ROSA by Nikki Giovanni

A. BIBLIOGRAPY
Giovanni, Nikki. 2005. ROSA. Ill. by Bryan Collier. New York: Scholastic Inc. ISBN 0439898838

B. PLOT SUMMARY
This book tells the story of how one lady, Rosa Parks, took a stand against unfair and unequal laws in the fifties by refusing to give up her seat on the bus. The story takes Rosa through the preceding days up to her refusal to leave her seat and the repercussions of that decision.

C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The author immediately begins building a strong standard of excelling for the Parks family. Mr. Parks is one of the best barbers in the county and Rosa is the best seamstress in the county. Mr. Parks takes on extra work and Rosa works through lunch; implying a strong work ethic. The author creates a story line of regular hard working people, striving to their best and then very calmly presents a live changing event, to which the main character responds to with serenity and purpose. Rosa had not wanted this situation, but she would respond to it with dignity and grace learned from her mother and grandmother.
Reference to the inequality to African Americans is provided throughout the book. These cultural markers include Rosa paying to ride the bus in the front but must exit and enter through the rear door, then sit in the back. The author includes the 1954 Brown versus Board of Education decision, the colored signs, the furtive way the women met at the college, Emmett Till, and Martin Luther King, Jr. to share what was happening during this time in history.
The illustrations done in watercolor and collage enhance and embellish this story, providing a visual image of the text. The art is simple, straightforward, and honest depicting a serene Rosa and family. The artist shows a multitude of skin color and facial features throughout the book. Visual representation of the unequal treatment includes a picture with a “white entrance” sign. The picture of the bus driver leaning over Rosa expresses the stereotypical view of white dominance.
The strength of this book lies in the emotional impact on readers to the injustice African Americans endured during this time period. The illustrator claims to have used yellow and dark hues to enhance the illusion of heat that precedes a disturbance.

D. REVIEW EXCERPTS
Booklist starred (June 1, 2005 (Vol. 101, No. 19))
Gr. 3-5. Far from the cliche of Rosa Parks as the tired little seamstress, this beautiful picture-book biography shows her as a strong woman, happy at home and at work, and politically aware ("not tired from work, but tired of . . . eating at separate lunch counters and learning at separate schools"). Her refusal to give up her seat on a bus inspires her friend Jo Ann Robinson, president of the Women's Political Council, and the 25 council members to make posters calling for the bus boycott, and they organize a mass meeting where the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. speaks for them. Paired very effectively with Giovanni's passionate, direct words, Collier's large watercolor-and-collage illustrations depict Parks as an inspiring force that radiates golden light, and also as part of a dynamic activist community. In the unforgettable close-up that was used for the cover, Parks sits quietly waiting for the police as a white bus driver demands that she give up her seat. In contrast, the final picture opens out to four pages showing women, men, and children marching for equal rights at the bus boycott and in the years of struggle yet to come. The history comes clear in the astonishing combination of the personal and the political.

Kirkus Review starred (July 15, 2005)
Rosa Parks sat. "She had not sought this moment, but she was ready for it." When she refused to move out of the neutral section of her bus to make way for white passengers, she sparked the Montgomery bus boycott. She was tired of putting white people first. Giovanni's lyrical text and Collier's watercolor-and-collage illustrations combine for a powerful portrayal of a pivotal moment in the civil-rights movement. The art complements and extends the text, with visual references to Emmett Till, the Edmund Pettus Bridge and Martin Luther King, Jr. The yellowish hue of the illustrations represents the Alabama heat, the light emanating from Rosa Parks's face a shining beacon to all who would stand up for what's right. A dramatic foldout mural will make this important work even more memorable. An essential volume for classrooms and libraries. (Picture book. 5+)

Library Media Connection (March 2006)
This is the story of Rosa Parks and how by saying "no" on a Montgomery bus she changed the history of our nation. On this particular day Rosa left work early. As usual she paid her bus fare, got off the bus, and re- entered from the rear. The section reserved for blacks was full, but the section for both whites and blacks had some empty seats. When the driver demanded her seat, Rosa did not move. She had decided not to give in to what she knew was wrong. She was tired of the segregation and she remembered the 1954 Brown vs. Board of Education decision. After Rosa's arrest members of the Women's Political Council met. First they prayed and then they created fliers that encouraged blacks to walk in support of Rosa. Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke in favor of blacks walking. So began the bus boycott. Almost a year after Rosa Parks had been arrested on that bus in Montgomery, the Supreme Court ruled segregation on the buses was illegal. The wonderful color illustrations bring life to this book. They are painted in a manner that allows the reader to see both the darkness and the light of this situation. The detail brings to life a very familiar page of our history. Highly Recommended. Karen Scott, Media Specialist, Thompson Middle School, Alabaster, Alabama

E. CONNECTIONS
Discussion topics could include: would it have been as powerful a statement if a man had refused to give up his seat, could they support a boycott if it created personal hardship, and do they think their mothers have the strength to do what Rosa did? Older students could research other women that played an important part in American history.

Other books about Rosa Parks:
Edwards, Pamela Duncan. THE BUS RIDE THAT CHANGED HISTORY: THE STORY OF ROSA PARKS. ISBN 0618449116
Pinkney, Andrea Davis. BOYCOTT BLUES: HOW ROSA PARKS INSPIRED A NATION. ISBN 0060821191