Jalani and the Lock

Dr. Pace is an accomplished and renowned sculptor. Throughout his career, he has worked with a broad range of objects and materials. His sculptures, installations and performance art have received international acclaim and he has exhibited in galleries and museum all over the world. In 1993, Dr. Pace skyrocketed to national attention when he was commissioned to build a monument at New York City's Foley Square paying homage to the African slaves originally buried at that site. In 1991, the remains of over 400 African slaves were excavated during the construction of a federal building in the city's financial district. The City of New York wanted to create a memorial and Dr. Pace was chosen. He worked on this project for nearly ten years. The result is the beautiful 300-ton granite sculpture named "Triumph of the Human Spirit." A duplicate of the lock that Steve Pace passed down to his descendants is buried in this monument. He is presently a professor of art at the University of Texas.

Noted sculptor Pace makes a stunning children's book debut. Disarming in its simplicity, his narrative conveys complex themes in a fairy tale structure. "A long time ago in Africa," reads the left-hand page of the first spread, opposite a childlike outline of the continent in orange, clearly labeled, which vibrates against a cherry-red background. The next two spreads continue, "a little boy named Jalani/ loved to play in the forest." Jalani's smiling face dominates his portrait; the forest is a grove of lollipop trees. In these three spreads, Pace introduces the key elements of his story. Like other classic fairy tales, the forest, once a child's magical kingdom, becomes a source of terror; this is the scene where "a strange man came and took him away." Pace marks Jalani's transition into life as a captive in America with a single word, "Locks," paired with the image of a padlock so carefully rendered that it seems to be animated on the page. The compositions depict Jalani's fellow field hands but never his oppressors, and his memories sustain him until he is finally freed. He keeps the lock, however, and hands it down to his eldest son "so they would never forget from where they all came." Based on the biography of Pace's own great-great-grandfather, the volume ends with a photograph of the lock. In his choice to adhere to a child's vocabulary and view of the world, Pace conveys the childlike hope that kept Jalani and his past alive. Ages 8-up.

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