White Socks Only

by Evelyn Coleman, Tyrone Geter (Illustrator)

1996 Notable Book for Children, Smithsonian Magazine
Pick of the Lists, American Bookseller In the segregated south, a young girl thinks that she can drink from a fountain marked "Whites Only" because she is wearing her white socks. When Grandma was a little girl in Mississippi, she sneaked into town one day. It was a hot day―the kind of hot where a firecracker might light up by itself. But when this little girl saw the "Whites Only" sign on the water fountain, she had no idea what she would spark when she took off her shoes and―wearing her clean white socks―stepped up to drink. Bravery, defiance, and a touch of magic win out over hatred in this acclaimed story by Elevelyn Coleman. Tyrone Geter's paintings richly evoke its heat, mood, and legendary spirit.

Genres: Picture Books, Historical Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Cultural, Childrens, African American, Fiction

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

Evelyn Coleman is an Edgar Award finalist. She is best known for her many books with American Girl. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia.

Reviews

[Shelby *trains flying monkeys* · Rating 4 out of 5]

Something very rare happened. My boy child actually recommended this book to me. We watched The Help last weekend and he told me that this was one of his favorite books and that I needed to pick it up. (It's a 3-6th grade book)
After I woke up from passing out I put in a request for it.
ETA: I'm adding his review to this one at the bottom.

A little girl asks her grandmother about walking to town and the grandmother starts to tell her story about a trip to town from her past. She was going to town with a couple of eggs in her pocket. She was being so careful but still ended up cracking one of the eggs in her pocket. She did manage to save one of them. What did she want to do with them? See if it was hot enough to fry eggs on the pavement.


She then heads over to a fountain to get a drink of water and wash off some of the egg that didn't make it. She doesn't realize that the "whites only" sign on it means anything other than you just need to have on white socks to drink from it. She has on her best white socks.


A white man sees her drinking and comes over and starts yelling at her, he ends up hitting the little girl. A group of white people stand around watching but the black people start coming up and drinking from the fountain. They all don't even have on white socks.

The boy child's review: We homeschool- so this is one of his projects:

White Socks Only is about a young girl that was not treated fairly because of her skin color. So the little girl was on her porch one day with her Grandma and the grandmother wanted to tell the girl a story. She told her that she was walking to town with eggs in her pocket to see if they would could because it was so hot!
So the girl got there but she was thirsty. But then she found a water fountain that said whites only. She took off her shoes revealing white socks then she stood up and started sipping at the fountain.
I personally loved this book. I was very proud of what the girl did at the end. This book made me happy in some parts but sad at others. The only bad thing about the story was that is was sorta short, I would have preferred it being longer. So if I had to give it a score of one out of five I would give it a solid 4/5.

[Mariah Roze · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a different approach to the treatment of African-Americans that did not follow the "white only" signs. And at times it was unrealistic. For example, when the "chicken man" came, the white man stopped abusing the girl.

The illustrations did not help either. They were hard to follow and not clear on what was going on.

[Valeta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Summary
This story is about a young African American girl who asks her grandma if she could go into town. The grandmother then shares a story of her own childhood experience. Grandmother begins by taking us back to a hot summer day when she was a young girl. On her way into town she past a chicken man, that’s what people called him, since there was a rumor that if he didn’t feel what a person was doing was right he could change them into a chicken. She walked swiftly passed, afraid he might change her into a chicken. Once she got into town she cracked an egg on the cement, just to see if it was hot enough to fry an egg on a sidewalk. And it was. It was so hot that she became mighty thirsty. So she went to get a drink from the fountain. However she noticed a sign that read “Whites Only”. So she took off her black shoes and stepped up to get a drink in her white socks. A white man scolded her and began to take his belt off and whip her for drinking from the fountain. Just then, an old black woman took off her shoes and took a drink from the fountain. Soon Black folks from all around were taking off their shoes and getting a drink. All of a sudden everything went quiet and everyone moved aside to make a path for the chicken man. The chicken man took off his shoes and proceeded to get a drink from the fountain. Afterwards, he pointed at the white man, he wiped the tears from the girls face and sent her home. No one ever seen the white man after that day, and no one asked about the big chicken in front of the court house either.

