Nelson, Kadir. The Undefeated. Written by Kwame Alexander. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2019.

In just the second page opening of The Undefeated, a work largely dedicated to "the grit, passion, and perseverance of our greatest artists, athletes, and activists" (front flap) Kadir Nelson presents an intimate portrait of an unnamed, unknown Black family. The family is located almost entirely on the verso, nearly filling the page. The asymmetrical composition of the double-page spread drives the compelling, intense mood of the illustration.

The figures stand tall in a cluster, so erect that the reader can draw an invisible vertical line from the tops of their foreheads to the bottom of the pages in the spread. The stability typically associated with vertical emphasis is turned on its head as Father and Mother silently speak: you do not, cannot, know our story. What lingers from looking at the upright figures, then, is strength. Regarding the origin of the illustration, Nelson has said he thought about "[t]he people throughout history who we don't necessarily know–who we may never know–but their contributions to the story of America are just as important" (Shapiro, par.6). At the center of the portrait, Father's and Mother's gaze, directly meeting the reader's eyes, cannot be ignored. While Father's eyes are scrunched, brow furrowed, Mother's eyes are narrowed, lips pursed. They have lived. What is more, age does not define experience. The children, too, look directly into the reader's eyes.

Calling attention to the history and work of the Black Lives Matter and We Need Diverse Books movements, Martin writes, "there are so many books now that insist readers look at the black and brown child" (6). This is a time when white police officers and white families can and must see children of color. In this spread, Nelson intentionally portrays, one can only imagine, a boy, girl, and an infant. Each has–or will have–a different story. Indeed, Martin argues, the "new direction in twenty-first century picturebooks addresses perpetrators of racism and bystanders alike with confrontational, proud representations of black and brown children who have stories they want you–all of you–to hear" (6). Son is portrayed with pride, eyes bright, chin up and almost smiling, without a hat to cover his head or shade his face. Daughter stands hesitant, reserved, eyes dim. Baby is calm and still, even sleepy, but still locks eyes with the reader. Each child, like their parents, has had experiences that are worth knowing.

Works Cited

Martin, Michelle H. “Facing the Black Child: The Bold Direction of Twenty-First Century Picturebooks.” Children and Libraries: The Journal of the Association for Library Service to Children, vol. 16, no. 3, 2018, pp. 3-6, journals.ala.org/index.php/cal/article/view/6792/9126. Accessed 21 March 2022.

Nelson, Kadir. The Undefeated. Written by Kwame Alexander. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2019.

Shapiro, Ari. “This Is For 'The Undefeated': A New Picture Book Celebrates Black Brilliance.” NPR, 2 April 2019, www.npr.org/2019/04/02/708821115/this-is-for-the-undefeated-a-new-picture-book-celebrates-black-brilliance. Accessed 19 March 2022.