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