Rosa by Nikki Giovanni
Rosa tells the story of Civil Rights activist Rosa Parks and the moment in time that has lived forever. The story starts off telling us about how Ms. Parks' day was going at her job.
She was given the opportunity to leave early, which she took advantage of to be able to go home and fix a nice meatloaf meal for her husband. The story continues as she boards the crowded bus and finds a seat in the neutral section (for both whites and colored people). The story continues when the bus driver asks for Ms. Parks to move from her seat. which she refuses. The story informs us that the reason she did not give up the seat was because she was tired of all the injustices that African Americans were facing at that time. The police were then called and unfortunately, Ms. Parks was arrested. This sparked outrage within her community, who quickly organized to protest this injustice. Because of this, a year-long boycott from the riding the bus began, which ended when the Supreme Court ruled that segregation on buses was wrong.
This is a beautifully done picture nonfiction book that tells the tale of one the Civil Rights most influential people. The illustrations by Bryan Collier are done in such as way that the spirit of the times is conveyed easily to the reader. Rosa is a Caldecott Honor recipient and is one that should be shared with all, especially now that our nation is going through some hard times in regards to race relations.
Rosa tells the story of Civil Rights activist Rosa Parks and the moment in time that has lived forever. The story starts off telling us about how Ms. Parks' day was going at her job.
She was given the opportunity to leave early, which she took advantage of to be able to go home and fix a nice meatloaf meal for her husband. The story continues as she boards the crowded bus and finds a seat in the neutral section (for both whites and colored people). The story continues when the bus driver asks for Ms. Parks to move from her seat. which she refuses. The story informs us that the reason she did not give up the seat was because she was tired of all the injustices that African Americans were facing at that time. The police were then called and unfortunately, Ms. Parks was arrested. This sparked outrage within her community, who quickly organized to protest this injustice. Because of this, a year-long boycott from the riding the bus began, which ended when the Supreme Court ruled that segregation on buses was wrong.
This is a beautifully done picture nonfiction book that tells the tale of one the Civil Rights most influential people. The illustrations by Bryan Collier are done in such as way that the spirit of the times is conveyed easily to the reader. Rosa is a Caldecott Honor recipient and is one that should be shared with all, especially now that our nation is going through some hard times in regards to race relations.
A read-along version of the book can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pyy1WFn-Zi4
Teachers can find ways to incorporate this book into their lessons at https://www.teachingbooks.net/tb.cgi?tid=5807
Readers also enjoyed Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom by Carole Boston Weatherford and Martin's Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by Doreen Rappaport
Additional books written by Nikki Giovanni include I Cotton Candy on a Rainy Day and Bicycles
Giovanni, N., & Collier, B. (2005). Rosa. New York: Henry Holt.
No comments:
Post a Comment