Rosa by Nikki Giovanni

Giovanni, Nikki. (2005). Rosa. New York: Henry Holt and Company.

Lexile: 900 – I think this book could be used with students 3rd to 6th grade.

Author Credibility: This book has won such awards as the Child Magazine's best children's book of the year, a Caldecott Honor Book, and the Coretta Scott King Award for Illustration.

Summary:
The story begins by introducing Rosa’s family. It then describes Rosa’s work. Rosa got to go home early so she heads to the bus. She pays her money and heads to the back entrance, were colored people had to enter the bus. The colored section was full, so she sat in a neutral section of the bus. As the bus filled up the bus driver came to the neutral section and demanded they move. Rosa said “no.” The police were called and Rosa was arrested. Members of the Women’s Political Council met and made posters promoting a bus boycott. Martin Luther King, Jr. led the people. Finally, the Supreme Court ruled that segregation was illegal.

Standards: Social Studies
*Culture
*Time, Continuity, and Change
*Individuals, Groups, and Institutions

Illustrations:
Bryan Collier provides the drawings that bring to life this story. The end pages of this book are tinted with a tint of green. Then as you continue on into the story the drawings progress into color.

Access Features:
*Author’s Note
*Illustrator’s Note

How I would use this book in the classroom:
This book would be a great with a unit on civil rights.

My response to the book:
I enjoyed reading this book. I learned a lot about Rosa Parks by reading this book. For example, I learned that Rosa was a seamstress. You often hear about how she would not give up her seat on the bus, but you do not hear much about the rest of her life. I also did not realize that there were neutral sections on the bus, and Rosa was sitting in this section. Rosa was sitting in a legal section of the bus. I would have liked to know more about what happened to Rosa after she was arrested. The story told more about the bus boycott and the civil rights movement. I liked the open up pages that showed the people walking eventually to a victory of equal rights.

Related Texts:
* Happy Birthday, Martin Luther King by Jean Marzollo, illustrated by J. Brian Pinkney
* Freedom Riders: John Lewis and Jim Zwerg on the front lines of the Civil Rights Movement by Ann Bausum
*Freedom Walkers: The story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott by Russell Freedman
*A Sweet Smell of Roses by Angela Johnson, illustrated by Eric Velasque
* A Wreath for Emmett Till by Marilyn Nelson, illustrated by Philippe Lardy