Module 12: Rosa

[Photo courtesy of Amazon.com]

Summary:  This book tells the story of Rosa Parks and her stand against injustice. She is considered a civil rights activist because she refused to give up her seat on the bus so that a white man could sit. This short story explains what Mrs. Parks was thinking about throughout the day, and what she felt when she was asked move. She was tired from a long day at work, and she was even more tired from being mistreated by people because of the color of her skin.

APA: Giovanni, N.. (2005). Rosa. New York, NY: Henry Holt and Company.

Review: "Gr. 3-5. Far from the cliche of Rosa Parks as the tired little seamstress, this beautiful picture-book biography shows her as a strong woman, happy at home and at work, and politically aware ("not tired from work, but tired of . . . eating at separate lunch counters and learning at separate schools"). Her refusal to give up her seat on a bus inspires her friend Jo Ann Robinson, president of the Women's Political Council, and the 25 council members to make posters calling for the bus boycott, and they organize a mass meeting where the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. speaks for them. Paired very effectively with Giovanni's passionate, direct words, Collier's large watercolor-and-collage illustrations depict Parks as an inspiring force that radiates golden light, and also as part of a dynamic activist community. In the unforgettable close-up that was used for the cover, Parks sits quietly waiting for the police as a white bus driver demands that she give up her seat. In contrast, the final picture opens out to four pages showing women, men, and children marching for equal rights at the bus boycott and in the years of struggle yet to come. The history comes clear in the astonishing combination of the personal and the political."

Citation: Rochman, H. (2005). "Starred Review: Rosa" Booklist. Retrieved from http://www.booklistonline.com/Rosa-Nikki-Giovanni/pid=1566882.

Library Use: This particular book is a great asset for the Black History Month display. It shows the character of people at this time to make changes. It serves as a platform for change. Students could then take this concept and research the movement further. It is an excellent jumping off point for the beginning of equality.