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Opal's Greenwood Oasis
The year is 1921, and Opal Brown would like to show you around her beautiful neighborhood of Greenwood in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Filled with busy stores and happy families, Opal also wants you to know that “everyone looks like me.”
In both words and illustrations, this carefully researched and historically accurate book allows children to experience the joys and success of Greenwood, one of the most prosperous Black communities of the early 20th Century, an area Booker T. Washington dubbed America’s Black Wall Street.
Soon after the day narrated by Opal, Greenwood would be lost in the Tulsa Race Massacre, the worst act of racial violence in American history. As we approach the centennial of that tragic event, children have the opportunity through this book to learn and celebrate all that was built in Greenwood.
In both words and illustrations, this carefully researched and historically accurate book allows children to experience the joys and success of Greenwood, one of the most prosperous Black communities of the early 20th Century, an area Booker T. Washington dubbed America’s Black Wall Street.
Soon after the day narrated by Opal, Greenwood would be lost in the Tulsa Race Massacre, the worst act of racial violence in American history. As we approach the centennial of that tragic event, children have the opportunity through this book to learn and celebrate all that was built in Greenwood.
- GenresPicture BooksChildrens
32 pages, Hardcover
Published February 1, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
September 4, 2021
This book hit me hard: Opal Brown (a young African American girl) takes you on a tour through Greenwood - right before the Tulsa Race Massacre. Opal is picking up cinnamon for her mom to bake pies because there is a picnic that afternoon. As Opal rides her bike she interacts with all her neighbors - a normal day - yet we all know what is coming. I consider this an excellent first social justice book; it is not graphically violent (but the art is fantastic) and the last page of the book gives you pause to examine this crime from a safe place for small children. Highest recommendation.
December 22, 2021
The art style used in this book is phenomenal. I cannot express properly how much I loved it. The story is a good introduction to the Tulsa Race Massacre for young kids. It stops right before it happens, so parents and teachers can introduce the topic and proceed according to how they feel is best for their child or the children in their classroom. Highly recommended!
This unbiased review is based on a complimentary copy provided by the publisher.
This unbiased review is based on a complimentary copy provided by the publisher.
January 30, 2021
In Opal’s Greenwood Oasis we are introduced to the Greenwood District in Tulsa, Oklahoma (also known as “Black Wall Street”) as it was in 1921, just before the Tulsa Race Massacre took place.
I have to be honest, I didn’t know very much about the city of Tulsa before I read this book, but now I can’t think of a better introduction than Opal’s.
Following a day in the life of a young girl named Opal Brown, we are introduced to the prosperous community of Greenwood and its happy families and busy stores as she rides her bike to the drugstore all by herself for the first time. Her descriptions of the historic businesses she passes combined with the photographs used in Skip Hill’s mixed media illustrations provide us all with a clear picture of what a vibrant, thriving Black community Greenwood was before one of the worst acts of violence in American history occurred there.
I love that the focus of Opal’s Greenwood Oasis is Opal’s joy and pride in her home, making this book feel more like a celebration of what the community was, and is today. Though there is some mention of the origins of the Tulsa Race Massacre in the narrative, the tragedy isn’t explained until the back matter, which provides a short historical explanation.
Opal’s Greenwood Oasis is published by Calliope Group, an independent publisher in Tulsa. The care and attention put into this book really highlight the love that everyone involved in making this book has for the city of Tulsa, and for the Greenwood District.
As we approach the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre, I would highly recommend this title to teach young readers about Greenwood and the tragedy it faced.
Many thanks to The Calliope Group for providing me with a review copy of Opal’s Greenwood Oasis. It was an honor to see Greenwood for the first time through Opal’s eyes.
I have to be honest, I didn’t know very much about the city of Tulsa before I read this book, but now I can’t think of a better introduction than Opal’s.
Following a day in the life of a young girl named Opal Brown, we are introduced to the prosperous community of Greenwood and its happy families and busy stores as she rides her bike to the drugstore all by herself for the first time. Her descriptions of the historic businesses she passes combined with the photographs used in Skip Hill’s mixed media illustrations provide us all with a clear picture of what a vibrant, thriving Black community Greenwood was before one of the worst acts of violence in American history occurred there.
I love that the focus of Opal’s Greenwood Oasis is Opal’s joy and pride in her home, making this book feel more like a celebration of what the community was, and is today. Though there is some mention of the origins of the Tulsa Race Massacre in the narrative, the tragedy isn’t explained until the back matter, which provides a short historical explanation.
Opal’s Greenwood Oasis is published by Calliope Group, an independent publisher in Tulsa. The care and attention put into this book really highlight the love that everyone involved in making this book has for the city of Tulsa, and for the Greenwood District.
