Big Papa And The Time Machine

By Daniel Bernstrom, Illustrated by Shane W. Evans ( HarperCollins Children’s Books – 2020 )

[We took Big Papa’s time machine to a long time ago. We took it to when Big Papa worked in the sky. Way, way up on top of tall building wrapped in coats of smoke and ash. ” You was so high up, ” I said. “Wasn’t you scared?”] This is a picture book of a stirring dialogue between a child and his grandfather. In this dreamlike journey, the author and the illustrator masterfully explore crucial moment of African American history- happy and sand-inviting the young and the old to share their stories of courage across time.

[ビッグパパのタイムマシーンに乗って、昔々へ行くんだ。ビッグパパが空の上で働いていた時代さ。雲と灰にまみれるほど高い高いビルの上なんだ。「お爺ちゃん凄い高い所で怖くなかった?」と僕は尋ねた。] この絵本は祖父と孫の心引かれる会話である。この夢のようなタイムマシーンの旅の中で、作者とイラストレーターは米国黒人の歴史の忘れられない歴史の一コマを、悲しかろうと嬉しかろうと、年齢を超えて語り合おうことを励ましてくれている。