Rosa

Nikki Giovanni

Illustrated by Bryan Collier

Scholastic Inc, 2005

Mid to Upper Elementary

This is a story that everyone should read!  I learned a lot from this small "children's book"  This story is so inspirational and I think that every single human being can learn from Rosa Parks and the small yet giant step she took that day on her bus ride home.  I love how this story makes her seem more like a person that everyone can relate with.  When we are taught about what she does in her everyday life it makes her seem more like every other person in an everyday life! I never knew that she was an excellent seamstress or did i know of any of the types of daily activities she did.  I had never heard anyone talk about her husband before, in fact had NO idea she was married.  I totally agree with the Coldecott Honor Award being given to this book.

This book would be perfect, of course, to use during black history month!  Well this might not be possible but it would help students to see how it feels to be discriminated against for no reason.  You could randomly choose something like eye color, and tell all the children that have that eye color that they have to stand at the back of the line, etc. And then as the day goes on change it to something else so that all of the children have experienced the replicated false discrimination.  At the end of the day you could ask the children how it felt and then read the book to them.  And then continue the converstation and talk about what we can do to help prevent things like that from happening again.