I am Rosa Parks

May 19, 2014
Following books on Abraham Lincoln and Amelia Earhart, this third title in Meltzer and Eliopoulos’s Ordinary People Change the World series traces the life of Rosa Parks from the segregated classrooms of her childhood to the Montgomery Bus Boycott. As in the previous books, Parks is portrayed as a roundheaded cartoon child, even during her adult years, underscoring the idea that anyone is capable of bringing about monumental change. Moments of humor help balance out the harsh racial prejudice on display, but it’s Parks’s determination that stands out strongest. “I knew what the rules said,” she says. “But I also knew in my heart: That’s not how you treat people.” Ages 3–5.

May 15, 2014
Following introductions to Amelia Earhart and Abraham Lincoln, this third title in the set introduces an iconic figure in the civil rights movement.In a straightforward fictionalized narration, Parks tells her story. She gives examples of segregation and bullying in her early life, describes the incident that led to her work for the NAACP and the resistance that led to the Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955-56. "The only tired I was, was tired of giving in," she remarks. The book makes a point of contrasting her small size with her great determination. In the cartoon illustrations, Parks has the round head of Charlie Brown; sometimes she even shares his rueful expression. As with other heroes in the series, she remains child-sized throughout the book, which has the effect of infantilizing her. In one particularly unfortunate illustration, she and an equally child-sized Martin Luther King have an imagined conversation, depicted in speech bubbles, in front of an integrated classroom full of students prayerfully reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. The small, square format seems designed for young hands, and the approach may be most appropriate for preschoolers. The thriller-writer-turned-author-for-children has provided no documentation, sourcing or suggestions for further exploration of this history, but two pages of photographs (not seen) follow the account.A barely serviceable introduction with far more child appeal than substance. (Picture book/biography. 3-7)

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June 1, 2014
Grades K-2 Meltzer's first-person narration and Eliopoulos' comic-style illustrations bring an altogether different look and feel to the story of Rosa Parks. Beginning with childhood incidents that guided her later actions, this entry in the Ordinary People Change the World series proceeds with examples of Jim Crow laws and separate-but-equal disparities. These set the scene for Parks' involvement in civil rights, her now-celebrated refusal to give up her seat on a bus, and the Montgomery Bus Boycott she inspired. While some might question this book's biographic credentials because of its undocumented speech-bubble quotes, others will note how the visual format makes Parks and her time period accessible to young readers. An emphasis on Parks as an ordinary person who stood up for what's right also lends itself well to character education studies. Concluding archival photos show the real Rosa Parks. Informative and appealing.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)