As we approach the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre, I would highly recommend this title to teach young readers about Greenwood and the tragedy it faced.
Many thanks to The Calliope Group for providing me with a review copy of Opal’s Greenwood Oasis. It was an honor to see Greenwood for the first time through Opal’s eyes.
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May 22, 2021
Opal lives in Greenwood, Oklahoma...a true oasis in the Tulsa area. A thriving, close-knit community of black folks who have created a town of beauty and acceptance. Opal just finished third grade, and everyone is getting ready for the Memorial Day picnic in town.
Everyone knows everyone. The banks take care of Opal's parents...the newpapers (yes, plural!) keep them informed. The shops, the theater, the law offices..In a beautiful line she says, "In Greenwood, we have everything we need and it might surprise you to know everyone looks like me."
Opal's mama forgot to get the cinnamon at the store, and Opal eagerly volunteers to ride her bike to Mr. Mann's grocery...all by herself. She IS a graduate of third grade, after all. It's apparent that Mama has nothing to fear...everyone knows and greets Opal, and keeps their watchful eyes on her.
As the family is packing the car to go to the picnic, they see Dick Rowland running toward his aunt's house...When Opal asks, "Daddy gave Mama that 'grown ups only' look." He does tell Opal and her brother there was some trouble with a white girl who works the elevators at a store in Tulsa. The family thinks no more, and goes to the picnic.
Where Opal has a big piece of blueberry pie...
And then her world, her city, her community, her family, are wiped off the earth.
The authors leave us at the picnic, with no one there knowing what happens next. The weight is all ours. We know. The Tulsa Race Massacre.
The authors do a masterful job of controlling the tone...Opal IS the narrator, and we see everything through her eyes. And she does not understand all the heavy adult realities that are about to descend. She just eats her pie and enjoys her picnic.
The illustrations are breathtaking. I know Skip Hill studied and collected photos of the time, of the thriving Greenwood, and I'm pretty certain some of the characters in his pictures have been inspired by those same photos. Characters, fictional like Opal and her family, and real, like Mr. Mann, are rendered in sharp details...Hall uses a collage effect to layer Opal always in our foreground as we see Greenwood through her eyes.
I would love to teach this book...and Have students collect all the detailed clues in the pictures, and then, with Opal's beautiful story of that last day, research what happened to her community and neighbors. That knowledge weighs the reader down, every page.
Everyone knows everyone. The banks take care of Opal's parents...the newpapers (yes, plural!) keep them informed. The shops, the theater, the law offices..In a beautiful line she says, "In Greenwood, we have everything we need and it might surprise you to know everyone looks like me."
Opal's mama forgot to get the cinnamon at the store, and Opal eagerly volunteers to ride her bike to Mr. Mann's grocery...all by herself. She IS a graduate of third grade, after all. It's apparent that Mama has nothing to fear...everyone knows and greets Opal, and keeps their watchful eyes on her.
As the family is packing the car to go to the picnic, they see Dick Rowland running toward his aunt's house...When Opal asks, "Daddy gave Mama that 'grown ups only' look." He does tell Opal and her brother there was some trouble with a white girl who works the elevators at a store in Tulsa. The family thinks no more, and goes to the picnic.
Where Opal has a big piece of blueberry pie...
And then her world, her city, her community, her family, are wiped off the earth.
The authors leave us at the picnic, with no one there knowing what happens next. The weight is all ours. We know. The Tulsa Race Massacre.
The authors do a masterful job of controlling the tone...Opal IS the narrator, and we see everything through her eyes. And she does not understand all the heavy adult realities that are about to descend. She just eats her pie and enjoys her picnic.
The illustrations are breathtaking. I know Skip Hill studied and collected photos of the time, of the thriving Greenwood, and I'm pretty certain some of the characters in his pictures have been inspired by those same photos. Characters, fictional like Opal and her family, and real, like Mr. Mann, are rendered in sharp details...Hall uses a collage effect to layer Opal always in our foreground as we see Greenwood through her eyes.
I would love to teach this book...and Have students collect all the detailed clues in the pictures, and then, with Opal's beautiful story of that last day, research what happened to her community and neighbors. That knowledge weighs the reader down, every page.
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December 28, 2020Narrated by a ten year old girl named Opal Brown, this picture book of historical fiction paints a picture of a prosperous town, where folks have steady jobs, care for their homes and children, and go to church on Sunday. Opal tells the reader, “In Greenwood, we have everything we need, and it might surprise you to know that everyone looks like me.” Mixed media art with collage, using photographs and drawings, shows this thriving African American community. It is only on the last page, titled ‘What Happened to Opal’s Oasis?’ that the reader learns that the story precedes one of the worst acts of racial violence in American history. People may have heard it referred to as the ‘Tulsa Race Riot,’ but that infers that Black people committed the violence. In fact, in 1921 white people burned buildings and murdered Greenwood’s residents until it was a complete ruin.
