Joe-Joe’s father works at the local airport, one of the first in the area, at a time when segregation rules. Even though the men who work at the airport, including Joe-Joe’s dad, were promised flying jobs, the owner refuses to let them fly. The town of Blind Eye has lost hope over the men’s heartbreak and the injustice being done to them, so much so that the moon won’t shine down on it any longer. More than anything, Joe-Joe wants to bring the moon back to Blind Eye so he can return hope to the townspeople. This is an extraordinary storybook about lost hope and what can happen when dreams are allowed to flourish.
“From a beginning quote by Virginia Hamilton, ‘they say the people could fly’ to the endnote in which Tarpley elaborates on African Americans’ struggle for the right to fly, this is a celebration of the human spirit and the courage and determination of a people to soar.”—School Library Journal
“Tarpley’s warm, colloquial words and Lewis’ exquisite watercolors capture the joy and sense of empowerment in the boy’s fantasy as well as the tenderness between father and son.”—Booklist
NATASHA ANASTASIA Tarpley is the author of several books for adults and young readers.
E. B. LEWIS has illustrated more than 25 books for children.
Joe-Joe’s father works at the local airport, one of the first in the area, at a time when segregation rules. Even though the men who work at the airport, including Joe-Joe’s dad, were promised flying jobs, the owner refuses to let them fly. The town of Blind Eye has lost hope over the men’s heartbreak and the injustice being done to them, so much so that the moon won’t shine down on it any longer. More than anything, Joe-Joe wants to bring the moon back to Blind Eye so he can return hope to the townspeople. This is an extraordinary storybook about lost hope and what can happen when dreams are allowed to flourish.
Reviews
“From a beginning quote by Virginia Hamilton, ‘they say the people could fly’ to the endnote in which Tarpley elaborates on African Americans’ struggle for the right to fly, this is a celebration of the human spirit and the courage and determination of a people to soar.”—School Library Journal
“Tarpley’s warm, colloquial words and Lewis’ exquisite watercolors capture the joy and sense of empowerment in the boy’s fantasy as well as the tenderness between father and son.”—Booklist
Author
NATASHA ANASTASIA Tarpley is the author of several books for adults and young readers.
E. B. LEWIS has illustrated more than 25 books for children.
