His imagery invites the reader into the story through realistic portraits that feel close enough to reach out and touch, while also giving them almost superhero status through the mere scale of the art. From the opening picture of Jesse Owens running, arms skyward, legs outstretched, muscles straining toward an unseen finish line to a somber family portrait with beautiful, ebony faces emitting an almost angelic glow to the picture of the hold of a slave ship that spans across the entire fold of the book, giving our eyes nowhere to look away from the horror to the joy-filled rainbow of Black children on the final pages, Nelson communicates the inherent humanity of Black people. Nelson’s art elevates this poem to an exquisite love letter, as the spaces left by Alexander’s words are filled in by Nelson’s paintings. There are no downtrodden, beaten-down expressions here: Every person, every face, every posture is meant to overwhelm the reader with beauty and awe. Using oils on panel, Nelson renders a hero’s journey that has many heroes, all gazing larger-than-life from the pages with piercing eyes that command you to peer into them. While Alexander’s verse alone is extraordinarily powerful, when paired with two-time Caldecott-honored illustrator Kadir Nelson’s art, it becomes epic.

The words soar and fall as the undulating rhythm lifts and carries the reader through time and space with the undefeated as our traveling companions. Solemn remembrance is not the sole theme here. In The Undefeated, Alexander pens an ode to the ancestors, foremothers and forefathers, barrier-breakers and martyrs, named and nameless, known and unknown. It is a journey through a people’s story - through the sorrows, triumphs, and resilience of the Black experience in America. “This is for the unforgettable / The swift and sweet ones / who hurdled history / and opened a world / of possible.” From the opening lines of Kwame Alexander’s poem, readers are invited on a journey.

The undefeated picture book