Using first person narration to tell one child’s story personalizes this tragic event. Readers will be able to experience Opal’s world, like she is a friend in their own third grade classroom. The last page refers the reader to the publisher website for more information. (Unfortunately, the link takes one to the indie publisher’s site, but I could not see any information about Greenwood.) As the centennial of this tragedy is around the corner, this book could act as a jumping off point for early elementary school classrooms to explore the event.
Quibbles: Obviously, the link should actually provide the information it promises. Also, I would have liked to see additional resources provided in the back matter.
Using first person narration to tell one child’s story personalizes this tragic event. Readers will be able to experience Opal’s world, like she is a friend in their own third grade classroom. The last page refers the reader to the publisher website for more information. (Unfortunately, the link takes one to the indie publisher’s site, but I could not see any information about Greenwood.) As the centennial of this tragedy is around the corner, this book could act as a jumping off point for early elementary school classrooms to explore the event.
Quibbles: Obviously, the link should actually provide the information it promises. Also, I would have liked to see additional resources provided in the back matter.
January 31, 2021
5/5 stars (I would give more if I could.)
Warning: This book addresses a very real and very horrific event in history. The very last page of this book will not be appropriate for young children. The rest is fine though.
Genre: Children's Biography
Description:
The year is 1921, and Opal Brown would like to show you around her beautiful neighborhood of Greenwood in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Filled with busy stores and happy families, Opal also wants you to know that “everyone looks like me.”
In both words and illustrations, this carefully researched and historically accurate book allows children to experience the joys and success of Greenwood, one of the most prosperous Black communities of the early 20th Century, an area Booker T. Washington dubbed America’s Black Wall Street.
Soon after the day narrated by Opal, Greenwood would be lost in the Tulsa Race Massacre, one of the worst acts of racial violence in American history. As we approach the centennial of that tragic event, children have the opportunity through this book to learn and celebrate all that was built in Greenwood.
Pros:
- Absolutely stunning artwork.
- Wonderful descriptions and details.
- Written beautifully, it really teleports you there.
- The last page addresses the Tusla Race Massacre in a very factual and real way.
Cons:
- Not a thing. This is easily one of my favorite books I have the pleasure of reading pre-release.
Would I recommend it?
100% YES!
Warning: This book addresses a very real and very horrific event in history. The very last page of this book will not be appropriate for young children. The rest is fine though.
Genre: Children's Biography
Description:
The year is 1921, and Opal Brown would like to show you around her beautiful neighborhood of Greenwood in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Filled with busy stores and happy families, Opal also wants you to know that “everyone looks like me.”
In both words and illustrations, this carefully researched and historically accurate book allows children to experience the joys and success of Greenwood, one of the most prosperous Black communities of the early 20th Century, an area Booker T. Washington dubbed America’s Black Wall Street.
Soon after the day narrated by Opal, Greenwood would be lost in the Tulsa Race Massacre, one of the worst acts of racial violence in American history. As we approach the centennial of that tragic event, children have the opportunity through this book to learn and celebrate all that was built in Greenwood.
Pros:
- Absolutely stunning artwork.
- Wonderful descriptions and details.
- Written beautifully, it really teleports you there.
- The last page addresses the Tusla Race Massacre in a very factual and real way.
Cons:
- Not a thing. This is easily one of my favorite books I have the pleasure of reading pre-release.
Would I recommend it?
100% YES!
February 1, 2021
Rating: 5⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐!!!!!!!!!
Book: Opal’s Greenwood Oasis
Release Date: TOMORROW Feb 2, 2021
Author: Najah-Amatullah Hylton and Quraysh Ali Lansana
Genre: Children's Fiction | History | Multicultural Interest
Most all of us have heard about the horrific, unimaginable horrors of The Tulsa Race Massacre in Greenwood. While this book does refer to what happened back then (on the last page) it focuses on the days leading up to the massacre. We get to see, from Opal’s point of view, how it was living in Greenwood. I really like this take on the book and the appropriateness for children to see how wonderful the people of Greenwood lived. One of my favorite lines in the book- “…you might be surprised to know that everyone looks like me.” I cannot wait to introduce this book to my class of 3rd graders before we discuss the actual massacre. I think this book is appropriate for children 2-13 years old.
