Pocket Bios: Rosa Parks

Pocket Bios

by Al Berenger

A colorfully illustrated, pocket-size picture book biography of civil rights activist Rosa Parks.

Rosa Parks, often referred to as both "the first lady of civil rights" and the mother of the freedom movement, was an American civil rights activist who started a movement when she refused to give up her seat on a segregated bus to a white passenger. Following her arrest for this act, she became an international icon of civil disobedience and resistance to racial segregation.

Pocket Bios are full of personality, introducing readers to fascinating figures from history with simple storytelling and cheerful illustrations. Titles include men and women from history, exploration, the sciences, the arts, the ancient world, and more.

Genres: Biography

32 pages, Hardcover

Published July 17, 2018

Reviews

[Ro Menendez]

The Pocket Bio Series should not be mistaken for a very young reader's beginner's biography because of it's physical dimensions and cartoon-style illustrations. Its word count is much higher and events such as racism, suicide, and loss of life through war and violence are mentioned as part of the story of the subject's life, when applicable. Each spread has a title and text on the left side, including the years the events detailed on the page took place, and a related illustration on the right side. Four interesting and useful sections are at the end of each biography: a Timeline with added events not necessarily mentioned in the text, a map that details the locations of important events with a Map Key and a short description of why the location was included, and most interesting of all a People to Know section that explores the idea that the subject of the biography did not live, work and achieve in isolation, the last section, Did You Know? offers interesting facts not discussed in the main text. The account of Rosa Parks' life in this Pocket Bio links past injustices she had suffered because of racism, Martin Luther King Jr's start of peaceful protest, and the Montgomery Bus Boycott to Parks' decision to remain seated in her seat at the bus, which will allow readers to see the interconnectedness of her call to justice with events beyond those that affected her.

[Barbara]

Although this small introductory biography of Rosa Parks continues to add to the myth that she just tired of standing up or moving to the back of the bus when she was actually part of a bigger movement, it still provides solid information about the civil rights leader. Readers learn a little bit about her formative years and how her arrest led to the Montgomery bus boycott and eventually ended segregated seating on those buses. Readers will enjoy the back matter as well since it includes a map that highlights important places in Rosa's life, thumbnail sketches of four important individuals, and additional facts about Rosa and the civil rights movement. Part of the Pocket Bios series, this one reminds readers how much impact one person can have in changing the way things are done.

[Children's Literature Centre at FSU]

We love Pocket Bios at the CLC!

I love the fact that the author includes a timeline of events. Each page is in chronological order too. So it starts at the beginning of her life and goes into important events that happened. The writing is short paragraphs so it's not overwhelming for a young reader. I think that the illustrations look more like cartoons which does draw in children to read. There are illustrations on each page and they clearly depict what is being talked about on each page.
Review by Emily Foote

[Michelle]

Series title: Pocket Bios

Audience: 1-5 grades
Curriculum Connections: biographies, social studies, time lines, research

Text Features: section headings, timeline, map with key, "People to Know" section, "Did you know" section, wide margins, attractive illustrations

This short and impactful series introduces readers to the background, actions and results of historical figures' lives. This is a great starting place for a research project.

[Baby Bookworm]

This review was originally written for The Baby Bookworm. Visit us for new picture books reviews daily!

Hello, friends! Our books today are from the Pocket Bio series by Al Berenger, specifically three notable figures in civil rights: Nelson Mandela, Rosa Parks, and Martin Luther King, Jr.

Each book gives the reader a brief history of the subject’s early life, their influences, their actions, and their legacies. Mandela’s focuses on his imprisonment and triumphant election as president of South Africa after his release – the first election he was able to vote in – and touches briefly on his Nobel win and the 1995 Rugby World Cup. Parks’s includes her famous bus ride, and King’s looks at his involvement in the Montgomery bus boycott, the Selma march, and his “I Have A Dream” speech.

As early-learner primers for these historical figures, these aren’t terrible. King’s is the most informative, making note of his early influences (Jim Crow south, his father’s religious work, his study of Ghandi, etc.) and even his courtship with Coretta Scott. His murder is mentioned (though not depicted), and the book ends on a note of surprising honesty, noting that racism is still a problem that needs to be fought, but King’s work made great strides and encourages us to make more. Mandela’s book is serviceable, delving into the racist policies of Apartheid and mentioning the violent, often deadly protests that took place, but glossing over the reformation years pretty heavily. Most disappointing is Parks’s book, which relies almost solely on her arrest; the bus boycott that follows is made to seem entirely the idea of MLK (Parks volunteered to be the face of the boycott at great personal risk and sacrifice), and her work as a secretary and investigator with the NCAAP gets zero mention. Likewise, the bobble-headed illustrations are just okay – engaging for younger readers but occasionally at odds with the tone of the subject matter (a scene depicting a meeting of Mandela’s Spear of the Nation militant group is laughable). The length is fine, the backmatter – maps, timelines, etc – is a nice addition, and JJ enjoyed them for the most part. Somewhat uneven, and definitely only a jumping-off point, but worth a browse. Baby Bookworm approved!

(Note: Copies of these books were provided to The Baby Bookworm by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.)

Be sure to check out The Baby Bookworm for more reviews!

[Emma Horn]

This Pocket Bio has cartoon illustrations which is a fun, kid friendly way to introduce history to kids. The biography outlines Rosa Park’s life through short one page chapters. The information is given more like a story than a traditional text book which helps to capture the readers attention.

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[Maria Y. Calderilla]

This is a great book to share the story with the little children. The illustrations are friendly and show a good portion of the life of Rosa Parks.