When Dinga’s beloved son goes missing, Fire, Water and Wind are the only ones who can tell him about the African thieves, The Middle Passage and slave culture in America. While Dinga mourns the taken Musafa, his son never forgets what he has learned from his father and the same Wind touches them both. Narrated by a storyteller’s voice, Never Forgotten is a beautiful lament.
Dinga danced and feasted far into the night With the Mother Elements by his side Celebrating the son who was taken But never forgotten.
Patricia C. McKissack‘s beautiful poetry brings this story to life, never glossing over the pain but never without hope either. Artwork by Leo and Diane Dillon compels the beholder with vivid lines and illustrations that break out of their borders: the spirit cannot be contained.
This book is for all ages. This teacher’s guide covers themes of remembrance, loss and courage.
Update: Patricia C. McKissack won the 2012 PEN/Steven Kroll Award Honoring the Author of an Illustrated Children’s Book for Never Forgotten.
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