Thank you to @NetGalley and @PenguinRandomHouseCanada for an advanced copy of @OpalsGreenwoodOasis
#OpalsGreenwoodOasis #PenguinRandomHouseCanada #NetGalley #advancedreadercopy #ARC #Kindle #AmazonReads #childrensfiction #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #teacher #educator #classroomreads #blackcharacter #history #multiculturalinterest #representationmatters
Book: Opal’s Greenwood Oasis
Release Date: TOMORROW Feb 2, 2021
Author: Najah-Amatullah Hylton and Quraysh Ali Lansana
Genre: Children's Fiction | History | Multicultural Interest
Most all of us have heard about the horrific, unimaginable horrors of The Tulsa Race Massacre in Greenwood. While this book does refer to what happened back then (on the last page) it focuses on the days leading up to the massacre. We get to see, from Opal’s point of view, how it was living in Greenwood. I really like this take on the book and the appropriateness for children to see how wonderful the people of Greenwood lived. One of my favorite lines in the book- “…you might be surprised to know that everyone looks like me.” I cannot wait to introduce this book to my class of 3rd graders before we discuss the actual massacre. I think this book is appropriate for children 2-13 years old.
Thank you to @NetGalley and @PenguinRandomHouseCanada for an advanced copy of @OpalsGreenwoodOasis
#OpalsGreenwoodOasis #PenguinRandomHouseCanada #NetGalley #advancedreadercopy #ARC #Kindle #AmazonReads #childrensfiction #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #teacher #educator #classroomreads #blackcharacter #history #multiculturalinterest #representationmatters
December 31, 2020
I received an electronic ARC from The Calliope Group through NetGalley.
Hylton takes readers through a typical day in Opal's life in Greenwood, Oklahoma in 1921. This book personalizes the people who lived in Greenwood and offers a narrator that younger readers will connect with. They will identify with many of her activities and lifestyle. Opal shows readers her family and town as they prepare for the Memorial Day annual picnic. Older readers will pick up on the tensions mounting throughout the story and sense that something is going to happen. Sadly, it was just after this story that the Tulsa Race Massacre occurred. Hylton includes information on this event at the end of the book. I would have liked more references for readers to follow but the story stands as is. Definitely a discussion starting point to share about this tragedy.
Hylton takes readers through a typical day in Opal's life in Greenwood, Oklahoma in 1921. This book personalizes the people who lived in Greenwood and offers a narrator that younger readers will connect with. They will identify with many of her activities and lifestyle. Opal shows readers her family and town as they prepare for the Memorial Day annual picnic. Older readers will pick up on the tensions mounting throughout the story and sense that something is going to happen. Sadly, it was just after this story that the Tulsa Race Massacre occurred. Hylton includes information on this event at the end of the book. I would have liked more references for readers to follow but the story stands as is. Definitely a discussion starting point to share about this tragedy.
January 25, 2021
This was a lovely book and I loved reading Opal's story.
The book was well written and it had a lovely flow to it. I thought that the illustrations were spot on and they really brought it all to life. Knowing now what as to happen and the tragedy that occurred after and it did make me wonder how Opal and her family would have been affected by the events that took place just after this book finished.
It is a poignant reminder of the past, and also to a degree what still occurs today too and why movements like Black Lives Matter are key to changing the status quo and ensuring that we move on and learn from the past.
It is 5 stars from me for this one - very highly recommended and one that left me with food for thought!
The book was well written and it had a lovely flow to it. I thought that the illustrations were spot on and they really brought it all to life. Knowing now what as to happen and the tragedy that occurred after and it did make me wonder how Opal and her family would have been affected by the events that took place just after this book finished.
It is a poignant reminder of the past, and also to a degree what still occurs today too and why movements like Black Lives Matter are key to changing the status quo and ensuring that we move on and learn from the past.
It is 5 stars from me for this one - very highly recommended and one that left me with food for thought!
February 12, 2021
This is a powerful book to celebrate one's community, home, and joy despite the tragedies faced.
In Opal’s Greenwood Oasis, we are introduced to the Greenwood District in Tulsa, Oklahoma (AKA “Black Wall Street”) as it was in 1921. It is just before the Tulsa Race Massacre took place where Opal Brown provides descriptions of the historic businesses ( combined with the photographs used in Skip Hill’s mixed-media illustrations). It is vibrant, stunning!
Thank you, NetGalley and The Calliope Group for the arc for my honest review!
I just reviewed Opal's Greenwood Oasis by Najah-Amatullah Hylton and Quraysh Ali Lansana. #OpalsGreenwoodOasis #NetGalley
In Opal’s Greenwood Oasis, we are introduced to the Greenwood District in Tulsa, Oklahoma (AKA “Black Wall Street”) as it was in 1921. It is just before the Tulsa Race Massacre took place where Opal Brown provides descriptions of the historic businesses ( combined with the photographs used in Skip Hill’s mixed-media illustrations). It is vibrant, stunning!
