Keith Brandt

I have only one Pearl Bailey record and it is marked as risque for airplay.

So I was a bit bemused to see a YA biog on the singer. Profusely pencil illustrated by Gershom Griffith this is a good and engaging overview of her D.C. life from attending church and being exposed to music through her parents' divorce, emerging as a performer in NYC to greater fame on stage (Broadway), screen as well as a singer. Also covered is her "interracial" marriage.

"There is only one race — the human race,"

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Negro Blues Singer Pearl Bailey said last week in London as she married Louis Bellson Jr., drummer...

- LIFE - Dec 1, 1952

We also read of her years representing the US to the world through the UN. From an obituary "PEARL BAILEY, DELEGATE OF DELIGHT" (The Washington Post by Joseph McLellan August 18, 1990):

An American president once named her "America's ambassador of love," and an ambassador she was, serving under three presidents as a special delegate to the United Nations.

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Summary:
This book is a biography about the life of Rosa Parks. This book explains the bravery and the determination it took to make a difference in the world. This book explains how Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus and then eventually boycotted the rules and regulations of the laws surrounding her. She finally became free and went on throughout her life to help many other black people to freedom. This book also explains her determination of not only to become free, but also show more to receive a good education. She eventually became leader of the Civil Rights Movement. This book shares what life was like between whites and blacks and how blacks were mistreated in many ways. Rosa Parks made a difference to change that .

Personal Reaction:
I like this book because of the bravery and the determination it took from one person to make such a huge impact in the world. This book would encourage people to stand up for what you believe is right and make a difference in the world around you. This is what Rosa Parks did. Her refusal to give up her seat started from an inner bravery that led to the determination to do what is right for people around her. Even though life may be falling apart around you, if you keep at it and not lose heart, things might just pay off. It did for Rosa Parks.

Extension Ideas:
1. Have the class write down at least two things they learned from the life of Rosa Parks.
2. Have the class draw and color a picture of Rosa and a bus and tell what she did that was so significant.
3. Have a class discussion about Rosa's life and what they would do if faced with a situation like Rosa Parks.
4. Have the class act out a play about the life of Rosa Parks. show less

1. Rosa Parks was tired after a long day of sewing, paid her fare and sat down on a bus. Soon the bus filled with passengers. Mrs. Parks was told to give her seat to a white passenger; she refused, and was arrested. This took place in the segregated south, Montgomery, Alabama. Instead of paying the fine, Mrs. Parks decided to fight the segregation laws of the south. The decision was made to boycott the Montgomery city bus system and the churches played a pivotal role in keeping the community show more informed, encouraged, and motivated. The boycott lasted for over a year and Reverend Martin Luther King (MLK) preached his message of nonviolence and inspired the boycotters to walk on. The Supreme Court declared the Montgomery bus segregation laws unconstitutional. Rosa Parks was seen as the mother of the civil rights movement.

2. I liked that this book went into detail about Rosa Parks’s life and the boycott to end the Montgomery segregation laws.

3. I would use this book to invigorate students. One person can make a difference. One person can make changes. One person can be the start of a movement just like one drop of water starts the destructive process of a dam. show less

One of the first books that got me into liking history. A great way to educate kids about our early heroes.