Rationale
We are in a world today is rich in diversity. We need to embrace that diversity by exposing ourselves to the culture of the others around us. There are many people who have been affected by discrimination since the beginning of literature such as women and any person of color.
The African Americans in the United States today come from African ancestors. African American literature was not published in the United States until the 18th century. African Americans came to the United States mostly by slave labor. They were not taught the read or write; they had to teach themselves or find someone compassionate enough to help them.
Historically, African Americans were viewed as not being equal and their literature was published less frequently than Caucasian literature. The majority of African American literature discussed about slavery, plantations, equal rights, racism, music, families, and their daily lives. African Americans were also known for telling a lot of their stories by creating folk songs. Today, a lot of our modern music is contributed today because of the African Americans.
African American literature has played an important part in the history of American. Today, we see literature from all cultures. It makes literature so much more intriguing. A student can simply read a book sitting from her own chair to learn about slavery from a slave’s point of view or visualize a student’s story about Africa.
• Title: Henry’s Freedom Box
• Author: Ellen Levine
• Illustrator: Kadir Nelson
• Publisher: Scholastic Press
• Copyright: 2007
• ISBN#: 043977733X
• Genre: Fiction
• Library Location: Mesa Verde Elementary; Amarillo ISD
• Summary:
Henry is a slave boy who does not know his age because slaves were not allowed to know their age. Henry was not with his family because he was separated from them and was forced to work in a tobacco factory as a boy.
Henry grows up and falls in love with a fellow slave named Nancy. They have three children together.
Eventually, Henry’s own family is sold into slavery too. He is left alone without his family. He decides that he deserves freedom. He finds a crate at the warehouse he was working and realizes that this will be his way to freedom. He has doctor seal the crate shut and mails him. His journey is a difficult one that starts in Virginia. He travels by steamboat, cart, and train before arriving in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. When he arrives, he realizes that is finally free.
• Personal Comments:
I love to see this view of the Underground Railroad. It shows that a person will do no matter what it takes to be free. This book reminds me of when my husband and I moved away from Amarillo. We had only been married six months but we wanted “freedom” to grow as a couple away from our families. We decided to move down by Fort Worth and it has been a wonderful experience so far. Henry wanted to gain his freedom and so did we in a different way.
• Suggested Use in Classroom:
This book is perfect in any classroom for the month of February for Black History Month. Students will get to see a story about someone being torn away from their family and struggling to gain freedom. This book could also be used when talking about the Underground Railroad, Harriet Tubman, or if you have a very diverse ethnic classroom.
Title: Freedom Summer
• Author: Deborah Wiles
• Illustrator: Jarome Laqarrique
• Publisher: Aladdin
• Copyright: 2005
• ISBN#: 0689830165
• Genre: Fiction
• Library Location: Mesa Verde Elementary, Amarillo ISD
• Summary:
This is story of two boys named Joe and John Henry. Joe is Caucasian and John Henry is African American. They are best friends who do everything together. The story is based in the south in 1964. At the beginning of the story, segregation is noticeable until the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was enacted. Joe and John Henry think that they can now go to the pool together. Instead of the pool allowing all students, the pool instead decides to fill it asphalt rather than letting the African Americans swim. At the end of the story, the boys are able to walk into a once segregated shop.
• Personal Comments:
This story shows the friendship between boys that is not separated by color. John Henry and Joe wanted to be friends. They did not let color define their friendship. I can relate this to my personal life growing up. When I younger, I lived in San Diego, California until I was in second grade and then we moved to Texas. In kindergarten, I sat next to a Pilipino student on one side and a Hispanic student on the other. I grew to understand that you should get along with everyone and not pick your friends by the color of their skin.
• Suggested Use in Classroom:
This would be a good book to share with any classroom when you talk about treating everyone equally. A teacher could point out that you can be friends with anyone and to not look at the color of their skin, what they wear, or how they speak. A kindergarten classroom would especially benefit from this book since that school year could be their first opportunity to see students from different ethnicities.
