Summary: ‘Tricia Ann wants to venture off to her special place alone. Her grandmother, Mama Frances, lets her journey to her special place hoping that ‘Tricia keeps her promise to stay confident. ‘Tricia takes the bus and heads to the back where the colored people are supposed to sit according to the Jim Crow law. She has lived with those laws all of her life. She reaches downtown and a fellow friend of her grandmother tells her before she gets off to stay confident. ’Tricia walks through the park to the fountain and sees a bench that only white people can sit on. She carries on and gets a free pretzel from a vendor friend. He starts complaining about the restaurant being for whites only. She continues on her journey passing by the Southland Hotel. She gets caught in a mob and is swept inside. Someone sees her in the lobby and protests her presence in the hotel. ‘Tricia almost starts to cry while apologizing and runs off to the church. She almost decides to go home after the incident but continues on after she hears kind words from a woman at the church. She regains confidence and finally reaches her special place. It is the public library where all people of color are welcome.
Citation: Mckissack, P.C & Pinkney, J. (2001). Goin’ someplace special. New York, NY: An Anne Schwartz Book
Impressions: I think that the Coretta Scott King books are beautiful. The book displayed a vivid depiction of what it was like in the 1950s. What was interesting was that it was from a little girls’ perspective. Even though she had grown up with the laws, she still got hurt by them. I don’t think that people realize what a dark time that was and it’s not until a book like Goin’ Someplace Special is written to really get a small insight into what life must have been like. I became very emotional with this books and other Coretta Scott King books. The story was very touching to find out that the young girls special place was the public library. The illustrations were amazing and very detailed. I enjoyed it very much.
Reviews:
From Publishers Weekly
McKissack draws from her childhood in Nashville for this instructive picture book. "I don't know if I'm ready to turn you loose in the world," Mama Frances tells her granddaughter when she asks if she can go by herself to "Someplace Special" (the destination remains unidentified until the end of the story). 'Tricia Ann does obtain permission, and begins a bittersweet journey downtown, her pride battered by the indignities of Jim Crow laws. She's ejected from a hotel lobby and snubbed as she walks by a movie theater ("Colored people can't come in the front door," she hears a girl explaining to her brother. "They got to go 'round back and sit up in the Buzzard's Roost"). She almost gives up, but, buoyed by the encouragement of adult acquaintances ("Carry yo'self proud," one of her grandmother's friends tells her from the Colored section on the bus), she finally arrives at Someplace Special a place Mama Frances calls "a doorway to freedom" the public library. An afterword explains McKissack's connection to the tale, and by putting such a personal face on segregation she makes its injustices painfully real for her audience. Pinkney's (previously paired with McKissack for Mirandy and Brother Wind) luminescent watercolors evoke the '50s, from fashions to finned cars, and he captures every ounce of 'Tricia Ann's eagerness, humiliation and quiet triumph at the end. Ages 4-8.
Associates of Publishers Weekly. (August 6, 2001). Children's Review. Publishers Weekly Online. retrieved from http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-689-81885-1
From Booklist
*Starred Review* Ages 5-8. Tricia Ann excitedly gets her grandmother's permission to go out by herself to "Someplace Special" --a place far enough away to take the bus and to have to walk a bit. But this isn't just any trip. Tricia's trip takes place in the segregated South of the 1950s. That means Tricia faces sitting at the back of the bus, not being allowed to sit on a whites-only park bench, and being escorted out of a hotel lobby. She almost gives up, but a local woman who some say is "addled," but whom Tricia Ann knows to be gentle and wise, shows her how to listen to the voice inside herself that allows her to go on. She arrives at her special destination--the public library, whose sign reads "All Are Welcome." Pinkney's watercolor paintings are lush and sprawling as they evoke southern city streets and sidewalks as well as Tricia Ann's inner glow. In an author's note, McKissack lays out the autobiographical roots of the story and what she faced as a child growing up in Nashville. This book carries a strong message of pride and self-confidence as well as a pointed history lesson. It is also a beautiful tribute to the libraries that were ahead of their time.
