boycott blues written by andrea davis pinkney and illustrated by brian pinkney

Pinkney, Andrea Davis. Boycott Blues, Illustrated by Brian Pinkney. New York: HarperCollins Children's Books, 2008. ISBN: 9780060821197

Plot Summary:
     Rosa Parks was an African-American woman who encountered racism as she rode the bus home from a long day of work. After one long day of work, Rosa boarded a bus that was fairly crowded; however, there was one seat available in the area where people with skin darker than a brown paper bag were not allowed to sit. What do you do when you've been working all day? You sit down to enjoy your ride home and that's exactly what Rosa did. Her very action of sitting where she was not allowed to sit was followed by a long and enduring battle for equality.

Critical Analysis:
     Boycott Blues is a picture book that vividly tells the journey that men and women endured during the Montgomery bus boycott. The author, Andrea Davis Pinkney, provides her audience with a beautiful story that is told through a blues like tribute that also incorporates a bit of poetry. Pinkney sets the tone of this story with a narrator who begins describing a story that they're going to tell that "walks. And walks. And walks. To the blues." This introduction utilizes the structure of a three stanza poem. As the story begins, the author states that on December 1, 1955 Jim Crow flew in who pecked at Rosa Parks. This date aligns with the accurate date that of which Rosa Parks was arrested for sitting in the whites-only section. Andrea Davis Pinkney proceeds to detail the events that Rosa Parks and "the black people in town" endured as this was the beginning of the Montgomery bus boycotts. She continues to detail the events of how "the black people in town" protested riding the buses and walked three hundred days until Jim Crow was abolished. As she details the events, she also utilizes personification as she mentions Jim Crow. She takes the literal form of the word 'crow' and gives it human-like characteristics that align with the misery, inequality, and injustice that the Jim Crow laws caused.
     Along with a thorough and culturally authentic storyline, Andrea Davis Pinkney collaborates with her brother, Brian Pinkney, to illustrate and bring her story to life. Brian utilizes colored inks on clay board to illustrate this story. Bold hues of black, blue, yellow, and brown are used as the basis of his color scheme. He accurately portrays the color of "the black people in town" with skin tones of brown and with kinky black hair, as well as the driver of the bus with white skin. These subtle inclusions visually appeal to their audience while depicting cultural accuracy. The collaboration between the brother and sister author and illustrator vividly detail a time of injustice.
     
Review Excerpts:

"When a guitar-playing, blues-singing hound dog named Dog Tired talks about the Montgomery, Alabama, bus boycott of 1955, he tells it in a steady rhythm of facts with a lot of soul. In this creative retelling of the events leading up to and following Rosa Parks' refusal to give up her bus seat to a white man, the Jim Crow laws separating people based on their skin color are personified as an aggressive, bony-winged black crow pecking and strutting. Dog Tired recounts Martin Luther King, Jr.'s speech and admonition to fight for justice in a nonviolent way, to refuse to ride the buses until they received fair treatment. For nearly a year, the African American community, as well as other supporters, walked, rode bikes, and carpooled to their destinations. Then, in November, 1956, the Supreme Court ruled against segregation and required equal treatment for all people, regardless of their ethnicity. Vivid, motion-filled illustrations convey the menace of Jim Crow, the passion of Dr. King, and the hope of those who marched. The Pinkneys' inspiring collaboration effectively brings a challenging topic to young audiences. An author's note at the end of the book offers additional information on the Montgomery bus boycott, as well as a short bibliography of books for further exploration." - Children's Literature

