Author/Illustrator: Gwenyth Swain/David Geister
Plot Summary: Janie travels with her father from Indianapolis, Indiana as the only white people on a bus bound for Washington, DC to hear Dr. Martin Luther King's speak. She saw, and felt, what it was like to be denied service in a restaurant and access to a bathroom. She also realized why King's "Dream" was a dream for everyone.
Comments: This is a unique book in that, although it deals with racial prejudice, it does so from the perspective of a white person. It reminds us that there were whites who fought for civil rights and raised their children to believe that all people are created equal. It also reminds us that people were willing to take risks for causes they believed in. Choosing to ride the bus to Washington in 1963 was a risk during those turbulent and sometimes, violent times.
Extensions:
1. This is a 24 page teacher's guide for this book that is excellent. It was developed by Gale, a leader in eResearch and educational publishing. It can be found here.
Themes/keywords: March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, Washington, D.C., 1963; King, Martin Luther; Civil Rights Demonstrations; History, 20th century; African Americans, Civil rights; Children, white; Bus travel
Age/Reading Level: Interest level - 3 - 6; Reading level - ATOS - 3.7; Lexile - 650
Standards:
SS5H8 The student will describe the importance of key people, events, and developments between 1950-1975.
a. Discuss the importance of the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Vietnam War.
b. Explain the key events and people of the Civil Rights movement; include Brown v. Board of Education (1954), the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the March on Washington, Civil Rights Act, Voting Rights Act, and civil rights activities of Thurgood Marshall, Rosa Parks, and Martin Luther King, Jr.
c. Describe the impact on American society of the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, and Martin Luther King, Jr.
d. Discuss the significance of the technologies of television and space exploration.
Publisher's Info: Sleeping Bear Press, Chelsea, MI 2008
ISBN-13: 978-1-58536-324-7
ISBN-10: 1-58536-324-3
Awards/Review Sources:
Wilson's Children 07/01/09 | School Library Journal 06/01/08 |
| Book Links (A.L.A.) 12/01/08 | Booklist 03/01/08 |
| Horn Book 10/01/08 |
Genre/Dewey: Nonfiction; 323.1196
Websites:
More information about the series - Tales of Young Americans
Upcoming books in the series - http://www.gale.cengage.com/YoungAmericans/quick.htm
Notes for Booktalk: Reminiscent of the Obama inauguration
Vocabulary: spitfire, coloreds, mixed
Comments