Claudette
Colvin: Twice Toward Justice
By
Phillip
Hoose
1. Hoose, Phillip. 2009.
Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward
Justice. New York, NY: Farrar Straus
Giroux. ISBN 0374313229
2. Summary
When
most people think about the Civil Rights Movement and the Alabama bus boycotts,
names like Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. come to mind. However, just 9 months before Rosa Parks
refused to give up her seat on a city bus a young lady by the name of Claudette
Colvin spontaneously refused to give up her seat to a white woman. Claudette was dragged off the bus by police
officers the whole time screaming “It’s my constitutional right!” This poignant moment in history sparked a
revolution in Montgomery, Alabama by inspiring the Alabama bus boycotts and
Civil Rights Movement. Instead of being
celebrated, Claudette was ignored and rejected by the leaders of the movement.
Claudette was not the image they were looking for to represent the civil rights
movement. She was an emotional teenager
and an unwed mother. Claudette went on
to testify in a landmark segregation case Browder vs. Gayle that ruled bus
segregation unconstitutional. In
Claudette’s own words she tells her story about growing up in the Jim Crow
south and her struggle for justice.
3. Critical analysis
Claudette Colvin:
Twice Toward Justice was the 2009 National Book Award winner for Young People's Literature
and a 2010 Newbery Honor Book. This
nonfiction, partial narrative biography is an inspiring, moving and real
portrayal of life in the 1950’s Jim Crow south told from Claudette Colvin and
other notable people. The Author,
Phillip Hoose, skillfully intertwines the history of the bus boycotts and the beginning
of the civil rights movement with Claudette’s story bringing this unknown, yet
poignant figure alive for readers.
Through the black and white photos and delicately chosen words readers feel
the injustices and prejudices of blacks in the 1950’s. Hoose’s intense research
is displayed on every page through the photos, court records, police documents
and Claudette’s story that he acquired through intense interviews with Claudette
herself. Hoose beautifully presents to readers the
courage Claudette had to stand up for what she believed in.
“I knew then and I know now that, when
it comes to justice, there is no easy way to get it. You can't sugarcoat it.
You have to take a stand and say, "This is not right. – Claudette Colvin
Claudette's story
is a great choice for kids in middle school or junior high, studying
the Civil Rights Movement. It
also demonstrates to students that one person’s actions can make a difference and
to stand up for what you believe in.
4.
Review Excerpts
Newbery Honor 2010
Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Honor 2010
Booklist starred 2009 -- “this inspiring title shows the incredible difference that a single
young person can make, even as it demonstrates the multitude of interconnected
lives that create and sustain a political movement.”
5. Connections
The book can be read during a social studies unit on the Civil
Rights Movement.
Questions:
·
Discuss
standing up for injustices. Are there
still Injustices in the World? Name some
and Discuss. What can you do about
them?
·
Discuss
if racism still exists in America?
·
Discuss
why Rosa Parks was a better figure for the movement compared to Claudette
Colvin.
Students can keep a journal to write down their thoughts
as they read. At the end of each chapter
gather the students in small groups to discuss their thoughts about the
chapter.
Listen to the NPR Broadcast at
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=101719889
Related
Books
Freedom
Song: Young Voices and the Struggle for
Civil Rights By Mark Turk
Freedom
Walkers: The Story Of The Montgomery Bus
Boycott By R Freedman
We
Shall Overcome: The History Of The
American Civil Rights Movement By R.
Finlayson
Rosa
By Nikki Giovanni
Other
Books By Phillip Hoose
We
Were There, Too!
What
to Do About Alice
How
Alice Roosevelt Broke the Rules, Charmed the World, and Drove Her Father Teddy
Crazy
By
Barbara
Kerley
1. Kerley, Barbara. 2008. What to do About Alice. Ill. by
Edwin Fotheringham. New York, NY: Scholastic Press. ISBN 9780439922319
2. Summary
Theodore Roosevelt had a small problem. Her name was Alice. Alice Lee Roosevelt was hungry to go places,
meet people, and do things. Father called it “running a riot.” “Alice called it eating up the world.”
This is the story of Alice Roosevelt. Alice was the daughter of Theodore Roosevelt,
the 26th president of the United States. Alice’s Mother died two
days after giving birth to Alice.
Theodore eventually remarried and had 5 more children. Alice was always competing for her father’s
attention. Alice was not like most
girls. She was a free spirit. She wanted to see and conquer the world and
she did exactly that. When her father
became President Alice was seventeen years old and was appointed goodwill
ambassador. She gallivanted all over the
countryside doing outlandish things.
Theodore Roosevelt said” I can be president of the United State, or I
can control Alice, I cannot possibly do both.” Alice’s behavior was
“outrageous” people said. Theodore never
knew what to do with Alice. Alice then
decided to settle down and get married.
She jumped into her new role as wife but never lost her zest for
life.
3. Critical Analysis
The title says it all!
How Alice Roosevelt broke the rules, charmed the world, and drove her
father Teddy crazy. Author Barbara
Kerley has brought to life for young readers the antics and energy of this
outspoken American heroine, Alice Roosevelt.
