I Am Rosa Parks (Penguin Young Readers, Level 4)

I liked this book. I think that the writing in this story was extremely engaging and paced well. I liked that her story was told in different sections, first about her arrest, then her childhood, then the bus boycott, and finally life after the boycott. This autobiography was told in first person from Rosa Parks herself. I thought this was very interesting to hear her story from her own personal point of view. Finally, I liked the illustrations in this story, I believe that they enhanced the story a lot and showed the intensity in Rosa’s eyes as she refused to get out of her bus seat. The main message of this book is to tell the story of Rosa Parks and encourage people to respect each other no matter what color they are.

Summary:
“I Am Rosa Parks,” is the biography/autobiography about the life of Rosa Parks and her involvement in the Civil Rights Movement. It is written and narrated by Rosa Parks herself. The book is split into four different chapters. The first chapter, “I Get Arrested,” retells the story of how Rosa Parks stood up for herself on the bus and didn't give her seat up to a white man. She also explains to the reader what segregation is and how it impacted the black people in the south during that time. In the second chapter, “How I Grew Up,” Rosa tells us a little bit more about her childhood and what it was like for her growing up in Alabama. She expresses how even when she was a child, segregation existed among her schools and show more even the white children discriminated against her and her friends. In the third chapter, “We Stay off the Buses,” Rosa tells about how her impact on the civil rights movement impacted other blacks to take a stand and fight against segregation. With the help of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., black people boycotted and didn't ride the public buses for a year. Because of this, the case was taken to court and the boycott had worked to end segregation on the buses. Finally, in the last chapter, “Since the Boycott,” Rosa tells the reader how life was like after the fight to end segregation and how many more people got involved to make a difference. She acknowledges that she’s proud of what she did and that she’s glad she stood up for herself and other blacks.

Comments (arguments/opinions):
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Although it is a fairly easy read for a small chapter/picture book, it offers a lot of insight on life during the Civil Rights Movement and segregation. I really liked that it offered a table of contents so that it made reading easier for a young student. I think the book also offered great illustrations that went along well with the stories descriptions. I think the pictures can really help make the stories impact mean a lot more to a child. For instance, the very first picture is of a little black girl (probably Rosa Parks) drinking from a water fountain labeled ‘colored.’ I think this kind of picture can make a great impact on a child who has never learned about segregation before. I also really enjoyed how Rosa told her story about disobeying the law by not getting up out of her seat for a white man and then went on to back track and tell us about her life growing up. I think this helps the reader connect with her initial story and then relate to her better when they find out how extremely normal she actually is. Students can relate by seeing her as just another person, but it makes an impact when they see why she broke the law. The reader is able to establish empathy for Rosa Parks and really relate to her situation and why she stood up to the law. I think this is also a great autobiography because the story doesn't just focus on Rosa Parks, but it also focuses on segregation and the Civil Rights Movement. It gives background knowledge about how segregation impacted the south and it even defines certain words, such as, ‘segregation,’ ‘boycott,’ and ‘civil rights movement.’ It also introduces other people who joined the civil rights movement and touches on how they impacted and made a difference. These people included Jo Ann Robinson, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and E.D. Nixon. I think these are great additives to further children’s knowledge and education on the subject. Lastly, I think the very last page really helps the reader to understand why the Civil Rights Movement happened and why it’s important to their lives now. On the last page, Rosa Parks says, “I hope that children today will grow up without hate. I hope they will learn to respect one another, no matter what color they are.” I think these last few sentences really set the stage for the story itself and will keep the children who read this book thinking about how they can make a difference in the world and continue to live loving everyone. show less

After reading about Rosa Parks, it brought back memories when I was in about third grade and we were learning about people who made a difference in the world and we talked about Rosa Parks. It's so crazy to me that we once lived in a world of segregation; that because of someone's skin colored determined how they were treated. Author, Jim Haskins, draws in the readers by explaining different situations that was going on such as: colored people could not eat in white restaurants, couldn't go to the same school, and couldn't even drink from the same water fountain. Rosa Parks one day decided she had enough of the way blacks were treated, and when a bus driver told her to give her bus seat to a white man, she refused and was arrested. Rosa show more believed that the law should treat black people the same as white people. When other black people found out she was arrested, the all decided to boycott riding the buses which eventually led to the buses no longer running because people weren't riding the buses and they weren't making money. Because Rosa Parks decided to take a stand, it led Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.to fight against segregation in many other ways which led to the civil rights movement. This was such an inspirational book and I hope to one day read this to my future students and show them how different things use to be and how people had to fight for their freedom. show less

" I Am Rosa Parks", is autobiography/biography about the life of civil rights leader Rosa Parks. The story is told from her, Rosa Pars, point of view which makes this book extra special. It clarifies the misconceptions that some people my have believed about her. The story opens up with the climax of her story entitled " I was arrested", this gives a vivid detail about what the story is about and why it is so important to African American cultural and American history. Another key factor is how the author was very conscious about informing the reader of the exact settings of her story. This gives the reader a unconscious awareness of how geographical locations differ in even the United States. It also is a great reader to help "paint a show more picture" for student when teaching about segregation in social studies. All in all, this book should be among 3rd grade an above classrooms, however just remain conscious about some of the content like white people, black people, which may cause questions or concerns. show less

I personally loved this biography. I like how it was straight to the point and gave only the information that was extremely important. I also enjoyed how the book had the first chapter talked about what she's most famous for, which was refusing to give up her seat on the bus. It was interesting to learn that her husband was an advocate for racial equality, and she was inspired by his work. He helped get lawyers for black people who had been arrested. I was unaware that the bus boycott lasted a whole year. It is amazing that to learn that hard work really pays off. Also, the fact that she still makes speeches and fights for full equality is inspiring to many.

The main idea of this story is that we are all equal and we deserve the same rights. I think that this is a great children’s book because of the tough issues that it causes the reader to think about and the style of writing. This story shows the reader a world that they may not have known existed, a world where everything is segregated and blacks were treated unfairly. The story says , “ Many years ago in the south black people could not go to the same school as white people . We could not even eat at the white restaurants, and drink from the white water fountains.” Through this text the reader can picture everyday things that were separated, and further understand the term segregation. I also liked that the story was written as show more if it was being told by Rosa Parks, it adds to the realism of the story. “ I went to court. The judge said I was guilty of breaking the law. I was fined ten dollars plus four dollars in court cost. I never paid it.” show less

This Biography is very well written from the moment you open the book till you are finished reading it. It tells the story of Rosa parks even puts the narratives in her way of communication. It brings you back to the time, gives you ideas of what it was like for African Americans at that time time. I am amazed that African Americans really didn’t ride the bus for a year wether it was hot or cold. And in the end when you see Rosa pictured sitting in the front of the bus, it speaks volumes and it also shows how she still continued to contribute even after she moved.