Sit-In
Book Review:
Bibliography-
Pinkney,
A.D. (2010). Sit-in. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.
ISBN 9780316070164
Plot
Summary-
It was February 1,
1960.
They didn't need menus. Their order was simple.
A doughnut and coffee, with cream on the side.
This picture book is
a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the momentous Woolworth's lunch
counter sit-in, when four college students staged a peaceful protest that
became a defining moment in the struggle for racial equality and the growing
civil rights movement.
Critical
Analysis-
This is a
historically based picture book which takes a moment in history and explores it
more in depth. Depending on the age of the students and their knowledge of the
Civil Rights Movement, some may have never heard of the Greensboro sit-ins.
Reading Pinkney’s picture book can introduce them to the event and the four
young men who started it. It may also be an opportunity to
learn more about the four individuals who sat down at the Woolworth’s counter
on February 1. Pinkney’s story is focused on one perspective that is
shared about an event and the people involved in it. The characters in the story are authentically portrayed in the story.
The four brave African American college students that nonviolently sat at a
“Whites Only” lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina are accurately named
and depicted as peacefully protesting segregation. The other characters in the
story reflect distinct cultural experiences with some characters following the
Greensboro Four’s example of opposing segregation and others opposing
integration by mistreating the protestors. As for the setting, the story is
consistent with the historical time and set in a Woolworth’s lunch counter in
Greensboro, North Carolina on February 1, 1960. After the Greensboro sit-in,
other sit-ins, protests, and boycotts occurred, which is accurate in American
history. The story is also filled with cultural details such as the differing
attitudes of supporters and opposers of integration. The story also includes quotes
from Martin Luther King Jr., Ella Baker and President John F. Kennedy as well
as a timeline with momentous events that influenced the African American
culture.
Review
Excerpts-
2011 Carter G. Woodson Award Winner
“Through effectively
chosen words, Andrea Pinkney brings understanding and meaning to what four
black college students accomplished on February 1, 1960, by sitting down at a
Woolworth lunch counter in Greensboro, NC. She effectively emphasizes the men's
determination to undo the injustices of segregation in a peaceful protest,
which eventually led up to the 1966 Supreme Court ruling against racial
discrimination. With swirling swabs of color that masterfully intertwine with
sometimes thin, sometimes thick lines, Brian Pinkney cleverly centers the
action and brings immediacy to the pages. Both the words and the art offer many
opportunities for discussion. The book concludes with a civil rights time line
and an update on the aftermath of the lunch-counter struggle.”—School
Library Journal Starred Review
“This compelling
picture book is based on the historic sit-in 50 years ago by four college
students who tried to integrate a Woolworth’s lunch counter in Greensboro,
North Carolina. Food-related wordplay adds layers to the free verse. The
double-page spreads in watercolor and thick ink lines show both the scene in
Woolworth’s and across America as blacks and whites organize sit-ins and watch
coverage of protests on TV. Closing pages discuss the role of adults, including
Ella Baker and then presidents Kennedy and Johnson, and include a detailed
civil rights time line, “a final helping” about the historic struggle, and a
bibliography. Even young children will grasp the powerful, elemental, and
historic story of those who stood up to oppressive authority and changed the
world.”—Booklist Starred Review
Connections-
Other
books about the civil rights movement:
By: Monica Clark-Robinson
By: Alexandra Penfold
By: Robert Coles
By: Carol Boston Weatherford
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