Goin' Someplace Special

Bibliography:

McKissack, Patricia. 2001. Goin’ Someplace Special. Ill by. Jerry Pinkney. New York: Atheneum Books. ISBN: 0689818858.

Summary:

‘Tricia Ann begs her grandmother to let her go “someplace special” by herself. Feeling grown-up and capable, she steps outside into 1950s segregated Nashville. As a young African-American girl, she faces discrimination on her journey. She must sit (or stand) in the back of the bus. She can’t sit on a park bench, or enter a grand hotel, or sit in the front rows for a music performance. She is alternately angry and discouraged by the signs and the hurtful words, but with the help of friends and her own fighting spirit, she makes it to “someplace special” – the public library.

Analysis:

The author does not reveal where “someplace special” is until the very end of the book, which is an effective narrative technique. The reader is left wondering whether it is a park or a church or a relative’s house or any number of places. In an author’s note, Patricia McKissack says that the story is based on her own childhood, and that the public library in Nashville was one of the few non-segregated places in town.

Each page has just the right amount of text for reading aloud, and the “fuzzy” watercolor illustrations are gorgeous. Full-color and full-spread, the illustrations of ‘Tricia Ann’s journey really make the book something special. He pays careful attention to skin tone and facial expressions.

The friendly people who encourage ‘Tricia Ann on her way are of both races, from a jovial African-American street vendor to a kind elderly white woman. And ‘Tricia Ann remembers her grandmother’s advice, too: “Hold ‘yo head up and act like you b’long to somebody” and “You are somebody, a human being- no better, no worse than anybody else in this world.” This is an inspirational message to all who read this book.

Reviews/Awards:

2002 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award Winner

“An afterword explains McKissack's connection to the tale, and by putting such a personal face on segregation she makes its injustices painfully real for her audience. Pinkney's (previously paired with McKissack for Mirandy and Brother Wind) luminescent watercolors evoke the '50s, from fashions to finned cars, and he captures every ounce of 'Tricia Ann's eagerness, humiliation and quiet triumph at the end.” Publisher’s Weekly

“There are many books about a child's first trip alone, and many books about racism and the struggle for civil rights, but this book is about more than either: it is the story of a child facing a difficult time sustained by the support of the adults in her life. McKissack and Pinkney strike just the right balance in a picture book for young readers and listeners: informative without being preachy; hopeful without being sentimental.” Horn Book

Connections:
* Read along with an accessible biography of Rosa Parks, and talk about how ‘Tricia Ann couldn’t sit in the front of the bus, and what Rosa Parks did to change that.

Talkin' About Bessie

Bibliography:

Grimes, Nikki. 2002. Talkin’ About Bessie: The Story of Aviator Elizabeth Coleman. Ill by. E. B. Lewis. New York: Orchard Books. ISBN: 0439352436.

Summary:

Bessie Coleman was born in Texas in 1892. As an African-American, she had to deal with racism and discrimination growing up. She helped her mother cook and clean, and cared for younger siblings. She worked in the cotton fields and took in laundry. But through all of it, she worked hard at school, and she dreamed of doing something big. As a young lady she moved to Chicago, and from there she went to France to train as an aviator, because no school in the United States would accept her. When she returned as the first licensed African-American female pilot, she gradually became a hero through her daredevil flying stunts and her inspiring lectures across the country. Though her life ended early in a tragic plane crash, she was a pioneer for African-American rights.

Analysis:

Except for some biographical information in the front and back, the entire book is written in poems from the perspectives of various people in Bessie’s life. These are fictionalized, but based on facts. Bessie’s mother, father, siblings, teachers, and friends all speak of Bessie’s work, hopes, dreams, challenges, and experiences. Some poems are written by “field hand” or “laundry customer.” Bessie’s own perspective doesn’t come in until the very last poem. The author varies the voices slightly from poem to poem, making them feel more authentic.

The writing style and the long poems make this book more suited for older children. All ages will enjoy the beautiful full-page watercolor illustrations that accompany each poem. Almost every person pictured in the book is African-American, except a laundry customer and a news reporter, and the illustrator portrays various skin tones and facial expressions. Both the text and illustrations give a good sense of what life was like for African-Americans in Texas and in Chicago.

