Can You Imagine?

Children's Literature

The author of such books as The Dark Thirty: Southern Tales of the Supernatural; Mirandy and Brother Wind; Flossie and the Fox; and Christmas in the Big House, Christmas in the Quarters, among others, tells of her childhood, how she writes, often in concert with her husband Fredrick McKissack, and the sources of imagination in her writing. The author mentions the role the integrated library played in her being raised in the segregated south, her family and the stories they told, and her love of Paul Laurence Dunbar's works which led her to write some of her books. Photographs show her storytelling with groups, with her family, and at work with her husband and sons. All and all, it's a strong addition to the "Meet the Authors" series and a valuable book to share with would-be writers, or during Black History Month, or as an introduction to or confirmation of McKissack's many picture books, biographies, and folktales available to readers, from kindergarten to middle school and beyond. 1997, Richard C. Owen Publishers,
— Susan Hepler

Children's Literature - Beverly Kobrin

For insight into how Patricia McKissack became an author, the hard work behind her collaborations with her husband, and her solo titles, hand children the eye-opening Can You Imagine, Ms. McKissack's contribution to the fine "Meet the Author" series.

School Library Journal

Gr 1-4Three authors invite readers into their homes and workplaces, introduce their families and pets, and even offer a look through their family albums. In first-person narratives, they confide childhood dreams and fears and remember their early sources of inspiration. Their revelations are delightful: Asch pays homage to his boyhood hero, Roy Rogers, and shares a wonderful picture of himself with Roy in later years; McKissack describes listening as a child to storytellers in her own family and later telling her own stories to school classes; Pringle shows a journal of bird life with pictures he drew over 40 years ago. Each voice is different and individual personalities come through. The format is ideal for the intended audience, with plenty of white space between lines, wide margins, and appropriate vocabulary. Excellent, recent, full-color photos and/or old black-and-white pictures appear on every page. These autobiographies will entertain and inspire young readers.Marlene Gawron, Orange County Library, Orlando, FL