This humorous and cheerful story gives readers a glimpse into Alice
Roosevelt’s life and leaves the reader wanting to know more. After reading the book, I was intrigued with
this exuberant woman with a zest for life who was always breaking the
rules. The picture book biography is a nice
change from the conventional biography.
It is high-energy, fun and informative and would be great to read aloud to
student grade K-4. Students will relate
to her carefree sprit and automatically fall in love with her.
The books information is accurate and reliable. The
author has an outstanding reputation in children’s literature. In addition, the
author’s notes outline the life of the Roosevelt family giving the reader more
information. At the end of the book it
gives a work cited and a special thanks to carol ZFelsenthal for fact checking
the artwork and text.
Edwin
Fotheringhams digital media images are rich in color bringing the text
alive for the reader. The active movements and emotions of the
character’s Images expand the text and move the
story along presenting to the reader the vivacious personality of Alice and the
frustrations of Teddy. The full page images incorporate the texts
into the images. The era is accurately depicted in
the clothing styles, automobiles and décor.
4. Review excerpts
2008 Publishers Weekly,
starred review -- It's hard to imagine a picture book biography that could
better suit its subject than this high-energy volume serves young Alice
Roosevelt."
2008 School Library Review,
starred review -- Kerley's text gallops along with a vitality to match her
subject's antics, as the girl greets White House visitors accompanied by her
pet snake, refuses to let leg braces cramp her style, dives fully clothed into
a ship's swimming pool, and also earns her place in history as one of her
father's trusted advisers.... Fascinating."
2009 ALA Notable Children's Books
2008 School Library Journal
Best Book of the Year
2008 A Kirkus Reviews – starred -." It's a
gleeful celebration of a fully, unapologetically led life.
5. Connections
This book can be read during a study of U. S. Presidents
·
Read the Book to students and then have them
think- pair- share. They can describe
and list character traits of Alice. They can discuss how she was a woman before
her time and how her choices affected the way people saw her.
·
Have
students write about what it would it be like to be a kid living in the White
House.
Research assignment:
·
Study more about Theodore Roosevelt and other
Presidents.
·
Read
about other presidents children in the white house and create a project over
them.
·
Students
can compare Alice Roosevelt’s experience in the white house to other
president’s children who lived in the white house. Students can present their
finding to the class in a multi media project.
Create an author study on Barbara Kerley and read other books she wrote.
Those
Rebels John and Tom
Mark
Twain
Walt
Whitman
The
Dinosaur of Waterhouse Hawkins
Related
Books
The
New Big Book Of Us Presidents:
Fascinating Facts About Each And Every President By Marc Frey
First
Kids : The True Stories Of All The Presidents' Children by Noah McCullough
Biggest,
Strongest, Fastest
By
Steve
Jenkins
1. Jenkins, Steve. 1995. Biggest, Strongest, Fastest. New York:
Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 0395697018
2. Summary
Did you know that a sun jellyfish has tentacles over 200
feet long and is the worlds longest animal.
In Steve Jenkins book Biggest,
Strongest Fastest this is just what the reader will find out. He presents 14 “world records “of the
strongest, fastest, slowest, biggest, smallest….well you get the idea…. animals
all over the world.
3. Critical analysis
Award winning author Steve Jenkins has created an
accurate, yet fun information picture book that kids will be amazed by the
facts. He presents 14 “world records”
of animals such as the smallest animal the etruscan shrew, that can sleep in a
spoon to the biggest animal, the blue whale that weighs 168 tons. On each
double page spread an animal and its record is presented. In a side caption there is an interesting
fact and the animal is shown in relation to a familiar object making the
concept easier to understand for kids.
This entertaining, yet informative book will cure kid’s curiosity for
superlatives in the animal kingdom. Kids will love to share their newly learned
facts with their friends. It will be a great read aloud for student’s grade
K-4. A chart on the last page displays
the animal’s record, size, diet and range and can be used for student
research.
As with
all picture books, illustrations play just as big a role in the book as the
words. In this book, Steve Jenkins
brings together the words with the illustrations to
present the facts in a fun, yet informative way. Children will be drawn
to the rich colors and textures used from the cut paper collages. The silhouette comparisons deepen a child’s
understanding of the concept by creating a connection with something children
already know. The amazing double page
spreads will grab children’s attention. The interactions
between the illustrations and text do an exceptional job of presenting the
facts and will keep kids focused on the story.
4.
Review Excerpts
1995 Booklist, ALA, Starred Review -- "Here's proof
that power isn't just about size and that science can be a lot of fun."
1995 School Library Journal – “Fascinating facts; and
beautiful, detailed, cut-paper collages make this excellent title a delight.”
5.
Connections
Before reading the book,
create a KWL chart with the 14 “world record” categories displayed. The children can guess what animal they think will go into each category. Read the book and then revisit the chart to
compare their newly learned information with their guess.
Math: The book can be used to discuss how we
categorize or label information largest, biggest, fastest. ect.
Language
Arts: Discuss the suffix –est
Science: The students can research an animal from the
book and create a multimedia project to present their findings.
Art: Create torn paper collage animals.
Related
books
The
Animal: the Definitive Visual Guide by DK Publishing
How Animals Work by DK Publishing
Other
books by Steve Jenkins
What
to do with a Tail like this
Hottest,
Coldest, Highest, Deepest
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