Synergy: Green Book Guidebooks

The Negro Motorist Green Book was a guide book produced for African American travelers. Published during the era of Jim Crow laws between 1936 and 1966 when discrimination and segregation were widespread, the books helped travelers identify businesses and services friendly to African American visitors.

Read the recently published nonfiction book for youth then learn more at the website.

OVERGROUND RAILROAD by Candacy Taylor tells the story of the Green Book, a guide for African American travelers in mid-20th century America. This young adult adaptation traces the history of the Green Book and the courage of both travelers and businesses that stood up against racial segregation. Filled with stunning photographs, fascinating interviews, and engaging narrative, this compelling work of youth nonfiction brings the barriers and hazards faced by Black travelers to life for middle grade readers. The book includes an author’s note, endnotes, bibliography, timeline, and index.

NAVIGATING THE GREEN BOOK from the New York Public Library invites readers to visualize a trip using the Green Books and view a map of data from the books. Users can also browse 21 volumes of the Green Books from 1937 to 1964.

To visit the website, go to http://publicdomain.nypl.org/greenbook-map/.

THE NEGRO MOTORIST GREEN BOOK is an online exhibit from the Smithsonian Institution. Users can learn about the Green Book, examine an online exhibit, and explore stories of people who used the Green Book.

To visit the website, go to https://negromotoristgreenbook.si.edu/.

ARC courtesy of Amulet Books, an imprint of ABRAMS Kids.

Synergy: Gwynn Oak Amusement Park Civil Rights Protest

In the summer of 1963, non-violent protests were held at the Gywnn Oak Amusement Park in Baltimore, Maryland to condemn the park’s segregation policy. On August 28, 1963, the park was desegregated and eleven-month-old Sharon Langley was the first African American child to ride the park’s merry-go-around.

Read the recently published picture book and middle grade book on this topic, then learn more by watching the documentary:

A RIDE TO REMEMBER: A CIVIL RIGHTS STORY by Sharon Langley and Amy Nathan tells the story of the Gywnn Oak Amusement Park protests and young Sharon Langley’s experience riding the merry-go-round. This beautifully illustrated picture book concludes with historical information and a timeline.

Amy Nathan also wrote the middle and high school nonfiction text ROUND AND ROUND TOGETHER: TAKING A MERRY-GO-ROUND INTO THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT.

ALL THE KING’S HORSES: THE STORY OF GWYNN OAK AMUSEMENT PARK is a video documentary chronicling the efforts to desegregate the park. Told through eyewitness accounts and personal narrative, the video presents all sides of the issue.

ALL THE KING’S HORSES https://youtu.be/IPRMQH9PxFQ

ARC courtesy of Abrams Books for All Readers.

Website Review: Navigating the Green Book

NAVIGATING THE GREEN BOOK shares travel guides from the mid 20th century that catered to black travelers along with interactive mapping activities.

During the mid 20th century, African American travelers weren’t welcome at many restaurants and hotels. The Negro Travel’s Green Book was intended to provide guidance for black travelers.

Part of the NYPL Labs, this interactive online experience provides access to travel guides published from 1936 through 1966. Users can explore the guides, map a trip, or view data on a map. For the map trip project, users choose a date and enter two locations. Participants are then presented a map showing a route featuring food, lodging, and other stops along the way. Each stop shows a primary source document.

Librarians will find this website to be a fun way to teach the use of primary source documents while connecting to history content. Associate the project with the Civil Rights Movement and issues related to segregation and travel. Work with teachers to design an interdisciplinary project that involves math, history, social studies, and English. Consider connecting the mapping element to works of historical fiction from this time period.

To visit the website, go to http://publicdomain.nypl.org/greenbook-map/.

Book Review: The First Step: How One Girl Put Segregation on Trial

THE FIRST STEP: HOW ONE GIRL PUT SEGREGATION ON TRIAL by Susan E. Goodman tells the inspiring story of the first lawsuit focusing on segregated schools.

Set in the 1840s, this biographical picture book follows the experiences of a young African American girl named Sarah Roberts who sought to attend a white school in Boston. The book concludes by tracing Sarah’s legacy. Although she didn’t win her case, the experience did provide a few small steps forward at the beginning of the fight for civil rights.

Goodman’s straight forward, easy-to-understand narration makes this book an effective resource for classroom social studies and history activities. E.B. Lewis’ touching watercolor images capture the time period and fervor of the times.

The back matter includes useful information including a timeline, biographies, resource list, and author’s note.

Librarians will find that most students and teachers are familiar with the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, however they may not realize that the fight against segregation began more than a century earlier in the courts. Use this picture book to jumpstart a discussion of the long history of the Civil Rights Movement.

To learn about the author, go to http://www.susangoodmanbooks.com/.
To learn about the illustrator, go to http://eblewis.com/.

Published by Bloomsbury on January 5, 2016. ARC Courtesy of the publisher.

Book Review: Stella by Starlight

STELLA BY STARLIGHT by Sharon M. Draper provides a realistic portrayal of life in the segregated South during the Great Depression.

The author skillfully conveys the reality of life in a world where people are treated unfairly because of the color of their skin. From a random beating to a house burning, the scenes that demonstrate the terror instilled by members of the KKK are chilling. Through her use of age-appropriate examples, Draper is able to create convincing scenarios that convey both the injustice as well as the courage needed to survive in this period of intolerance and fear.

Many readers will empathized with Stella’s desire to be a writer as well as her difficulty in translating her thoughts into words on paper. Her use of the donated typewriter to write news article may inspire some budding authors.

Aimed at the middle grades, this outstanding work of historical fiction should be added to your school library’s growing collection of quality works dealing with African American life in the 20th century.

Like the works of Christopher Paul Curtis and Jacqueline Woodson, Draper is able to draw on both African American culture as well as universal human themes. This combination makes it a great book for literature circles, social studies, and language arts activities.

The year is just beginning, but put STELLA BY STARLIGHT on your Coretta Scott King Book Award short-list for 2015.

Edelweiss ARC used for review