on much longer. With the ancient words of the old man Toby, the woman and the babe remember how to fly and soared away from the farm. The story recounts how the people who knew how to fly learned to do so again with the help of old Toby and how the slaves who did not know how to fly watched them escape and retold the story to their children just as this book tells it to you. It's a lovely story, all the lovelier due to the illustrations of Leo and Diane Dillon. The Dillons have illustrated the covers and books of Ms. Hamilton for years, so it is not surprising that they should do so again here. I've always been a huge fan of the Dillons, and this latest effort of theirs is as beautiful as anyone could hope. Even its endpapers are gorgeous, all matt black with shimmery feathers floating down the pages. What "The People Could Fly" does best is introduce children to the concept of slavery within the context of a folktale. Through this story kids understand the horrors of enslavement, rejoice in the escape of some, and understand that most slaves remained trapped and unable to fly. What really set this book apart for me, though, was the use of Editor and Author's Notes. Some great picture books (such as "Ellington Was Not a Street") are beautiful and interesting but never set their story within any context and leave you feeling very confused. "The People Could Fly", on the other hand, tells you everything you need to know about Hamilton, the origins of this tale, the various interpretations of flight (and how you can find a similar idea in Toni Morrison's excellent "Song of Solomon"), and the degradation of slavery. All intelligent dialogue aside, this book is just a great read