Module 2 - BOYCOTT BLUES: HOW ROSA PARKS INSPIRED A NATION by Andrea Davis Pinkney

Bibliography
Pinkney, Andrea Davis. 2008. BOYCOTT BLUES: HOW ROSA PARKS INSPIRED A NATION. Ill. Brian Pinkney. China: HarperCollins Publishers. ISBN 10-9780060821180

Plot Summary
The inspiring story of Rosa Parks and the bus boycotts is made accessible to younger children in this beautifully written picture book illustrated in muted colors with lots of thick black strokes on each page. A. D. Pinkney portrays the Jim Crow laws as a bird (or a crow!), pecking away at the rights of the African-American people, building a nest of segregation.  Rosa Parks is portrayed as an ordinary woman who dares to stand up for her civil rights and is able to make a difference with the help of others who are willing to fight for their beliefs as well. Martin Luther King makes an appearance, calling for a boycott on public transportation to get the laws to change.  Pinkney shows the lenght of time it took for the boycott to work, devoting six two-page spreads to the length of time they had to walk, ride, or figure out some way to travel from point A to point B.  The narrator is a dog strumming a guitar who can be found on almost every page.  Children will have fun hunting for him in the clouds and the mix of people in Brian Pinkney's illustrations. This book would be perfect for a read aloud and a beginning introduction to civil rights, Jim Crow laws, boycotting, Rosa Parks, and Martin Luther King Jr.

Critical Analysis
The language and dialect come through strongly in Andrea Pinkney's writing.  Pinkney uses italics to set some words apart and to give emphasis to others.  Her writing is rhythmic, bluesy, and descriptive.  Pinkney focuses on the drama and emotions that went into the civil rights movement, while including many places, dates, and facutal information. 

Brian Pinkney's colored ink on clay board illustrations use lots of black strokes that are thick, solid, and sometimes wispy to portray the Jim Crow laws.  Jim Crow laws are portrayed with black strokes, swishes, and scribbles on the pages to show he is "attacking" the innocent people including Rosa Parks.

The background scenes are created with all black and color is incorporated into the sky and the details the reader is supposed to focus on.  Color is used to express feelings and emotions.  Martin Luther King Jr.s page is bathed in red to show a lighter, more energetic picture.  Most of the beginning pictures and the pages that are about hard times have darker colors, blues, greens, purples, while the pictures for MLK, and after the Jim Crow laws are banished use brighter colors like red, yellow and light blue to show a lighter feeling.
The dog with the guitar is on most pages, sometimes mixed in with the people, sometimes off by himself, sometimes drawn into the sky.  The pictures are menacing when depicting the Jim Crow laws and inspiring when showing the Civil Rights movement.  They make the reader slow down and pay attention.

Review Excerpts
School Library Journal Starred Review: "Pinkney's artwork rivets the eye with the red of Parks's coat, the yellow of the city bus, and the sunrise red that signals the Supreme Court ruling to end segregation. Children unfamiliar with the historic events of the period will find the tale uplifting and memorable, and for librarians, teachers, and parents, this story will read aloud well, mesmerizing listeners."

Booklist Starred Review: "With glowing, dramatic double-page spreads and a clear rhythmic text, this large picture book tells the inspiring story of the Montgomery bus boycott."

Connections
Pinkney, Andrea. 2010. SIT-IN: HOW FOUR FRIENDS STOOD UP BY SITTING DOWN. Ill. Brian Pinkney. Little, Brown Books for Readers. ISBN 10-0316070165
Reynolds, Aaron. 2010. BACK OF THE BUS. Ill. Floyd Cooper. New York: Penguin Group. ISBN 10-0399250913
Weatherford, Carole Boston. 2005. FREEDOM ON THE MENU: THE GREENSBORO SIT-INS. Ill. Jerome Lagarrigue. New York: Puffin Books. ISBN 10-0142408948