Hands Up! by Breanna J. McDaniel, illustrated by Shane W. Evans

32 pages

This triumphant picture book recasts a charged phrase as part of a black girl's everyday life--hands up for a hug, hands up in class, hands up for a high five--before culminating in a moment of resistance at a protest march.

A young black girl lifts her baby hands up to greet the sun, reaches her hands up for a book on a high shelf, and raises her hands up in praise at a church service. She stretches her hands up high like a plane's wings and whizzes down a hill so fast on her bike with her hands way up. As she grows, she lives through everyday moments of joy, love, and sadness. And when she gets a little older, she joins together with her family and her community in a protest march, where they lift their hands up together in resistance and strength.

REVIEWS

"This book turns the phrase [hands up] on its head to give little ones confidence and pride, culminating in activism."
—USA Today

"In dynamic multi-media art, family, friends, and community fill one African-American girl's life with love. . . .Hands Up! can singularly or simultaneous serve as a kid-friendly preview of growing up, as catalyst for a conversation about the dangers of being black in America, and/or as determined reclamation of a loaded phrase."
—San Francisco Chronicle

“McDaniel’s debut picture book offers a jubilant paean to a universal, everyday occurrence . . . Spare, deeply expressive mixed-media pictures by Evans feature vivid colors and inventive textures, and they underscore the power of helping hands. . . . An uplifting celebration of advocating for oneself, aiding those in need, and connecting with one’s community.”
—Publishers Weekly, starred review