A girl and her family, leave their home at the crack of dawn, to avoid the wrath of their sharecropping boss. Headed to the train station with all they can carry, they are traveling north to New York, looking for opportunity. As they are seated in the colored section, the girl sits by the window, watching fields, filled with the labor of sharecroppers picking crops, pass by. She reminisces over the goodbyes from her relatives, her angry Daddy saying No more picking, and her Mama, No more working someone else's land. As they travel from stop to stop, they pass the time playing cards, and the girl reads to her Mama a book given to her by her teacher, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas. As they pass into northern territory, they are no longer required to sit in the colored section of the train car. They move to other parts of the train, where people stare, and motion that they don't want them sitting near them. As they finally pull into Penn Station, stepping onto the streets of New York, she sees the bright lights, tall buildings and stars...their journey has just begun.
The illustrations, done with paper, graphite, paste pencils and watercolor, richly illustrate the text with warmth and compassion. An excellent introduction to sharecroppers and the great migration to the north, looking for hope, freedom and a better life.
Mark's Book Picks Score: 3.5
Reading Level: 4.2 • Interest Level: K-3 • AR Points: 0.5 • Lexile Level: AD1000L • Publisher: Holiday House • Pages: 48 • Copyright: 2020 • ISBN: 978-0-8234-3873-0 • Available in Perma-Bound Binding
No comments:
Post a Comment