The 1619 Project: Born on the Water

By: Nikole Hannah-Jones, Renée Watson

Narrated by: Nikole Hannah-Jones

The 1619 Project’s lyrical picture book in verse, adapted for audio, chronicles the consequences of slavery and the history of Black resistance in the United States, thoughtfully rendered by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones and Newbery honor-winning author Renée Watson.


A young student receives a family tree assignment in school, but she can only trace back three generations. Grandma gathers the whole family, and the student learns that 400 years ago, in 1619, their ancestors were stolen and brought to America by white slave traders.
But before that, they had a home, a land, a language. She learns how the people said to be born on the water survived.


And the people planted dreams and hope,
willed themselves to keep
living, living.

And the people learned new words
for love
for friend
for family

for joy
for grow
for home.

With powerful verse and striking illustrations by Nikkolas Smith, Born on the Water provides a pathway for readers of all ages to reflect on the origins of American identity.

Critic reviews

An Instant #1 New York Times Bestseller
An NPR Best Book of 2021
A TIME Magazine Best Children's Book of 2021
A Barnes & Noble Book of the Year finalist
A Barnes & Noble Best Picture Book of 2021
A Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2021
A School Library Journal Best Nonfiction Book of 2021
A New York Public Library Best Book for Kids 2021
An Evanston Public Library Great Book for Kids 2021: Poetry
A Chicago Public Library Best Informational Book for Older Readers of 2021
A News & Observer Best Book of 2021
An American Indians in Children's Literature (AICL) Blog Best Book of 2021
An Amazon Best of November: Ages 6-8 of 2021
An Amazon Best children’s book of 2021: Ages 6 to 8
A 2023 AAMBC Literary Award for Children Books/YA Author of the Year, Winner
A 2022 ILA Notable Books for a Global Society Award Winner
A 2022 Irma S. Black Award Silver Medalist
A 2022 Bank Street College The Best Children’s Books of the Year
A 2022 Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award for Children’s Poetry Winner
A 2022 NCTE/CLA Notable Children’s Books in the Language Arts Award Winner
A 2022 SDUSMP Phillis Wheatley Book Award Winner
A Seattle’s Child Best Book of 2022
A King County Library System Best Children's Book of 2022
A 2022 Cybils Award Winner (blog)
An American Library Association 2022 Notable Children's Book
A 2021 Black Caucus of the American Library Association Best of the Best
A 2022 NCSS-CBC Notable Social Studies Trade Book
An Indiana Read Aloud Selection
A Maine Student Book Award Selection
A Rhode Island Children’s Book Award Selection
A Capitol Choices (DC) Master List Title
A Volunteer State (TN) Book Award Selection

PRAISE FOR THE 1619 PROJECT: BORN ON THE WATER

"A gift to Black Americans and everyone else who reads it." ―Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"Black history is not merely a story of slavery and suffering but one of perseverance and hope." ―Publisher's Weekly, starred review

"A stunning work, providing a glimpse into the history of the Black experience before and after the slave trade; the poetic language and breathtaking artwork will have a lasting effect on readers." ―School Library Journal, starred review

"Written in lovely and loving verse, with dynamic, expressive, and expansive illustrations that convey the emotional journey of a resilient people, this book provides a moving, informative answer to an essential question." ―Horn Book, starred review

Oh wow; I’m so honored to know the stories

I love this book because it makes sense so much now. This was a great book.

VERY inspiring

This is an awesome telling, of our history. I plan to share this with my granddaughter who is recently studying the minimized version of slavery. Thank you, because this will help her greatly.

Pride and history.

Love this so much. Adult and children need to know the history. Highly recommended reading.

T45 RNB to Gift membership: M

great dddddddddddddddddddd asdfsdf asdfsdf adfadf addf adsf dddd ddd ddd ddd ddd ddd ddd ddd ddd d

Beautifully written

I think this book will cause us to ask more questions about our full history