Rosa

Author: Nikki Giovanni
Illutrator: Bryan Collier
Publisher and date of publication: Henry Holt and Company, LLC: 2005
Genre: Nonfiction, Biography (Multicultural)
Grade: 2-5

Rosa Parks was one of the best seamstresses in Montgomery, Alabama. People used to call her work magic. On one Thursday in 1955 Rosa's boss let her go home early because she had worked so hard and he knew that her mother was ill. She went to the bus stop, entered in the front door to pay her dime them went out and entered through the rear of the bus were the blacks had to sit. Once on the bus the section for blacks was full however she found a seat in the neutral section, which was for both blacks and whites. After a few stops James Blake the bus driver told her to give up her seats. Rosa just sat there. Blake then called the police and when Rosa would not move she was arrested. Rosa was tired of always putting white people first and always having to be considered "colored". She was arrested for everyone not just herself. Jo Ann Robinson a professor at Alabama College (for blacks) heard the news and decided to do something about it. She called a meeting at her office. Her and 25 women made posters saying "No Riders Today: Support Mrs. Parks, stay off the buses; Walk on Monday". The people walked for days, months and years. Reverend Martin Luther King was brought in to speak on the subject and spoke for the injustice that was taking place. On November 13, 1956 the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that segregation on buses was illegal, segregation was wrong. Rosa said "NO" to remind the nation that the U.S. constitution makes no provisions for second-class citizenship. We are all equal under the law. Her no turned into a yes for change.

I liked this biography of Rosa Parks. What a great reader for young children. The book mentions a lot of people that really fought for equality among races. What I liked most about the book was the simplicity of the story and how quickly it unfolded but yet you feel like you know everything. One thing that interested me that I was not aware of before was the fact that blacks actually walked for almost year. That whole time they stuck to this nonviolent movement and refused to use public transportation. Also, the fact that people from all over the country sent them shoes and clothes to wear so that they could bear whatever weather they faced was amazing. The story of Rosa Park truly is one that all students should know. I am glad that I was able to read this and freshen up on the history of what happened that year in Montgomery, Alabama.
I really loved how the illustrator constructed the images for this book. They looked as if he had taken bits and pieces of torn paper and formed them to make the pictures. It was almost like a collage but they were absolutely beautifully done. What it made me think of was the fact that our world is made of bits and pieces of peoples, culture and religion. We all live in this world of diversity yet if we work together we can make it world around us beautiful. I don't know if that was his significance for doing what he did but that’s how I read the pictures.

In the classroom there are a lot of topics that could be covered with the Rosa Parks story. First of all it would be a great way to start a lesson on African American historical figures or African Americans that made a difference during the civil rights movement. It provides a great opportunity to talk about civil right what are they, why do we need them and things like that. Have the children come up with some civil rights of their own for the classroom. Segregation is a huge topic in this story and I think that students need to learn how much of an impact segregation made on our society. It would be really neat if you could find and activity that deals with segregation in the classroom and then see on the students react and how it makes them feel. I think that it is important that we take the time to address these issues with our students and really educate them on the matters of what happened in history.