Rosa by Nikki Giovanni is a unique look at the Civil Rights Movement in Montgomery, Alabama. This book won the Coretta Scott King Award and is Caldecott Honor Book. This book tells the story of how Rosa Parks was tired of being treated as less-than-human and refused to give up her seat on the bus. The legendary tale sparked a series of events from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. encouraging the citizens to walk "until justice runs down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream" (p. 23) to the 1956 Supreme Court ruling that segregation was wrong on all fronts.
The illustrations in this book (done by Bryan Collier) are wonderful, and really help to tell the story of the Civil Rights Movement. They add to the story, and I think the most powerful on is the cover itself, with the white man looking down sternly at Rosa Parks. It almost gave me chills to look at this drawing, it is that good.
I would recommend this book to anyone, young and old alike. I think a lot of different groups can learn a lesson from this story - that all people should be treated equally.
Sources:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/ Image retrieved 3-14-08
Giovanni, N. (2005). Rosa. New York: Henry Holt and Company.
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