Rosa

Giovanni, N. (2005). Rosa. New York, NY: Henry Holt.

Rosa is an historical account of the day that Rosa Parks was arrested. Many student read a short blurb about her refusing to give up her seat to a white man but this gives more to her story. It may be fictionalized but it does explain her motivations as well as the motivations of others that lead the civil rights movement.

Rosa was a seamstress who was on her way home to cook dinner for her husband. She was sitting in a seat she had every right to sit in. She was arrested for standing up for what she felt was unjust. This book shows how such a simple gesture had a ripple effect on the city, state, and country.

Teachers could use this book for the obvious black history connection. As a civics lesson, teachers can show that just because something is a law doesn't make it right. It also is a good mentor text to show personal narratives. Every body has a story on a event from their life. Students do not need to write their whole life story to have something interesting to share.

I also think it is interesting that Nikki Giovanni left the actual arrest out of the story. She doesn't need to include it since her audience knows what happens and how Rosa's story ends. It is an interesting way to introduce to young student writers to not spend so much time on what the reader already knows.  Get to the point of the story.

This was a Illustrator Award Winner. Each picture takes about 3/4 of the two page spread. The text runs down the left or right side of the edge. This allows the pictures to be the focus if the book is used as a read aloud. The colors are not bright. They are rather muted with a lot of mustard and earth tones. The subject matter isn't a happy point in the Untied States' history so maybe that is why bright colors were not used.

Towards the end, two pages fold out to extend the size of the book. The content of these pages is the the nonviolent protest of bus boycott. The pages stretch to show how long the walkers stretched through the city.