Wilms, D. (August, 2001). Booklist review. Booklist Online. Retrieved from http://www.booklistonline.com/Goin-Someplace-Special-Patricia-C-McKissack/pid=561355
Suggestions: This book could be used among many other for black history month. I think it is a perfect example of bravery and independence. Each time ‘Tricia felt a little discouragement she quickly regained confidence in herself after a little reassurance from fellow friends and neighbors. This story could teach students how important it is to stand up for oneself and even give them some insight to history.
Summary: The story is about a monsters ball being held on Halloween. From all over creepy crawly creatures made their way to the haunted house to celebrate. There are cats, pumpkins, witches, skeletons, and ghosts. The full moon attracts mummies, wolves, and zombies. They party all night long dancing and singing when they suddenly hear a knock on the door. Everyone grows quiet as they await the door opening. Its trick or treaters at the door! All of the monsters are frightened and run and hide.
Citation: Montes, M. (2006). Los gatos black on Halloween. New York, NY: Henry Hold and Company
Impressions: The story is actually a poem and some of the words are expressed in Spanish and translated. I think that the story was surprising since I didn’t expect for scary monsters to be scared of humans. The illustrations are drawn different from any of the books that I’ve blogged about. The colors are dark giving it an eerie sensation. I enjoyed the story and I think that students will benefit from it educationally because of the Spanish words and translations.
Reviews:
From Booklist
K-Gr. 2. A cat's green eyes stare out from the book's cover. Inside, there are more of los gatos--as well as las brujas (witches), los fantasmas (ghosts), and los esqueletos (skeletons looking like they have come from a Dia de los Muertos celebration. The pithy, rhyming text tells a frightening, if familiar, story. The ghosts and ghoulies are off to a Monsters' Ball at Haunted Hall, and though there's plenty of scary stuff around, the guests are most frightened by the children who come knocking at the door for trick-or-treat. Montes' evocative poem deserves exceptional artwork, and Morales obliges. Her soft-edged paintings glow with the luminosity of jewels, and her witches, werewolves, and corpses are frighteningly executed. Therein lies what may be a problem for preschoolers. These fiends aren't particularly kid-friendly; they are dead-eyed, Day of the Dead folk who scare. For slightly older children, however, this spookiness is what Halloween is all about. The Spanish is neatly integrated into the text, but for those who need clarification, a glossary is appended.
Cooper, I. (August 2006). Booklist Review. Bookline Online. Retrieved from http://www.booklistonline.com/Los-Gatos-Black-on-Halloween-Marisa-Montes/pid=1710332.
From School Library Journal
Grade 1-4–Montes smoothly incorporates Spanish terms into a rhythmic poem describing a moonlit Halloween night. Los esqueletos rattle bones and clatter in a dance, los fantasmas drag their chains and shriek their pains, and los muertos emerge from their graves to join other creatures at a haunted casa for music and dancing. However, the party stops dead with the arrival of trick-or-treaters, which causes the frightened spooks to hide, for The thing that monsters most abhor/Are human niños at the door! The full-bleed paintings create a creepy mood with curving lines, fluid textures, and dusky hues. Rounded figures dance across the atmospheric spreads, which depict blank-faced skeletons, a toothy werewolf, and a child zombie with glowing eyes. The pictures are eerie enough to tingle spines, but the effect is leavened with bits of humor (witches perform skateboard tricks on their brooms, a vampire admires himself in a mirror that reflects only his clothing). The poems cadenced rhymes and descriptive language build suspense until the satisfying ending. Spanish words are easy to understand in context, but are also defined in a glossary with pronunciation guides. This book is just right for children who are beginning to find typical Halloween fare a bit too tame.
Fleishhacker, J. School Library Journal. Retrieved from amazon.com
Suggestions: This could be used in many Halloween and Spanish projects. It could even be fun to read for students who don’t speak English well and or those who don’t speak Spanish. I think that the story is interesting and easy to understand and is appropriate for the holidays. I would love to see a theme where books are displayed for each holiday and then students can do holiday activities together.
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