Liberty's civil rights road trip

Michael W. Waters

Book - 2021

"Based on a real-life trip, Liberty and her friend Abdullah visit significant places from the civil rights movement, inspiring them to come together with others to create a better world"--

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jE/Waters
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Subjects
Genres
Picture books
Published
Louisville, Kentucky : Flyaway Books [2021]
Language
English
Main Author
Michael W. Waters (author)
Other Authors
Nicole Tadgell, 1969- (illustrator)
Edition
First edition
Physical Description
1 volume (unpaged) : color illustrations ; 24 x 29 cm
Audience
Ages 3-7.
Grades 2-3.
ISBN
9781947888197
Contents unavailable.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

Inspired by a civil rights pilgrimage for faith leaders that the author led commemorating the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination, this picture book follows the author's young Black daughter Liberty and her light brown--skinned Muslim best friend Abdullah, both of whom attended the real trip through sites in the U.S. South. From the third-person perspective, Waters focuses on Liberty's viewpoint and emotions at each stop, in particular, an author's note clarifies, how she "turned these harrowing spaces into hopeful ones": "Even though the Lorraine Motel was a serious place, Liberty imagined that Dr. King had liked to laugh, just like her dad." Tadgell illustrates an interfaith tour group of varying abilities, ages, sizes, and skin tones in soft washes of watercolor; small inserts feature the historical figures mentioned. An accessible, anecdotal introduction to pivotal civil rights events and luminaries. Back matter includes an author's note and supplementary information. Ages 3--7. (Oct.)

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Review by Kirkus Book Review

On an interfaith, family-based road trip, a young Black girl visits important landmarks of the civil rights movement. Liberty is looking forward to seeing the Edmund Pettus Bridge, but there are many stops before Selma. During the hours on the bus, Liberty plays with her friend Abdullah. The first stop is in Jackson, Mississippi, at the home of voting rights activist Medgar Evers. In Glendora, Mississippi, the group stops to remember Emmett Till. The next day, the group quietly remembers Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at the site of his assassination at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis. Finally, after stops at the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham and Dr. King's Montgomery home, the group reaches the bridge in Selma, Alabama, where they march and remember those who marched from Selma to Montgomery decades ago. Based on a true story of road trips organized by the author and attended by faith leaders and their families, this story highlights the relationship that links present generations and past. Though the dialogue between the children and adults feels a bit contrived, the focus on Liberty's perspective during the tour of discovery allows readers to imagine the courage and sacrifice of those who came before. Each site introduction is necessarily brief and somewhat superficial; endnotes offer more details. Tadgell's delicate illustrations capture warm relationships and diverse identities and personalities, juxtaposing light color in the present with black-and-white images of the past. A unique and valuable perspective. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.