Module 12: Rosa

Rosa

Book Summary:

This story tells of a brave, young seamstress in Montgomery, Alabama by the name of Rosa Parks.  One December day, Mrs. Parks went to work and, on her way home, she simply sat in the “neutral” section of the bus because the “black” section was full.  At the next stop, two white men got on the bus and demanded Rosa give her seat to them.  While others wanted to avoid trouble and quickly moved out of the men’s way, Rosa stood her ground and refused to get up.  Unfortunately, this brave act caused Rosa to be arrested and put in jail.  But when her friends heard of her courage, they decided to stand by her and encourage others to do the same.  They created flyers encouraging them to walk as opposed to riding the bus and passed them out to almost all of the African Americans living in Montgomery.  Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. even joined in and encouraged these citizens to stay off the buses.  After almost a year after Rosa’s arrest, the Supreme Court ruled that segregation on the buses was illegal.  Rosa’s courage to say “no” deeply influenced the Civil Rights Movement and caused America to reflect on the injustice that segregation presented.    

APA Reference of Book:

Giovanni, N. (2005). Rosa. New York, NY: Henry Holt and Co.

Impressions:

This story is an excellent picture book to use to introduce young students to Rosa Parks and her bravery during a time when our nation was separated by color.  The backstory given to readers forces them to relate to Mrs. Parks and put themselves in her shoes.  The colorful illustrations also add to the story as they grab readers’ attention and accurately portray the emotions felt by those who lived during this time period.   

Professional Review:

Kirkus Reviews

Rosa Parks sat. "She had not sought this moment, but she was ready for it." When she refused to move out of the neutral section of her bus to make way for white passengers, she sparked the Montgomery bus boycott. She was tired of putting white people first. Giovanni's lyrical text and Collier's watercolor-and-collage illustrations combine for a powerful portrayal of a pivotal moment in the civil-rights movement. The art complements and extends the text, with visual references to Emmett Till, the Edmund Pettus Bridge and Martin Luther King, Jr. The yellowish hue of the illustrations represents the Alabama heat, the light emanating from Rosa Parks's face a shining beacon to all who would stand up for what's right. A dramatic foldout mural will make this important work even more memorable. An essential volume for classrooms and libraries. (Picture book. 5+)

Source:

Rosa [Review of the book Rosa, by N. Giovanni]. (2005). Kirkus Reviews, 73(14). Retrieved

from https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/nikki-giovanni/rosa-3/

Found through UNT’s Library Database- Book Review Digest Plus (H.W. Wilson)

Library Uses:

After reading this story and discussing Rosa’s bravery, the students could write about a time when they were brave.  The students could also create a poster encouraging others to show courage and stand for what they believe in like Rosa Park did.  Rosa’s story teaches an incredibly valuable lesson that can be integrated in more than just one lesson or activity.  However, having the students reflect on a time when they stood for what they believe in (or witnessed someone doing so) would be truly beneficial and aid significantly in molding the youth of today by stimulating the reminder that being brave and outspoken is perfectly acceptable when the end goal will vastly benefit others.   

Module 11: The Cart That Carried Martin

The Cart That Carried Martin

Book Summary:

The Cart That Carried Martin is a picture book about the day of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s funeral.  The story begins with an old cart that no one wanted which was for sell in front of a store.  Then, two men come along who want to purchase the cart, but decide to borrow it instead because the store is closed.  After all, they can “bring it back when he’s finished with it” (Bunting, 2013, p. 4).  The men and their friends then paint the cart green and take it to the Ebenezer Baptist Church where two mules were hitched to the cart waited.  After the funeral service, the mules moved through the crowded streets of Atlanta to carry the coffin to Morehouse College.  Once they arrived, the coffin was taken in for a second service.  The mules were taken back to the farm and the old cart was, as promised, taken back to the store that it was borrowed from.  However, the cart soon had many offers.  After all, it was the cart that carried Martin. 

 

APA Reference of Book:

Bunting, E. (2013). The cart that carried Martin. Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge.

Impressions:

I was very excited to read this book because I am always looking for picture books to add to my classroom library that feature historical figures.  While I enjoyed the book overall, I was a little disappointed in the lack of historical facts.  There were, however, a few references made as to what Martin Luther King, Jr. did for our country as well as facts of where his funeral took place.  However, for the most part, the book focused on the old cart.  It was a sweet story and very appropriate to use in the younger grades.    

Professional Review:

Kirkus Reviews

An old, unwanted cart becomes part of Dr. Martin Luther King's funeral procession.

Two men borrow the cart from an antiques store and paint it green, the color of freshly watered grass. They take it to the Ebenezer Baptist Church and hitch two mules to it. Outside the church, crowds gather, while inside, the pews are filled with a weeping congregation. Slowly, the mules pull the cart carrying Dr. King's coffin through the streets of Atlanta to Morehouse College for a second service. The cart, its day's journey completed, is now part of the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site. Bunting uses simple declarative sentences to capture the sorrow of the day and the message that King's followers were intent upon proclaiming--his greatness came from humble beginnings. The mules, Belle and Ada, were a reminder that upon freedom, slaves were given forty acres and a mule. Tate's pencil-and-gouache artwork plays up the details of the cart and the two mules while depicting the crowds of mourners less distinctly. Adults looking for a title to share with young readers will find this helpful in imparting the emotions raised by King's assassination.

