Brick By Brick

The book chronicles the construction of the White House in Washington, D.C., focusing specifically on the enslaved African Americans and free white laborers who worked side-by-side. It details the grueling physical tasks: chopping trees, quarrying stone, and laying bricks, while highlighting the unjust reality that the wages for enslaved workers were paid to their owners. SENSITIVE TOPICS: The book addresses slavery directly but through the lens of labor and contribution. It is a secular, realistic historical account. The resolution is bittersweet: the building is completed, but the workers remain unfree, though the book ends on a hopeful note regarding their lasting legacy. EMOTIONAL ARC: The story begins with the heavy, rhythmic toil of labor. It carries a sense of weight and gravity throughout, but the tone shifts from the exhaustion of work to a powerful sense of pride in craftsmanship and the enduring spirit of the builders. IDEAL READER: A second or third grader who is fascinated by construction and 'how things are made' but is also ready to engage with deeper social studies themes regarding American history and civil rights. PARENT TRIGGER: A parent might choose this after their child sees a picture of the White House and asks, 'Who made that?' or after a school lesson on the presidents that neglected the workers behind the scenes. PARENT PREP: Parents should be prepared to explain the term 'slave' and the concept of owners taking wages, as these are central to the book's narrative of injustice. The book can be read cold, but a post-reading talk about 'freedom' is recommended. AGE EXPERIENCE: Younger children (6-7) will focus on the building process and the impressive scale of the work. Older children (8-10) will pick up on the irony of enslaved people building the 'President's Palace' and the systemic injustice of the wage theft. DIFFERENTIATOR: Unlike many books on slavery that focus on the plantation, this highlights urban labor and the sophisticated technical skills of enslaved people as architects of our nation's capital.