The author shows that it was not only whites who spoke negatively about African-American abilities. Bessie’s own brother is the one who says, “You Negro women ain’t never goin’ to fly.” The book also shows those who help Bessie achieve her dream, such as an African-American newspaper owner.

Reviews/Awards:

2003 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award
2003 Coretta Scott King Author Honor Book

“Teller by teller, the story moves chronologically and builds emotionally to last entry, where Bessie speaks of the joy of flying...The verse reads aloud beautifully…” Booklist, starred review

“An introductory note puts the aviatrix in historical context, but neglects to explain some references (e.g., Jim Crow laws). The text consists of 21 poetic vignettes of Coleman delivered by "speakers" at a funeral parlor, all of whom have come to mourn the pilot who died at age 34 in a plane accident. Their reminiscences on stark white pages are illustrated with miniature portraits bordered in sepia, each one facing a full-page watercolor capturing a moment in the woman's life. Skillfully drawn and occasionally photographic in their realism, the pictures perfectly match each speaker's recollections.” School Library Journal

Connections:
* Pair with a second book about Bessie, such as Fly High by Louise Borden and Mary Kay Kroeger (for older children) or Nobody Owns the Sky by Reeve Lindbergh (for younger children).

Heaven

Bibliography:

Johnson, Angela. 1998. Heaven. New York: Simon and Schuster. ISBN: 0689822294.

Summary:

Marley is 14, and she lives in a small Ohio town named Heaven. Her Momma tells her that she saw a postcard for Heaven and knew she just had to live there. Marley likes her life in Heaven, she likes her friends, and she even likes her family. She knows that not everyone likes their family; her friend Shoogy can’t seem to stand hers. But then one stormy summer night, everything changes for Marley. A letter arrives in the mail and it prompts her parents to finally tell her that they aren’t her real parents. Her dad’s brother – known to her as Uncle Jack – is actually her father, but when her mother died in a car accident, Jack couldn’t take care of her. Marley is angry and sad and confused; she feels that she can no longer trust those she used to trust the most. It takes her some time to process this knowledge and come to terms with her life as it is. Her family and friends are supportive and loving through it all.

Analysis:

Most of the book is written in first person, like a journal entry by Marley. It’s interspersed with letters from her Uncle Jack, who drives around the country in a truck with his dog Boy.

Angela Johnson is an award-winning African-American author. The cover illustration is the first indication that the book is about an African-American girl, but the text refers within the first few pages to an “afro.” The dialogue and phrases used by the characters seem authentic for an African-American family and community. The emotions seem authentic and realistic, too, for a teenage girl who finds out that she’s adopted.

Shoogy helps Marley release anger and tension, and Bobby tells her that family is family and adoption doesn’t change that. Marley’s real father – her Uncle Jack – finally comes to see her. And Momma and Pops continue to show her the love they always have had for her.

The book also brings in current events from 1996, when the book is set. One of the plot catalysts is the burning of black churches in the South that took place in the summer of 1996; “flames that I can feel sitting a thousand miles away,” writes Marley.

Reviews/Awards:

Coretta Scott King Award Winner

“In this montage of Marley's changing perceptions, Johnson presents fragments of the whole picture a little at a time: images of people, places (the Western Union building "1637" steps away from Marley's house) and artifacts (a box filled with love letters between her birth parents) gain significance as Marley begins to make sense of the past and integrate her perceptions into her new identity.” Publisher's Weekly

“Life is Heaven in Heaven, Ohio for 14-year-old Marley until she discovers that the people she thought were her parents are actually her aunt and uncle. The man she thought was her Uncle Jack turns out to be her biological father. Angela Johnson (S&S, 1998) takes Marley on a journey of self-discovery as she must redefine who she is, and who her family is. Marley becomes an astute observer of other families and their relationships with one another.” School Library Journal

Connections:
* Read Angela Johnson’s The First Part Last, which tells the story of Bobby and Feather, Marley’s friends in Heaven. It deals with teen pregnancy and single fatherhood.