An engaging, informative, multigenerational tale underscoring the legacy of the Rosenwald School program.
An African American boy learns about the Canetuck Rosenwald School in this picture book.
On the way to visit Grandma in North Carolina, Tommy’s Dad explains that when the woman was young, “she had to sit in the segregated train car, and it was hard for her to find a place to eat.” Tommy learns more about Grandma’s experiences when she takes him to a community center that used to be her school. Tommy asks about the photographs of Booker T. Washington and Julius Rosenwald on the wall. His Aunt Lee, who also attended the school, explains: “Booker T. Washington had an idea to help our communities build schools. He knew our families would give money…but they needed some help,” and he sought financial assistance from his friend Julius Rosenwald, the president of Sears. When Tommy shares a medal he received at school “for reading 100 books,” Lee says: “Your great-great grandparents would be proud.” The characters’ recollections of attending a Rosenwald School offer engaging, firsthand insights into the segregation-era building program that helped “make schools more available for African American students.” Stack’s story will encourage readers to learn more about this important historical project. Bryant’s lively, realistic, full-color, digital illustrations incorporate the present and past. For example, when Grandma’s schoolmate Mr. Frank tells Tommy how families hosted fundraising events for the school, the background features a sepia-toned scene of kids against a “Canetuck Spelling Bee 1955” banner.
An engaging, informative, multigenerational tale underscoring the legacy of the Rosenwald School program.Pub Date: Dec. 18, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-954529-16-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: March 11, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
After the sorry example of the 2000 presidential election, it’s good to be reminded of the simple beauty—and hard-won right—of voting for a candidate. And Christelow goes farther in this primer on the process of electing a candidate. Simple language, gay color, and humorous subplots make for an appealing introduction to electoral politics, and she wisely complements her somewhat dry explanatory text with a typically funny word-bubble story of one woman’s mayoral campaign. Readers learn about political parties and polls, voter registration, to be wary of campaign advertising, the right to recounts, and are urged to conduct research into the candidates. There’s also a very handy timeline of voting rights that conveys the eye-opening evolution of democracy in the US. Impressively, Christelow gives to each individual vote a sense of importance—an act of participation that nestles in the heart of democracy. (Picture book. 5-8)
Pub Date: Aug. 18, 2003
ISBN: 0-618-24754-8
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2003
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Noted storyteller Bruchac (Squanto’s Journey: The Story of the First Thanksgiving, p. 1498, etc.) teams up with his son, James (Native American Games and Stories, not reviewed) to present a pourquoi tale from the East Coast Native American tradition. Bear is undeniably big; he is also a braggart, given to walking through the forest and proclaiming his superiority to all within earshot: “I can do anything! Yes, I can!” When he hears this, little Brown Squirrel challenges Bear to tell the sun not to rise the next day. This Bear does, and when the sun does in fact rise despite his injunction not to, Brown Squirrel unwisely gloats: “Bear is foolish, the sun came up. Bear is silly, the sun came up.” Thanks to trickery, Brown Squirrel escapes with his life, but not before Bear claws the stripes into his back that cause him to change his name to Chipmunk. The Bruchacs translate the orality of the tale to written text beautifully, including dialogue that invites audience participation. Aruego and Dewey’s (Mouse in Love, p. 886, etc.) signature cartoon-like illustrations extend the humor of the text perfectly. One spread shows the faces of all the animals rejoicing in the yellow light of the newly risen sun—all except Bear, whose glower contrasts ominously with Brown Squirrel’s glee. Clever use of perspective emphasizes the difference in size between boastful Bear and his pint-sized trickster opponent. Authors’ notes precede the story, explaining the history of the tale and each teller’s relationship to it. A winner. (Picture book/folktale. 4-8)
Pub Date: March 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-8037-2404-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2000
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