“There was a tree that stood alone in the Bah family
backyard. Thick, brown bark covered the trunk, while the
gently swaying branches covered in leaves seemed to laugh
from the wind’s playful breeze…
Isaac Bah stood gazing at the tree… ‘Hello, tree! How
are you today?’ said Isaac. ’Are you my family tree?’”
—Excerpted from pages 6 & 8
Genealogy is a sensitive issue for most African-Americans,
given the way that black families were torn apart during
slavery. Consequently, it can be very awkward indeed for parents
trying to figure out exactly how to respond to a youngster’s
natural curiosity about his or her roots, when they can only be
traced back several generations to somewhere around
Emancipation.
Help has arrived in Isaac and the Bah Family Tree, a delightful
fairytale by Adrienne C. Wilson sweetly illustrated by Benton
Rudd. The book relates the earnest effort of a little boy named
Isaac Bah to find his family tree like his friends at school
had. However, because he doesn’t quite understand the concept
yet, he initially takes the word “tree” literally, and expects
to find an answer in the oak, pine and weeping willows he finds
in his backyard and a nearby park.
Ultimately, it turns out Isaac isn’t really that far off, for
the author cleverly employs tree imagery as a metaphor en route
to clearing up the kid’s confusion. For, after finding a photo
album in an old “trunk” up in the attic, he enlists his
grandfather’s assistance in determining the ancestors and other
relatives who make up the “branches” and “leaves” of the Bah
family tree.
A touching lesson in lineage and African-American history
with a satisfying payoff. Practically the perfect way for black
parents to broach the subject of genealogy with inquiring
offspring.
An interview with Adrienne C. Wilson about the book: