These hands

by Margaret H. Mason

Other authorsFloyd Cooper (Illustrator)
Hardcover, 2011

Status

Available

Publication

Boston : Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2011.

Description

An African American man tells his grandson about a time when, despite all the wonderful things his hands could do, they could not touch bread at the Wonder Bread factory. Based on stories of bakery union workers; includes historical note.

User reviews

LibraryThing member debnance
Joseph’s grandpa tells the young grandson all the things his hands used to be able to do when he was younger, including tying shoes and playing the piano and shuffling cards and throwing a baseball. Then the grandpa shares with Joseph the story of how black hands were not allowed to handle bread
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dough in the bread factory when the grandpa was a young man. Grandpa tells how the hands were used to write petitions and work together to change things for black people.

Beautiful, touching pictures, almost like photographs.

“Look at these hands, Joseph.

Did you know these hands
used to pluck the ace of spades
right out of thin air?

Well, I can still teach a young fellow
how to do a waterfall shuffle
---yes, I can.”
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LibraryThing member LoniMc
This is a wonderful story about a grandfather teaching is grandson, not only about baseball and music but also about segregation.
LibraryThing member alyson
Nice intergenerational story that works in two ways. The story of the little boy learning from his grandfather is touching on its own; but there is also the added bonus of the story of the factory workers and the civil rights movement which is equally engaging. Great book whichever story interests
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you most!
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LibraryThing member bperry93
Have you ever been told “no” before? That you cannot do something simply because of your appearance and looks? In this strong and encouraging story, a grandfather tells his grandson all of the things that he can do with his hands, including tying difficult knots, playing the piano, and throwing
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a mean curveball. He then goes on to explain all that he was not allowed to do with his hands because of the color of his skin back back in the day. He tells stories of how he was not allowed to work in factories or do anything near or at the same place as other people with lighter skin tones, but that he could still do all of the things at the beginning of the story, like playing piano for his family and that was all that truly mattered to him. He overcame the hatred and hardships that came with the times and gave his grandson the same strength to fight for what is right. Mason, author of "Inside All," does it again in another inspiring book and storyline about finding our place in the world and doing what we find important and what makes us happy as individuals.
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LibraryThing member attebb
Joe's grandpa used to do anything he wanted with his hands (play the piano, tie a shoe, shuffle cards), but he wasn't allowed to work the bread in the factory he worked for, because he was Black. This story is about Joe's grandfather and other African Americans who rose up and demanded fair
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treatment and the release of the bondages still held firmly in place by racism during the Civil Rights Movement. This is a profound and fantastic book about labor strikes during the Civil Rights Era and how hands joined together to change the laws and attitudes of the time. Joe's grandfather showed Joe the amazing capabilities of hands and how they can do things on an individual level but profound things when joined together as a group.
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LibraryThing member ArielDean
A grandfather tells his grandson that he could do anything except make bread in the factory because he was black. I like this book because it gives the little boy hope. He can do anything if he works hard.
LibraryThing member SamanthaThompson
I liked reading this book, even though it was a story I would not normally pick from a shelf. "These Hands" deals with the civil rights movement by a grandfather explaining to his grandson what his hands could and couldn't do during that time. I think this book handles a tough subject in a manner
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that is easy for anyone to understand, even if they had absolutely no background knowledge of the civil rights movement.
One reason I liked this book was that the pictures are made up of many dots that are faded in color. The dots still formed a complete picture, but they helped the illustrations look fuzzy and older. The appearance of the pictures helped portray to the reader that this story talks about subjects of the past. I also thought it was cool to see such pictures because most stories do not have illustrations that are made up of dots; they are traditionally drawn with complete colors and lines. It was nice to see a change from the typical illustration and I thought it was perfect for the time and setting of the book.

Another reason I liked this book was the pattern that the sentences contained. In the beginning, each page started with "Look at these hands, Joseph. Did you know these hands used to ___. Well, I can still help a young fellow ____, yes I can." After a few pages that continue in this manner, it switches to the things he can't do. I found the story easy to follow because of the familiar format. It also helped make the large topic of the civil rights movement easier to understand.

The main idea of the story is that in the past, some people were not allowed to do things because of their appearance, but now we have our rights and it is important to be thankful for what we have that others may not. It is also a story about tolerance for others.
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LibraryThing member Tammie14
I liked this book because it gently pushes young readers to think about discrimination and more importantly invites conversation. I enjoyed how the book started with the simple storyline of an African Grandfather teaching his grandson to do everyday tasks such as tying his shoes, playing baseball,
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etc., and then moves into a story of how at one time African Americans were not allowed to handle the dough at the bread factory. I also liked how the book transitioned from "these hands" to "joining hands together" when the workers at the factory joined together to rally against the factory for fair working conditions. "These Hands" invoke dialogue about social issues and teaches children that when individuals join together and work together as a team, they can accomplish great things.
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LibraryThing member Tammie14
I liked this book because it gently pushes young readers to think about discrimination and more importantly invites conversation. I enjoyed how the book started with the simple storyline of an African Grandfather teaching his grandson to do everyday tasks such as tying his shoes, playing baseball,
Show More
etc., and then moves into a story of how at one time African Americans were not allowed to handle the dough at the bread factory. I also liked how the book transitioned from "these hands" to "joining hands together" when the workers at the factory joined together to rally against the factory for fair working conditions. "These Hands" invoke dialogue about social issues and teaches children that when individuals join together and work together as a team, they can accomplish great things.
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LibraryThing member Raquelb
This picture book brings about the issue of race and also teaches a valuable lesson. These Hands, express a grandfather's past life and how he struggled to fit into society at one point in his life. He teaches his grandson that an African American's hands or ability is no different or less than any
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one else's. The young boy learns from his grandfather that he is capable of doing anything if he sets his mind to it and that he was the one to teach him that very lesson.
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LibraryThing member JamieLewis
The main message of this book is that everyone has the same rights regardless of your race. You don't have to be a certain color to be good at something and in the end we are all the same.
One reason I liked this book was the repetition demonstrated throughout the text. I think that repetition in
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books is always good because it helps the story flow as well as helping beginners get more comfortable with reading. An example of this repetition is the first couple pages starting with, "Look at these hands, Joseph." And then he goes into telling an example of something that he has done with his hands. Then it ends with, "-yes, I can." That happens multiple times throughout the book helping the reading flow through it.
One thing I did not like about this book was it's illustrations. Although the illustrations took up the whole page, the colors were dull throughout the story. I think that more color could have been added to make the story more lively and catching.
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LibraryThing member kacieholt
This is about a grandfather teaching his grandson things he can do with his hands: tie shoes, play piano, play baseball, and the grandfather also shares with his grandson how he worked at the Wonder Bread factory during segregation, and how he was not allowed to touch the bread dough because of the
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color of his skin. He shares with his grandson how he and other African-American workers protested and changed this racist policy.
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LibraryThing member Whisper1
Joseph is very close to his grandpa. He marvels at his ability to play the piano, to teach him to tie his shoes and to teach him to throw a curve ball. Joseph's grandfather tells him the story of what marvelous things he could, and can do with his hands.

There was a time, however, when despite all
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his talents, Joseph's grandfather could not use his hands to kneed the dough when he worked at the Detroit Wonder Bread Factory. Discriminatory policies were in place in the 1950-1960's and black people where not allowed to touch the dough. Only white people could perform this task.

Black people could be janitors, load the trucks and sweep the flour from the floor. Wonder Bread decided that white people would not want to eat bread touched by black hands.

Then, marvelously, hands were joined to write petitions and to carry signs. And, as the voices were raised, and the hands were joined, the Wonder Bread factory had to stop their horrible policies.
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LibraryThing member AbigailAdams26
As he assists his grandson in a variety of tasks - learning to tie his shoes, playing the piano, hitting a line drive - the grandfather in this moving picture-book examination of racism reflects on the things his hands have done, and the things they were not allowed to do, once upon a time. Once,
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the grandfather hadn't been able to work making Wonder Bread, because white consumers wouldn't want to buy bread made by black hands. But through protest and labor struggle, that eventually changed, and now the grandfather's hands - and the grandson's - can do anything in the world...

A sensitive depiction of the realities of racism in American history,
These Hands highlights not just the ugliness of prejudice, but its stupidity as well. It's difficult to imagine that people once believed it made any difference what color the hands were, that produced the food they ate, but so it was. I found the narrative here, based upon stories heard by author Margaret H. Mason from an old friend and former bakery union leader, immensely poignant, and thought the conclusion, in which the grandson responds to his grandfather's reflections on his hands, was just lovely. The accompanying artwork by Floyd Cooper, created using oil paint and erasers, is likewise beautiful, capturing both the sadness of the grandfather's reflections, and the joy of the loving bond he shares with his grandson. Recommended to anyone looking for picture-books that present the connections between American history and personal family history, and reflect the important bond between the generations.
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LibraryThing member Jessica5858
A man describes to his grandson all the things that his hands could, and still can do. In the middle of the book he describes racial discrimination at the Wonder Bread Factory, and how he worked with others to protest and change the policies. After he explains to his grandson that people of any
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race can hold equal jobs at the factory, the grandson describes all of the things that his hands can do.

Ages 7+
Source: Personal Collection
I used this book for Effective Questioning
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Awards

Georgia Children's Book Award (Finalist — Picturebook — 2013)
Golden Kite Award (Honor — 2012)
Grand Canyon Reader Award (Nominee — Picture Books — 2013)
Charlotte Zolotow Award (Highly Commended Title — 2012)

Language

Original publication date

2010

ISBN

0547215665 / 9780547215662

Barcode

39
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