Middle Grade Book Review ~ The Lions of Little Rock

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Marlee’s world is changing. Her older brother is off to college, her sister is being shipped off to their grandmother’s because the high schools are all closed in protest of integration and she’s not sure she’ll be able to handle things on her own. She’s basically a selective mute speaking only to her family (mostly her sister) and providing one word answers at school when forced. And then Elizabeth shows up. Liz has a way of pulling the words out of Marlee and making her do things she never thought possible. But when it’s discovered that Liz is actually a light-skinned Negro their friendship becomes forbidden. Their world is volatile and the racial tensions in the city are real and life threatening.

When Liz goes back to her school she enlists Marlee to help her learn to be quiet and ignore the comments and slams she receives. The girls sneak around in an effort to see each other and call each other on the phone using fake names. Their efforts lead to more and more trouble until it escalates into an older white boy’s violent actions against Liz’s family and neighbors. But the girls won’t be deterred.

Listening to the lions in the nearby Little Rock zoo roar each night Marlee bolsters her courage (much as the lion in the Wizard of Oz, a movie the girls see together, does as well.) She decides to do what she can to keep the first friend she’s ever had.

Marlee and Liz deal with realistic portrayals of racism, ignorance and bigotry even from members of their own families. There’s a lot of history here with some background information on the NAACP, Emmitt Till, John Carter, the KKK, the Little Rock Nine, lynchings, bombings and more. There’s enough info given to explain the gravity of the situation without dwelling on it all, as befits the target audience.

Marlee is a fantastic character with a great voice and insight into the people around her. Because so much of her dialogue (at least at the beginning of the book) is internal we see her growth and evolution in a very direct way through her thoughts but also the words she chooses to say aloud and those she chooses to say them to.

Here’s a sampling:
You see, to me, people are like things you drink. Some are like a pot of black coffee, no cream, no sugar. They make me so nervous I start to tremble. Others calm me down enough that I can sort through the words in my head and find something to say.

My brother, David, is a glass of sweet iced tea on a hot summer day, when you’ve put your feet up in a hammock and haven’t got a care in the world… (pg 5)

Each new person she comes to interact with is labeled in this way; bubbly sodas, wholesome milk, shots of whiskey. Eventually it all leads to this conclusion near the end of the book:

Summing people up as a cola or a coffee wasn’t really fair. Most people were a whole refrigerator full of different drinks. Trying to force them into one cup or one glass meant I never really got to know them. (pg 271) 

Not only does little Marlee find her voice but through her influence the people around her find their voices as well and slowly change begins to come. This is a quietly powerful fictionalization of ‘the lost year,’ 1958 (the year following the events of the Little Rock Nine) and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in history, the Civil Rights movement, equality or just plain great stories.

Lions of Little Rock Book Review

 

The Lions of Little Rock

Written by: Kristin Levine

Number of Pages: 298

Publisher:  Puffin Books, 2013

Age Range: 8-12

Rating: 4/5

Picture Book Reviews ~ International Women’s Day

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Today’s a two-fer, overlapping last month’s Black History theme with this month’s theme of Women’s History. I’ve got two great little books about two amazing women who’ve spent a good deal of their lives in the spotlight and have used that light to illuminate the world around them. (And in a happy coincidence they are both authored by the same prolific author who has used her talent to bring to light the lives of many amazing people. For more info visit https://cbweatherford.com/)

 

Legendary Miss Lena Horne Book Review

The Legendary Miss Lena Horne

Written by: Carole Boston Weatherford

Illustrated by: Elizabeth Zunon

Number of Pages: 48

Age Range: 5-9

Rating: 4/5

Born in New York in 1917, Lena was raised primarily by her grandmother who taught her the importance of education and manners. Her parents, both show people, had other ideas and Lena felt the draw of the stage during the Depression working at the Cotton Club to help make ends meet. She was later able to make inroads in Hollywood for other black performers, contribute to the war effort and even perform at President Truman’s inaugural ball despite being blacklisted during the Red Scare. She advocated for racial equality and women’s rights all her life and was honored not only for her work but for her remarkable talent. Take a listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJvYo5pZEfE

Oprah The Little Speaker Book Review

Oprah: The Little Speaker

Written by: Carole Boston Weatherford

Illustrated by: London Ladd

Number of Pages: 34

Age Range: 4-8

Rating: 4/5

I’d be surprised if there was anyone on the planet who didn’t know the name “Oprah Winfrey.” She’s won over audiences for years with her vulnerability, honesty, generosity and charm. I knew she had humble beginnings but I didn’t realize just how humble until reading this book.

Oprah grew up in on a small run-down farm in Mississippi where she hauled water every day (no indoor plumbing), tended to the animals, and learned to read from the Bible. Like Lena, she was raised by her grandparents. Her first public speaking appearance was in church and it sparked a fire that couldn’t be put out despite being teased by the other kids and reprimanded (“children should be seen and not heard”) by her grandma. Her tenacity in school helped her to skip a grade and make real friends for the first time.

The story ends with her still in childhood, showing the spunk and determination of spirit adult readers will recognize as the tools that got her where she is today but other than a brief mention of that in an author’s note there are no other details about her commercial success as an adult. I think this is a rather interesting choice by the author to focus on what those traits got her as a child, while leaving the door open to learn more about her later life from other sources. She’s a “normal” kid with “normal” struggles who worked hard to do her best, regardless of the adult she became.

