The Women Who Caught the Babies

Starred review from September 1, 2019
Grades 3-6 *Starred Review* Through words and images, this unusual book of verse celebrates the long tradition of African American midwives guiding babies into the world with gentle, loving hands. The book opens with Greenfield's prose introduction to midwives' work, their education, and their sense of dedication to a calling. The first poem, The Women, sets the tone: They caught the babies, / and catch them still, / welcome them into the world, / for loving. Other poems are set during the voyage to America, in the period shortly after emancipation, in the early 1900s, and in the early 2000s. The Women appears again with a different illustration, followed by Miss Rovenia Mayo, a poem of remembrance for the midwife who welcomed Greenfield herself into the world. A source bibliography is appended. While well-chosen archival photos accompany the book's introduction and final poem, Minter's full-page paintings beautifully illustrate most of the verse. Strong and graceful, the images feature deep, rich colors brightened with white netlike forms created with repeated motifs and vibrant images evocative of the natural world: the ocean, sea-foam, fishes, birds, branches, leaves, blossoms, fruits, and new life waiting to be born. A unique, moving tribute to the women who caught the babies and continue to do so today.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2019
In a series of poems that make up a collective "biography" of African American midwives, esteemed poet Greenfield begins with the women midwives kidnapped from Africa to America as slaves and moves through the generations to present day. A multi-page historical introduction, complete with photographs, offers concrete information about midwives. Minter's art is powerful and luminous, full of symbolic imagery and sinewy figures. Bib.

(Copyright 2019 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

Starred review from August 15, 2019
This poetic tale chronicles the presence and contributions of African American midwives. A five-page historical introduction explains a few specific details of the role of the midwife, including noting their contributions dating back to the time of slavery; this is accompanied by archival, black-and-white photographs. Seven poems follow, celebrating midwives through history. First, Greenfield describes the trans-Atlantic slave journey and how, in America, the elder women taught the younger girls the knowledge and skill of assisting in childbirth, or "catching the babies." The poem "After Emancipation, 1863" speaks to the special exuberance expressed by parents whose children were at last born free from slavery: The midwife "felt the / excitement circling through / the room. / ...it was more than / the joy of a new baby coming." In "The Early 1900s," the midwife now had more than her hands for the job; she had a stethoscope, scales, and, most likely, her husband, who would transport her via horse and buggy to deliver babies. The poems are accompanied by colorful, symbolic artwork by Minter. One striking image depicts five women connected by sinuous, draping robes, heads bowed in concentration, "gentle, loving" hands at the ends of muscular arms "guid[ing babies] into the world." Greenfield also includes black-and-white photographs of her childhood self, a nod to "Miss Rovenia Mayo," the midwife who "caught" her in 1929. Rites of passage incandescently brought to light. (Picture book/poetry. 7-12)

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