"Color and movement are vibrant components in this extraordinary book about Rosa Parks's efforts to take down Jim Crow. Text and illustration work in perfect sync. Andrea Pinkney chose the rhythm of the blues as cadence for the guitar-strumming hound-dog narrator: "This story begins with shoes./This story is all for true./This story walks. And walks. And walks./To the blues." In riveting poetic style, the author relates how Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus in Montgomery, AL, on December 1, 1955; her defiance brought about the boycott that changed this nation. The evocative text is bolstered by Brian Pinkney's perceptive vision: he portrays a swirling black mass, colored ink on clay board, to simulate a menacing bird-Jim Crow-that "pecks, pecks, pecks" its determination to undermine the movement. Jim Crow hovers menacingly over the bus and whirls above the beleaguered walkers, but the ever-present dog keeps belting out inspiring words, swinging his tune out over the people. Against electric blues and greens diffused with streaks of black line, Pinkney's artwork rivets the eye with the red of Parks's coat, the yellow of the city bus, and the sunrise red that signals the Supreme Court ruling to end segregation. Children unfamiliar with the historic events of the period will find the tale uplifting and memorable, and for librarians, teachers, and parents, this story will read aloud well, mesmerizing listeners." - School Library Journal 

Connections:
Customers who purchased this title also purchased the following titles: Sit-In: How Four Friends Stood up by Sitting Down, Sweet Smell of Roses, and January's Sparrow.

Interactivity:

• Ask children if they know about Jim Crow. If they are not familiar with these laws, ask them what they may think they were.
• After the reading of the story, re-seat children according to the color of their shirts and create a popular area where the children like to gather only for people with blue colored shirts. Afterwards, explain segregation and seek explanation on how the children who wore other colored shirts besides blue felt.
• Educate children on the importance of equality and standing up for what is right.

nzingha: warrior queen of matamba written by pat mckissack

McKissack, Patricia. Nzingha: Warrior Queen of Matamba. New York: Scholastic Inc., 2000. ISBN: 9780439112109

Plot Summary:
     Nzingha is the first daughter of the leader of the Mbundu people. During this particular period of time, the Portuguese slave traders would ship Mbundu captives to work in their plantations. Nzingha's father is one of those captives who was shipped off; however, after his return from the plantations Nzingha is at the age where she is preparing to marry. Despite her cultural obligations, Nzingha would rather spend time with her father hunting; however, the elders in her tribe would forbid it.

Critical Analysis:
     Nzingha: Warrior Queen of Matamba is a title of historical fiction detailing the story of Nzingha. The author, Pat McKissack, illustrates the life of Nzingha through cultural markers as told through Nzingha's diary. Some cultural markers mentioned within this work of fiction include the details and descriptions of Angola, Africa, language used by the Kiluanji tribe, and historical figures. Some descriptions and details of Africa that further strengthen cultural accuracy include the descriptions of the wildlife, such as leopards and wild pigs, as well as the Kwanza River which is geographically found near the capital of Mbundu. Along with these geographical depictions the author also incorporates Kimbundu words and names. Chokwe, the word for a group of people in eastern Angola, is just one of many words included in the context of this title which further strengthens the cultural accuracy of this work. McKissack also does a good job of including the accurate names of various leaders and Governors, such as Dom Joao Furtado de Mendonca and Kafushe Kambare. Through the inclusions of language, cultural descriptors, and figures Pat McKissack presents a culturally accurate work of historical fiction to her audience.

Review Excerpts:

"This entertaining piece of historical fiction recreates the year 1595 to 1596 in the life of a young African princess destined to become a queen in what is now Angola. Nzingha keeps a diary in Portuguese in order to become familiar with her enemy's ways. This journal traces the year before and including her coming of age at 13. Though she is the first child of the king of Ndongo, her mother was a slave and an outsider, which precludes Nzingha from becoming the heir to her father's kingdom. Her rivalry with her half brother, her budding natural leadership, and her cunning as an ambassador to the Portuguese spin out a fascinating story. A key moment is when she uses one of her guards as a bench so that she is on a level with the seated governor. An epilogue wraps up Nzingha's life of 82 years, whereby she becomes Ngola of Ndongo and later Queen of Matamba, ever defying the Portuguese petitions for slaves. A historical note of life in Africa in 1595, a section on the Ngola family tree, photos, maps, pronunciation guide, and glossary complete this educational book in "The Royal Diaries" series." - Children's Literature

"Nzingha, an Angolan princess in the 16th and 17th centuries, was born in a land in which women were predestined to be subservient to men's whims. Nzingha, however, broke that rule and, following her father's footsteps, became a leader after his death. Through fictionalized diary entries, readers learn that Queen Nzingha is knowledgeable, intelligent, and brave. She is opposed to Portuguese slavery and European ways of life, although she secretly learns the outsiders' language and uses it to her advantage. The diary format will appeal to readers and the author's use of time lines, seasons, and actual place names makes the story believable and interesting. While the ending is too abrupt, this is still a good addition to the series. The maps, photos, glossary, illustrations, and genealogical trees enhance the presentation." - School Library Journal

"This remarkable book tells the true story of a courageous young princess who grew to be a military leader and hero. Set in 16thcentury Congo and enriched with vivid descriptions of the jungle, the story unfolds through the journal writings of Nzingha, who is 13 and about to be chosen for marriage. Nzingha yearns for the attention of her father, the leader of the Mbundu people, and fervently wishes to join him on a hunt. Nzingha is chastised for her impetuous and spirited ways, but ultimately earns her father's praise. The defining factor of their lives, however, is the constant encroachment of their enemy, the Portuguese. As her father's faith in her grows, Nzingha is entrusted to negotiate with the Portuguese Governor, who offers peace if her people will supply slaves to the Portuguese. She discovers that these slaves are shipped to Brazil, where they are worked often to death. When Nzingha decides to advise her father against this bargain, she is kidnapped. Folks are not what they seem through the twists and exciting turns the story suddenly takes. The journal ends with Nzingha's safe return and marriage, but the epilogue goes on to give a synopsis of her lifelong fight to save her people from slavery and domination. With photos, woodcuts, and maps the reader is able to get a very accurate picture of this leader, who is still honored in present day Angola and Brazil. McKissack (Color Me Dark, p. 637, etc.) has written a stunning and thoroughly researched addition to the Royal Diaries series." - Kirkus Reviews 

Connections:
Customers who purchased this title also bought the following titles: Go and Come Back, Doomed Queen Anne, and Hang a Thousand Trees with Ribbons.

Interactivity:

• Explain that this title may be historical fiction, but it is based on the leader and general Nzingha. 
• Ask audience what is something that they are expected to do, but would rather do instead.
• Have the audience pick out various cultural markers included within the context that accurately depict Africa.

the house you pass on the way written by jacqueline woodson

Woodson, Jacqueline. The House You Pass on the Way. New York: Delacorte Press, 1997. ISBN: 9780142417065

Plot Summary:
     Staggerlee is a teen-aged girl struggling with the search of her own identity. At the age of nine, she changed her name from Evangeline to Staggerlee in hopes of alleviating this struggle; however, this name change was only the first step to her attempt to find herself. Staggerlee's mother is white and her father is black, so living among a black community Staggerlee struggles to fit in with everyone around her because she cannot identify the same as the other teenagers -- black. Along with struggling with racial identity, Staggerlee is also seeking acceptance of her own sexuality. It isn't until her cousin, Trout, comes to visit her for the family where she is able to find comfort in someone to share her secrets. However, when Summer is over, Staggerlee has to find acceptance of her racial and sexual identity on her own.

Critical Analysis:
     The House you Pass on the Way is a novel written by Jacqueline Woodson. This novel incorporates a variety of themes relating to racial and sexual identity. In the beginning of this title, the author gives her readers a background on the protagonist, Staggerlee. The author depicts Staggerlee as a teenager who is searching for her own identity, both, racially and sexually. Staggerlee is described as a light-skinned girl with red brown hair due to her mother being white and her father being a black man. She struggles with her racial identity as her peers continually ask her what's it like to be both, black and white. As the author continues to describe Staggerlee's family and how her family is observed as the only mixed race family within their own black community, the author has displayed cultural markers indicating the racial bias that those who are neither black or white may endure. Supporting these indicators are the descriptions of Staggerlee's family. Her grandparents were depicted as racial heroes who fought for equality and justice and were commerorated with a statue that was built in the heart of their town. Moreover, Woodson describes how Staggerlee's father's side of the family don't communicate with them due to him choosing to marry a white woman. These descriptions further suggest that this took place in the 1960's during a time of civil rights. Woodson does a great job of incorporating various cultural markers within this storyline as she also explores and depicts the struggles of racial and sexual identity.