• Title: Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt
• Author: Deborah Hopkinson
• Publisher: Random House Children's Books
• Illustrator: James Ransome
• Copyright: 1993
• ISBN#: 0689830165
• Genre: Fiction
• Library Location: Mesa Verde Elementary; Amarillo ISD
• Summary:
This book is about a young girl named Clara. Clara is a slave and seamstress. All she wants to do by reunited with her mom. She decides to make a freedom quilt with a map that will take her to her mom and she will share the quilt with others. She uses the Underground Railroad on her journey. She makes the quilt from information that other slaves gave her. She escapes and ends up in Canada where she is finally free.
• Personal Comments:
The book is written like the characters are actually talking but they are using slang words. I believe that this would make it difficult for young students to understand unless someone explained it to them and then read the book out loud to them. Overall, this is an interesting way to escape from freedom that I had not yet heard about until this book. This book also has beautiful illustrations that make you feel like you are a part of the story. It reminds me of my mom and I when she was trying to teach me to crochet. I would see my friend, Tamera with all kinds of pieces that she had crocheted such as scarves, pot holders, and blankets and I wanted to learn to make these items.
• Suggested Use in Classroom:
The book would be great for Black History month. It would also be used to talk about the Underground Railroad, to teach students about quilting, or to teach students about slavery. This book is recommended for ages 5 to 10 but I believe that ages 7-10 would have a better understanding of this book.
• Title: Pink and Say
• Author: Patricia Polacco
• Illustrator: Patricia Polacco
• Publisher: Penguin Group
• Copyright: 1994
• ISBN#: 9780399226717
• Genre: Fiction
• Library Location: Mesa Verde Elementary; Amarillo ISD
• Summary:
The book is about two boys during the Civil War. There is a African American boy named Pinkus Aylee nicknamed Pink who is an Union soldier. There is a Caucasian boy named Sheldon Curtis nicknamed Say who is also a Union soldier.
Say is wounded in battle and Pink saves him and takes Say to his mom in Georgia. They become unlikely friends. There is one concept that Say is very happy about. He told Pink that he once shook Abraham Lincoln’s hand. Pink’s mom is killed and the boys are taken to prison where Pink is hung. Before Pink dies he says to Say, "'Let me touch the hand that touched Mr. Lincoln, Say, just one last time.”
• Personal Comments:
This book is by far one of the deepest children’s books that I have ever seen. It is recommended for late elementary grades but this would be a sad read for any age. It is a story of friendship, love, and loss. I have read a few of Patricia Polacco’s books before and this book is the most realistic that I have found. It shows you that friendship doesn’t end even in death. I loved the part about Abraham Lincoln. I think that fact brought Say and Pink closer to together.
• Suggested Use in Classroom:
This book would be good for upper elementary or junior high students when the teacher is discussing the Civil War or slavery. There are not a lot of books out there that deal with the youth, different races, and the Civil War all rolled into one. This book is able to cover many subjects and gives a realistic factor to the past.
Title: Working Cotton
• Author: Sherley Anne Williams
• Illustrator: Carole Byard
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
• Copyright: 1992
• ISBN#: 0152996249
• Genre: Fiction
• Library Location: Mesa Verde Elementary, Amarillo ISD
• Summary:
The book is about a young girl named Shelan. She picks cotton in California and migrates to other cotton fields with her family. She works side by sided with her family from sun up to sun down. She picks cotton with her mom, dad, and two sisters. Shelan is has become accustomed to having to make new friends everywhere she goes and doesn’t see a way out of this life. She sees herself a cotton picker forever.
• Personal Comments:
I enjoyed how this book was based on the author’s personal experiences. Instead of making up a story, the author tells about their life and life’s details from another character’s eyes. It makes the story more realistic. This book talks about cotton picking and could really relate to almost any race of people who have been migrant workers. This book talks in the slang type of speech that might make it difficult for some readers to understand. This is another book that would be good for a teacher to read aloud.
• Suggested Use in Classroom:
All of the books that I have chosen relate to African Americans. This book in particular can relate to really any race. This book would be good when speaking about child labor, African American culture, and migrant workers jobs. A teacher could talk about what jobs migrant workers do. A teacher could also talk about child labor throughout history and give other examples such as children working in factories in the 1800’s.
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