Rosa Parks: A Life of Courage (Blastoff! Readers: People of Character)

People of Character

by Tonya Leslie

Rosa Parks lived her life courageously. She refused to change bus seats because she was African-American. Children will discover the bravery of Rosa Parks during a time of racial segregation.

Genres: Biography

24 pages, Library Binding

First published August 1, 2007

About the author

Tonya Leslie PhD. is an educational consultant and works as a researcher, editor, program developer and professional development service provider. Tonya is also an author of several children’s book including, True You: Sometimes I Feel Ugly and Other Truths About Growing Up which was featured by Oprah. More information about Tonya’s work can be found at www.tonyaleslie.com.

Reviews

[Genevieve · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book for teachers who want to do a lesson about Civil Rights. It is informative in language young children can see. A great book to start a discussion about discrimination and differences.

[Raisa Marrow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rosa Parks: A Life of Courage is a biography about the life of the wonderful Civil Rights Activist Rosa Parks and all she contributed to the movement. Students are walked through Rosa Park's life particularly her role in being a catalyst for the Montgomery Bus Boycotts. Students become engrossed in the book as they get to view actual photographs from that time period and read text as well as important content vocabulary that is at their level. The book also offers many resources to build students curiosity and enhance their comprehension such as timelines of events and websites they can visit for further information.

Rosa Parks: A Life of Courage is a biography. This book is appropriate for any grade level. However, I would most likely use this book for grades K-5. This book can be used to teach students about Rosa Parks during Black History Month. It can be read out loud to students and transition to a discussion about what it means to show courage. Students can then complete a writing assignment about a time in their lives they have shown courage.

This book is a WOW book for me because it does a great job of explaining who Rosa Parks was and conveying the importance of her actions to the Civil Rights Movement and how she helped changed the world. It does this in kid friendly terms. In addition, this book centers around the word courage and how Rosa Parks exemplifies courage through her life. Centering the book around the term courage helps foster a connection between Rosa Parks and her actions to students today. I believe that the most important part of teaching history to students is connecting it to their lives today and what they can learn from it to make the world a better place.

[Ivan Rainey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review: Rosa Parks is our main character in this biographical piece. We learn that she is someone with exceptional courage who stands up for what she believes in. Faced with much discrimination all her life she was determined to create change. During the day she worked as a seamstress, but in her free time she tried to change things in her community by teaching young people about civil rights. In Alabama, where Rosa lives, she got onto the bus one day and was asked to give up her seat for a white man that had just boarded. She refused, causing the authorities to step in. Many people were inspired by this action and soon black, as well as some whites, started to boycott the buses and helped ignite the civil rights movement. This was a huge step in African Americans' fight for freedom. It was all started by our exceptional hero, Rosa Parks.
Artistic/Literary Review: Watercolor is used very skillfully in this book. Detailed depiction of people and setting are truly amazing. There is use of bright color and soft edges that give the picture an effect that it is blending into the pages.
Rating: I rate this book a 5/5. Again, there is no substitute for a real life heroic figure. Her exceptional bravery can be something we all aspire to have within us. Any student who finds themself struggling to stand up for what they believe in can learn how to from this book.

[Emma Horn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was written more like a story instead of a textbook but it included all the same information that a textbook would have. There were bolded terms and a glossary at the end as well as colorful illustrations on every page. Students would be more likely to engage with this text than less colorful textbooks.

Organization
Presentation

LEXILE: 500L
ATOS: 3.2