Synopsis:
"An African American nun challenges the beliefs of her second-grade students in this thought-provoking picture book set in the 1960s."--Publishers Weekly
My review:
Set in the 1960's of racial inequality, a young white girl going into second grade, is confronted with a teacher that does not look like her.
At first, the children, although curious, find her to be funny, and just like other teachers who have taught them. But soon a mean "joke" by a student turns the class into learning about racial differences.
Sister Anne, the teacher, teaches her students about a different perspective and that all are not treated the same. Respect comes over time for the young girl and some of the students.
One of the things I truly liked about this book is it did not water down racism. The teacher used imagery in her classroom that showed people of different color and what they were known for at the time. Names dropped: Martin Luther King Jr, Phillis Wheatley, Mathew Henson, and Sojourner Truth.
The illustrations were all done in black and white with some pink, certainly intentional and not missed by this reviewer. The pictures were bold and mostly full page which, although a picture book mostly, I think was also intentional.
If you are going to share lessons in racism to younger children, then this book is a nice supplemental one to start with but not a sole book to use.
Recommend. 4 stars.
Disclosure: I purchased a copy of this book for my own collections. The review here is 100% my own and may differ from yours. ~Michelle, Reading Authors Network
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