An affecting snapshot of a tragic day. (afterword) (Picture book. 4-7)

Source:

The cart that carried Martin [Review of the book The cart that carried Martin, by E. Bunting].

(2013). Kirkus Reviews, 37. Retrieved from https://www.kirkusreviews.com/bookreviews/eve-bunting/cart-that-carried-martin/

Found through UNT’s Library Database- Book Review Digest Plus (H.W. Wilson)

Library Uses:

This book would be excellent to utilize during the month of January when discussing Martin Luther King, Jr. (MLK) and his role in the civil rights movement.  In my opinion, the students will need to have some prior knowledge or, at the very least, know a little bit about MLK before reading this story.  Therefore, the librarian may consider reading another book to the class about MLK in a previous meeting or discuss/review before reading.  Afterwards, the librarian and students could discuss the crowds that showed up for MLK’s funeral as well as the impact that this iconic civil rights leader had on American history.  The librarian and students could then review MLK’s dream and his hope for this country.  After the discussion, the students could write their own “I have a dream…” speech to display within the library.  As an extension, the students could use Animoto to create short videos about their dreams.         

Module 10: One Crazy Summer

One Crazy Summer 

Book Summary:

One Crazy Summer is a story of three sisters (Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern) who are sent to California to spend the summer with their mother (Cecile) who left them and their father seven years ago.  The girls had hopes and dreams of doing things with their mother such as visiting Disneyland, but soon discovered that Cecile wanted nothing to do with them and acted as though the girls were a burden to have in her home.  Rather than receiving motherly love, the girls were told to never enter the kitchen and were required to pick up their own takeout meals.

During their visit, Cecile agrees to work and make flyers for three African American men who were representatives of the Black Panthers.  In exchange, they had to take the girls.  The next morning, Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern are sent off to a summer camp that was ran by the Black Panthers.  It was here that the girls began to learn more about their culture and history.  When their mother is arrested for her work, the girls slowly begin to understand more about her and the world around them. 

APA Reference of Book:

Williams-Garcia, R. (2010). One crazy summer. New York, NY: Amistad.

Impressions:

This was a difficult book for me to read.  Not because I did not enjoy it, but because I felt extremely sorry for Delphine and her sisters.  It was not fair for her to have to take on the responsibility of a motherly figure to her two sisters at such a young age.  She never truly got to enjoy the carefree life of a child.  Cecile’s harshness towards the girls and sending them out on their own for takeout in a strange, new city caused me to experience anger and resentment towards this character.  However, due to the estranged relationship, I could not put this book down.  I was curious to know why the girls were not allowed in the kitchen, what was going to happen to them when Cecile got arrested, and had hopes of the girls reconciling with their mother.  While their relationship never reflected the normal mother-daughter bond, the girls learned more about her and she made them aware of their culture and the importance of standing up for what is right.

   

Professional Review:

Language Arts- Professional Journal

After several young adult novels, Williams-Garcia's first stab at middle grade fiction is an absolute gem. Sisters Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern are shipped from Brooklyn to Oakland during the summer of 1968 to spend time with their estranged mother, Cecile ("They need to know her, and she needs to know them," (p. 43) says the girls' pa). Not one for parental responsibility, Cecile, who hasn't seen the girls in the seven years since she abandoned her family, sends them to a summer day camp run by the Black Panther Party. What was supposed to be a summer of Disneyland tours and trips to the beach turns out to be much more than the girls bargained for as they find themselves joining the Black Panther movement.

The sisters-ultra- responsible oldest sister Delphine, age 11; attention-hungry Vonetta, age 9; and baby-doll-toting Fern, age 7-are fantastically drawn characters with distinct (and authentic) personalities that are developed organically through Delphine's strong first-person narrative. The book's main strength lies in the relationship dynamics between the girls, and the complex and shifting connections they share with their mother. Cecile is never exactly lovable (and for the most part unlikable), but her gradual thaw toward her girls leads to one of the most stirring and memorable finales in recent years. Heartbreaking yet hopeful, this multi-award winner (also a National Book Award Finalist, Newbery Honor, and Scott O'Dell Award winner) surely is a nuanced and influential look at a pivotal period in African American history.

Source: Bloom, S. (2014). One crazy summer [Review of the book One crazy Summer, by R.

Williams-Garcia]. Language Arts, 91(3), 195-196. Retrieved from http://www.ncte.org/journals/la

Found through UNT’s Library Database- Book Review Digest Plus (H.W. Wilson) on EBSCOhost

Library Uses:

I can envision using this book in an afterschool book club with a group of fifth graders as they learn about the civil rights movement.  The discussions that could be help within this group are sure to be exciting and engaging as the students would be the same age as the main character, Delphine.  This would force the students to reflect and compare their own life and responsibilities to that of others.  It would also provide an insight of how injustice has, at times, been wrongly administered in our country.  This could open up deep conversations and lead to discussions and small actions that we can do to help move our nation forward.