We’ll have more amazing women to spotlight as the month goes on but today I want to give an extra-loud shout-out to all the amazing women in my own life. My incredible mom, sister, aunts, grandmothers, cousins, friends that have personally influenced who I’ve become; thanks for being strong and beautiful and smart and powerful and for urging me to be the same.

Share your own shout-out in the comments below. I’d love to hear about the amazing women in your life!

 

Picture Book Review ~ Books for Black History Month

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. 

I saw a post somewhere earlier this month that said something to the effect of “if February is the first time your students are hearing about Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, Jr., etc. then you’re doing it wrong.” All history should be black history. We should be celebrating the lives and accomplishments of blacks right alongside whites as we study the events themselves rather than focusing on the white players and separating out the black players to be spotlighted briefly during the few short weeks in February. Especially since most of the black figures studied seem to be those who figure into the Civil Rights movement. What about the rest of history?

Well, I can’t claim to be the perfect example by any stretch. Two of the books I’m going to share deal, in fact, with Civil Rights figures. But I think it’s important to at least be aware of the holes in our history programs, our own gaps of knowledge and understanding and try to fill those as best we can. I’d love to hear your recommendations for books featuring lesser-known black historical figures so I can beef up my collection.

Frederick Douglass Book Review

Frederick Douglass: The Lion Who Wrote History

Written by: Walter Dean Myers

Illustrated by: Floyd Cooper

Number of Pages: 40

Age Range: 8-12

Rating: 4/5

Frederick Douglass is one of those names I hear all the time and yet if someone asked me I don’t know that I could tell them very much about him. We get a good overview of his life in this book by two revered award-winners. Growing up as a slave he was in a rare position of being owned by a relatively kind family and learned quickly that speaking clearly, reading and writing could make all the difference in a person’s life. He taught himself to read, worked hard, earned the respect of those around him and used all of that to his advantage to escape north where he quickly became a spokesperson for equal rights. His autobiography helped further the cause, giving people an understanding of what slavery was truly like. His courage and his words helped change the nation.

Several of the pages are quite text-heavy, geared toward a slightly older reader. But the story is engaging and easy to follow. And I absolutely love Cooper’s hazy, dream-like illustrations. I always feel as if I’m somehow looking back through the mists of time to actually see the events taking place.

Fannie Lou Hamer Book Review

Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer, Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement

Written by: Carole Boston Weatherford

Illustrated by: Ekua Holmes

Number of Pages: 56

Age Range: 8-12

Rating: 4/5

Fannie Lou Hamer is another name I recognize but actually know very little about. This book covers the bulk of her life, from childhood as a sharecropper in Mississippi to her participation in the Civil Rights Movement and political influence shortly before her death in 1977. She was right in the thick of it all. She fought for her right to vote, was jailed and beaten, ran for Congress, traveled to Africa, marched with Dr.King, started a Freedom Farm and a Head Start program and more. She was a woman who never stopped fighting for what she believed in.

The book is beautifully told in verse, each spread highlighting a phrase, topic or time period from Fannie’s life and accompanied by a gorgeous collage-style illustration. (Check out my Instagram feed for an inside peek.) There’s also fantastic backmatter including an author’s note and detailed timeline along with extensive source notes and suggestions for further reading.

(This book was a John Steptoe New Talent Illustrator Award Winner, Robert F. Sibert Honor Book, and Caldecott Honor Book in 2016.)

Step Right Up Book Review

Step Right Up: How Doc and Jim Key Taught the World About Kindness

Written by: Donna Janell Bowman

Illustrated by: Daniel Minter

Number of Pages: 48

Age Range: 5-9

Rating: 4/5

Finally, I give you one of those lesser-known characters, actually two for the price of one! In 1833 William “Doc” Key was born into slavery in Tennessee. And like Frederick Douglass, he was lucky to be owned by a family who was kind, to the point of educating him alongside their own children.  He had a natural way with animals and learned to care for them as easily as he cared for humans. After the Civil War he became a free man and set up a medical practice. He nurtured an old thoroughbred horse who gave birth to a runty pony he named Jim and the two became inseparable.

Jim wasn’t an average horse. After training him to do some tricks to help sell some of his medicines, Doc pushed the training a little further and Jim responded. Soon Jim was counting, spelling, telling time and identifying state flags. The two became famous doing performances at the Tennessee Centennial Exposition, for President McKinley, on Broadway and all across the country. He pushed for black rights in the towns, hotels and halls they visited and for animal rights as well (including the country’s first humane societies.)  Whenever he was asked the secret to their success and Jim’s training he would reply that with kindness, anything is possible.

The text is a bit lengthy but completely riveting. I think it’s one that would hold the attention of even younger readers despite its length. And the woodcut illustrations are perfect. (Again, check out my Instagram feed for a look at the inside.) A fantastic afterward goes into more details about the pair of unlikely heroes complete with photographs.

I love these kinds of stories! Off-beat, uplifting, completely mesmerizing. A horse that could make change, identify Bible passages and win spelling bees? Truth really is stranger than fiction.