Kirjahaku

When she did not eat all the food on her plate, her Aunt Roselee said, "Mr. Needmore is going to get you when you grow up. You just wait and see." When the little girl lost a sock or scarf, Aunt Roselee told her, "Mr. Needmore is going to get you when you grow up. You just wait and see." Throughout her childhood, the girl wondered who Mr. Needmore was and what he looked like. Was he tall and skinny like a totem pole? Or was he short and fat like a wild buffalo? It was not until she was an adult that she discovered the identity of Mr. Needmore. A picture book for children, My Aunt Roselee's Mr. Needmore, shares a message to kids about becoming wise and not being wasteful in what is given and learning to be good keepers of the things life grants them.

I heard these words from a charming and wise brilliant actress Viola Davis whom I admire immensely; "Let us exhume the bones of the dead and tell their stories...." that touched my heart, so I decided to heed her words and penned this story for young children to read or read to them in hopes it would kindle a spark of fire in their quest to learn about the dehumanizing tragedy of slavery as free labor in Southern States and to compare enslaved humans with animals enjoying their freedom in Africa. Knowing truths according to biblical scripture, St. John 8:32, "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" knowing truths should be the first step in gaining knowledge and aligning oneself with facts. It was my challenge in this children's book not only to cultivate awareness about slavery being unjust but prompt readers' journey to seek the truth about slavery and be able to formulate their narrative. Paraphrasing the scripture Philippians 4:8, true freedom comes from knowing things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, and of excellent report only if a mind is morally sound and can honor a living God. There is no shame in knowing truths. Only to accept the knowledge and, with a grateful heart, right the wrong thru deeds of love and kindness. The Declaration of Independence declares, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal." This is the uniform standard ideal our forefathers put in place for Americans to adopt and should live. The practice of slavery was in place before the adoption of the Constitution and was a part of the social wealth system that made it almost impossible to change. Today let us all stand to right the wrong thru our deeds of love and kindness and know that any form of denying a person true liberty is wrong.