Thank you, NetGalley and The Calliope Group for the arc for my honest review!
I just reviewed Opal's Greenwood Oasis by Najah-Amatullah Hylton and Quraysh Ali Lansana. #OpalsGreenwoodOasis #NetGalley
March 3, 2021
I've now purchased six copies. I first bought this book to give away as holiday gifts and have continued to give away as birthday gifts. The kids love the book and the parents have all enjoyed reading it with their children. It's a great way to explore the Black excellence, success, and joy that was achieved and recognized nationally and internationally, as the book takes places before the horrific events of 1921. Though it serves as a great way to begin talking to kids about the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre as their age and development make appropriate.
The illustrations are incredible. I would buy a print, frame it, and hang it if I could find such a thing. Hill's work is beautiful.
The illustrations are incredible. I would buy a print, frame it, and hang it if I could find such a thing. Hill's work is beautiful.
January 11, 2021
Beautifully written day in the life of Opal Brown. 1912's Greenwood is brought to life as Opal and her family prepare for the Memorial Day picnic. Through the innocent eyes of young Opal the authors do a beautiful job of overlaying her story on the mounting tension of what will come to pass in Greenwood.
Want to read
April 8, 2021Note: I received a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.
May 22, 2021
This is a story that immediately precedes the 1921 Tulsa Massacre, with Dick Rowland as a minor character and something involving an elevator operator and him mentioned as a vague kind of trouble at the end. This is discussed more in the backmatter. But the book is about the thriving Black community in Greenwood and how that felt as a child.
A lot of the background on Greenwood is the same as that in Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre, but then with the fictional story of a particular child and not focused in the main story on the massacre. (But there are enough hints here that it might feel a little odd to read this book and not talk about what happened after? I'm not sure.)
A lot of the background on Greenwood is the same as that in Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre, but then with the fictional story of a particular child and not focused in the main story on the massacre. (But there are enough hints here that it might feel a little odd to read this book and not talk about what happened after? I'm not sure.)
April 5, 2024
This is the story of Opal Brown and her family and the events before the sensless Tulsa Race Massacre in 1921. It is discriptive of the different shops and people in the town which was made up all of people like Opal. Just a normal family where Mom bakes and cleans, Dad works in the garage, her brother delivers newspapers. Opal is given a very important job and has just learned how to ride her bike. The picnic for Memorial Day is today and Mom is making pies and realizes she is out of cinnamon. Opal very confidentally rides her bike to the store to get some. It was just a normal celebration day. Children should really read this book ages 7 up and have a discussion about it in school or home no matter what the race. The illustrations in the book add to the book alot in telling the story.
May 22, 2021
Some of the pages contain a LOT of text -- way more than usual for a picture book.
It also seems weird to say "On Mondays in Greenwood..." then jump to "On Saturdays in Greenwood..." and then "On Sundays in Greenwood".
I know the authors wanted to give us the background on Greenwood, but nothing before "This week it's Memorial Day" is necessary to the story.
As an adult who knows the "rest of the story" as Paul Harvey would say, it feels weird to stop this story where it does (right before the violence begins).
If I were an elementary school teacher in Oklahoma, this book would definitely be in my classroom.
It also seems weird to say "On Mondays in Greenwood..." then jump to "On Saturdays in Greenwood..." and then "On Sundays in Greenwood".
I know the authors wanted to give us the background on Greenwood, but nothing before "This week it's Memorial Day" is necessary to the story.
As an adult who knows the "rest of the story" as Paul Harvey would say, it feels weird to stop this story where it does (right before the violence begins).
If I were an elementary school teacher in Oklahoma, this book would definitely be in my classroom.
June 12, 2022
Such a touching story of life in Greenwood prior to the 1921 burning. I wish I had read it prior to walking around in what was the old neighborhood on our recent trip, but I didn't find this until afterward. I wish there was more context for and information on the last page which explains the burning/massacre but I am also glad the first part of the book just let us imagine the world where it didn't happen.
July 26, 2021
A snapshot of life in one of the country's most prosperous Black communities just hours before the Tulsa Race Massacre. The mixed media illustrations are fascinating, but I found them a little distracting.
October 26, 2021
Odd to have so much about life before the pogram and almost nothing about it or it’s aftermath. Not sure what kids will make of it.
March 28, 2023
Great art and a great storytelling method to explain all that was lost. I want to learn more about the Tulsa Race Massacre.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews