The Women Who Caught the Babies: A Story of African American Midwives

Reviewed by Deborah Menkart
Reviewed Source: Teaching for Change
Book Author: Eloise Greenfield

Renowned children’s book author Eloise Greenfield opens her latest title with a note to readers, “I want to take you back only as far as the Africa of a few hundred years ago. That’s when millions of Africans were forced from their homelands, brought to America, and enslaved. Some of the enslaved were midwives.”

This unique picture book begins with historic background on the work of midwives, written in prose that is accessible to young readers and accompanied by archival photographs. The book then switches to poetry and stunningly beautiful illustrations — with vignettes from lives of midwives during slavery, emancipation, and today. Greenfield closes with a poem about the midwife who “caught” her when she was born, Miss Rovenia Mayo of Parmele, North Carolina.

The Women Who Caught the Babies: A Story of African American Midwives5 Stars
The Women Who Caught the Babies by Eloise Greenfield
Published by ALAZAR Press on 2019-09
Genres: African American, Girls and Women, Health, Slavery, Women
Pages: 32
Reading Level: Grades 3-5, Grades 6-8
ISBN: 9780997772074
Review Source: Rethinking Schools

Also by this author: The Great Migration, Honey, I Love
The Women Who Caught the Babies highlights important aspects of the training and work of African-American midwives and the ways in which they have helped, and continue to help, so many families by "catching" their babies at birth. The blend of Eloise Greenfield's poetry and Daniel Minter's art evokes heartfelt appreciation of the abilities of African-American midwifes over the course of time. The poem "Africa to America" begins the poetic journey. The poem "The Women" both heralds the poetry/art pairing and concludes it with a note of gratitude. Also included is a piece titled "Miss Rovenia Mayo," which pays tribute to the midwife who caught newborn Eloise.
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Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
The Women Who Caught the Babies highlights important aspects of the training and work of African-American midwives and the ways in which they have helped, and continue to help, so many families by "catching" their babies at birth. The blend of Eloise Greenfield's poetry and Daniel Minter's art evokes heartfelt appreciation of the abilities of African-American midwifes over the course of time. The poem "Africa to America" begins the poetic journey. The poem "The Women" both heralds the poetry/art pairing and concludes it with a note of gratitude. Also included is a piece titled "Miss Rovenia Mayo," which pays tribute to the midwife who caught newborn Eloise.

About the Author
With many award-winning books to her credit, Eloise Greenfield has achieved her status among the most celebrated of children's authors. Multiple lifetime achievement awards include a Living Legacy Award, a Hope S. Dean Award, an NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children among others. She has been inducted into the National Literary Hall of Fame for Writers of African Descent. Africa Dream received the Coretta Scott King Award while the Coretta Scott King Author Honor and an ALA 2012 Notable Children's book honored her title, The Great Migration: Journey to the North.

Daniel Minter is an artist whose paintings, carvings, block prints, and sculptures have been exhibited both nationally and internationally at galleries and museums, including the Seattle Art Museum, Tacoma Art Museum, Bates College, Hammonds House Museum, Northwest African American Art Museum, Museu Jorge Amado and the Meridian International Center. Minter is the co-founder and creative visionary of the Portland Freedom Trail and serves on the board of The Ashley Bryan Center, The Illustration Institute.