Rosa

Author: Nikki Giovanni

Illustrator: Bryan Collier

Published by: Scholastic, 2007

Genre: Biography, Picture Book

Age Range: grades 3-5

Caldecott Honor Book

Coretta Scott King Award Winner

This book tells the story of Rosa Parks and how the integrity and courage that she displayed by refusing to give up her seat on a bus because of a prejudice and unjust law led to a bus boycott that in the end helped gain more rights for African Americans and reminded our nation that "we are all equal under the law and are all entitled to its protection." This story also introduces Martin Luther King Jr. a leader in the civil rights movement. It also mentions groups like the NAACP and the Women's Political Council, as well as other important historical events such as desegregation in schools, and the death of Emmett Till.

I found the illustrations in this book to be very interesting. They were accomplished using watercolor and collage. I also enjoyed the artist's note at the beginning of the book about how he visited the actual settings of these events and drew inspiration from the heat that he felt in Alabama. The heat came through in the illustrations in the yellowish and dark colors. He says that he "wanted the reader to feel in that heat a foreshadowing, an uneasy quiet before the storm."

This book could be used in the classroom to teach about the history of our nation and what people had to go through to get the rights they deserved. This book would be a good lead into learning about the Civil Rights Movement because it definatly represents the feelings and mood of that time and introduces many terms, events and people that are important to understanding this time in history and the whole concept behind this movement. It also is a good lead into discussions about how we should and shouldn't treat others. In grade 4 in art, students are to learn about how to incorporate multi-step processes into their work. The technique used by Collier is multi-step in that he painted and then cut out what he painted and used collage to create his illustrations.