An American Story opens with the words, “How do you tell a story that starts in Africa and ends in horror?” Slavery was that horror and the difficulty of teaching the facts about that “peculiar institution” has led to its disappearance in many American classrooms. A poetic text by Alexander and dramatic paintings by Coulter attempt to right that omission and present the historic enslavement of Black Americans to young readers. A Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award winner and recognized by both the NYT and NPR, this first edition is in Fine condition in dj and has a bookplate boldly signed by both Alexander and Coulter attached to the front endpaper.