SIT-IN How Four Friends Stood Up By Sitting Down

Title: SIT-IN How Four Friends Stood Up By Sitting Down
Author: Andrea Davis Pinkney
Illustrator: Brian Pinkney
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company, 2010
Genre:Informational Text
Age Range: 2nd and up

Summary and Response:
"By sitting down together, they stood up for civil rights." What a fitting quote for this fantastic book! This book tells the story of David, Joseph, Franklin, and Ezell....four friends who made a big difference during the Civil Rights Movement. These four friends began what became known as the Greensboro sit-in. Their order was simple (a doughnut and coffee with cream on the side), but their goal was huge (integration and justice for all!). These four friends started a silent, non-violent protest at Woolworth's lunch counter in Greensboro, but their impact reached far beyond North Carolina. Sit-ins begin to occur in Virginia, Tennesse, and Georgia. This book tells the story of these courageous friends in such a unique way. The authors use of recipes and the inclusion of quotes from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. really "spice" things up! The illustrations in the book are also incredible. One of my favorite, must-check-out pages is a foldout illustration showing the success of all of the brave non-violent protesters of the Civil Rights Movement.

Teaching Ideas:
This is an excellent tool to teach about the Civil Rights Movement and non-violent change. Another noteworthy aspect of the book is its inclusion of quotes from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and its poetic form. The book also contains a Civil Rights timeline and a note from the author, which are both MUST reads! They contain more incredible information on the Greensboro Sit-In and the Civil Rights Movement.

Check out these neat sites on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. , The Greensboro Sit-In, and other aspects of the Civil Rights Movement: http://library.thinkquest.org/J0112391/ http://library.thinkquest.org/J0112391/civil_rights_leaders.htm http://library.thinkquest.org/07aug/00117/king.html http://library.thinkquest.org/C004391F/sit-in_campaign.htm http://www.sitins.com/ http://www.northcarolinahistory.org/commentary/299/entry

Dave the Potter-Artist, Poet, Slave

Title: Dave the Potter- Artist, Poet, Slave
Author: Laban Carrick Hill
Illustrator: Bryan Collier
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company 2010
Genre: Informational Text, Poetry
Age Range: Kindergarten and up
Awards: Caldecott Honor Book (2010) and Coretta Scott King Award Winner (2010)

Summary and Response:
Dave was an extrodinary person. As a slave living in South Carolina during the 1800's, Dave managed to rise above his present postition and live a life of meaning and hope that touches us all still today. This book touches on the adult life of Dave as slave, potter, artist, and poet. Hill's language and lyrical style throughout the book add beauty to the already intricate task of making pots. Hill and Collier combine their efforts to take the reader on a journey into the life of one of the most remakable slaves in history. The text focuses on Dave's skill as an artist and as a pot maker, as well as his role as a poet. Dave's often poetic inscriptions and dates left on the pots he created are one of the most important artifacts we have to give us insight into the lives of slaves during that time. Collier's illustrations give additional clues into this time and culture of the past. This was one remakable man!

Teaching Ideas:
Not only is the text itself worth focusing on, but the informational pages in the back of the book as well as the author and illustrator notes are a MUST read! I found out so much more information not only about Dave's life, but also about how the author and illustrator came to work on and view this book. Did you know Bryan Collier took a trip down to Edgefield, South Carolina (The area where Dave lived.) to conduct his research for the illustrations? He even got to meet and watch a local potter create pottery! This book would fit so nicely into any unit on slavery. I feel that it would not only give insight into the life of a slave during this time period, but it would also give students a sense of hope and the knowlegde that they too can transcend difficult and heartbreaking situations just as Dave did.

Here are a few webites on Dave and his pottery! Don't be afraid to get your hands dirty!

http://www.usca.edu/aasc/davepotter.htm http://www.sciway.net/afam/dave-slave-potter.html http://leonardtodd.com/daves-poems_284.html http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940CE0D8173CF933A05752C0A9669C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all