Review Excerpts:

"Sitting big and silent with all her family's land spread out beyond it," Staggerlee Canan's house, once belonging to her famous grandparents, stands as a refuge from the townspeople's gossip about her parents' "mixed" marriage. Here the pensive 14-year-old can quietly contemplate all the ways she is different from her classmates and her older sister, "smart, popular" Dotti. Staggerlee has never had a close friend besides Hazel back in sixth grade, the first and only girl she ever kissed. But when her cousin Tyler (called "Trout") comes to spend the summer, the two girls are drawn together by their common heritage and longings. As soft-spoken and poetic as the heroine herself, Woodson's prose gracefully expresses Staggerlee's slow emergence from isolation as she and Trout grapple with their shared secret. Minor characters, Staggerlee's gregarious father, her independent, conspicuously white mother ("it's only three, four white women in all of Sweet Gum") and her four diverse siblings add depth and complexity to the heroine's small world. Using a nondidactic approach, the author gently probes questions regarding racism and homosexuality in this poignant tale about growing pains and the ongoing process of self-discovery." - Publishers Weekly

"In this understated story set in a small, mostly African-American community in the South, Staggerlee Canan is shunned by her peers because her mother is white. This is not the sole cause of her isolation, however. She has a secret. In sixth grade, she had kissed another girl. Rejected by that friend, Staggerlee has no one to talk to about her sexual feelings until her adopted cousin. Both wonder if they are gay, but sexual identity is really only one of the things that troubles them. Their platonic intimacy is the intense kind shared by friends who see themselves as different from the crowd. Asked by Trout to say whether she's black or white, Staggerlee replies, "I'm me. That's all." That they seem to be taking different paths in the end adds to the story's poignancy. This richly layered novel will be appreciated for its affecting look at the anxious wonderings of presexual teens, its portrait of a complex interracial family, and its snapshot of the emotionally wrenching but inarticulate adolescent search for self. It's notable both for its quality and for the out-of-the-way places it goes." - School Library Journal 

"A newfound confidante and a breath of common sense clears away a teenager's guilt and dismay over her dawning sexual preference in this thoughtful, deceptively low-key story from Woodson. The middle child in the county's only mixed-race family, Evangeline defiantly changed her name years ago to Staggerlee, after the anti-hero in a ballad, but the finger-pointing has driven her within herself, leaving her friendless and lonely—lonelier still for the memory of the pleasure she took in kissing a girl in grade school. Along comes Trout, another self-named teenager, from a branch of the family that had cut off her parents after their marriage. The attraction is quick, strong, and mutual; Trout's visit may be a short one, but it's long enough for each to open up, find the courage to say the word gay—and to remember that they're only 14, too young to close off options. Woodson takes readers another step down the road when Trout later writes to admit that she's gone head over heels for a guy, and Staggerlee, though feeling betrayed, realizes that she and Trout are both growing and going their own ways. A provocative topic, treated with wisdom and sensitivity, with a strong secondary thread exploring some of the inner and outer effects of biracialism." - Kirkus Reviews

Connections:
Other titles also written by Jacqueline Woodson include: The First Part Last, Miracle's Boys, and From the Notebooks of Melanin Sun.

Interactivity:

• Ask audience whether or not they've shared a secret with someone they could trust, and has it helped them in coping or dealing with it.
• Let readers know that it's perfectly okay to be themselves and if they don't want to constrict themselves into one particular category, they don't have to. 
• Facilitate a discussion around growing and continually maturing around one's own. Acknowledge that there is no age limit to maturity within yourself.