I have not read a lot of children's books that reflect diverse experiences--adult and YA books, yes. Not children's. I really liked this one--the illustrations were lovely, and the story would provide valuable exposure for young children to some of the difficulties African-Americans faced during the Civil Rights era. ( )

Janice N. Harrington did a phenomenal job writing this story, and I think this can be a good writing model for students. The way Harrington described things made the story come to life, and it added more detail to the story. For example, she wrote "I wish my toes were roots. I'd grow into a pin oak and never go away". That to me is so beautifully worded, compared to just saying "I want to stay forever".
Children can gain inspiration from this story, and even try to use similes and metaphors in their own writing. ( )

This story is about a southern African American family who are relocating to the north for a better life. The story follows their journey during this time of segregation in the 1960's. It addresses the family's fears, hardships, worries, questions, and emotions during this difficult journey.

Age: 7+
Source: JBLM Grandstaff Library
Book was used for strategy instruction: Synthesizing for Adv Lang and Literacy Methods Class at Pierce College

An African American family is leaving behind Big Mama, loving relatives, and the familiar red soil and cotton fields of Alabama, Jessie and her family are going north to Nebraska. They are pioneers searching for a better life, one with decent schools and jobs. But traveling through the segregated South is difficult for an African American family in the 1960s. With most public places reserved for "whites only," they have problems finding places to stop to get gas and food.

Age- 6+
Source- Tacoma Public Library

I really enjoyed reading this book for a lot of reasons. First, I really liked plot. There was a lot of suspense whether or not the family was going to make it to the north in time to escape the segregation. Also, the author left off with a mystery at the end. The whole time she kept asking "Am I going to like the North?" and when her family finally got there the story ended. I also enjoyed the pictures. The pictures were not very clear but they were very detailed. This book really pushes readers to think back to times when segregation was real and and had a huge impact on people's lives. The characters in this book are very believable because it is based on segregation and real events. One thing I didn't like was the language used. The word "negro" was used a lot and nowadays it is looked at as a racist term. The word makes me feel uncomfortable while reading the story. The main message from this story is to illustrate the struggles that people suffered with during segregation and how people should value the world that we live in today because times used to be very tough. ( )