Response
I give this book a five star rating. It presents a strong message that everyone should be treated equally despite our differences. I felt a connection to the bond between the child and her grandma. I had a close relationship with my grandma growing up and remember all the stories she told me about her upraising.

Classroom Connection
Wouldn’t it be cool if a guess speaker who was an adult in the early 1950’s could come to class and share her experiences just like the grandma in the book? I think an important activity would be to have the students come up with ideas of what they could do to stop discrimination.

Text Complexity
According to the School Library Journal this book is recommended for second through fourth graders.

[Jala Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Text-to-Text Connection

"White Socks Only"by Evelyn Coleman is a phenomenally written story just as " Freedom Summer" by Deborah Wiles. As I read both stories, I can literally visualize the stories as if I were the main character living through the settings in the stories. I like the way both stories took a quiet approach into the bigotry, racism and segregation during the time of the Civil Rights Movement in the south (Mississippi) without really mentioning it. Both stories are narrated through the lives of children. the stories set the tone of how the children were slightly oblivious of what was really happening around them. More so speaking about the understanding the hearts of men. Both stories also share there own unique way of how the children still made a difference during that time by standing up for what they simply thought was right.

[Rebecca Reeder · Rating 5 out of 5]

This picture book White Socks Only by Evelyn Colemanseems to be two stories woven together. The heartbreaking main story is a young Black girl misinterprets the segregation sign to think she must remove her shoes to step up and use the public drinking fountain. I loved the book when I first read it a couple of decades ago, but I think it is possible that very young children will be puzzled by one aspect of the story. So adult readers should be ready to explain the part of Grandma's story concerning unlikable people being turned into a chicken. Can that really happen - a child might worry or ask, or can an adult explain that this is a magical element: this chicken part might symbolize that the cruel man who bullies a little girl for not knowing she is drinking at the "wrong" water fountain a chicken for picking on someone so defenseless. There is something extremely touching about an innocent child's point of view; it is part of the enduring power of Scout Finch's narration in To Kill a Mockingbird . The illustrations are beautiful.
The hardcover book seems to be out of print, but (in 2023) I noticed that Amazon was offering it in a Kindle edition.

[Isabelle Lovejoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a story within a story... In the beginning the little girl asks her grandma if she can walk to town alone, knowing that this would cause her grandma to tell her the story of when she was a little girl and went to town alone. The illustrations are paintings, and they are paired with a classic font for the text. Together it creates an imagery of a story being told of an event that happened a while ago. The color scheme is bright and there aren't very intricate details, but they are blended to crate the image beautifully. It's truly amazing that something as horrible as racism and segregation can be turned to such a cute story, with chickens added for comic relief. A must read, especially for a unit on social issues.

[Ayesha · Rating 4 out of 5]

White Socks Only is a story of how children's innocence can change the world. In this book, a young girl asked her grandmother if she could go into town, but her grandmother said that she was not big enough and that she would only be “big enough” to go in town when she could “do some good there.” Then, her grandmother began to tell her a story about when she went into town when she was younger. Her grandmother had snuck into town, wearing her best clothes and bringing two eggs with her in her pockets. In town, she saw the Chicken Man: a man who was knowledgeable about African culture, could heal people’s illnesses, and could turn people into chickens. She continued walking in town, seeing many rich white people along the way. Later, she accidentally broke one of her eggs, and then she decided to do what she had come to town for. She cracked an egg on the cement and fried it. She was ecstatic because she had heard about the ground being so hot it could fry an egg, but she did not think that it was possible. As she walked back to head out of town, she saw a water fountain with a sign that said “Whites Only.” She thought the sign meant “white socks only,” so she took off her shoes, and then drank from the water fountain without hesitation. Soon, a white man saw her and pushed her to the ground, yelling at her and threatening to whip her with his belt. She was crying and also confused, because she did not understand why she couldn’t drink from the water fountain if she had her white socks on. Right after this, an old black woman who was not wearing white socks came and drank from the water fountain. The white man yelled at her and threatened to whip her too. Then, several black people came and drank from the water fountain, all wearing different colored socks. The white man continued yelling and getting angrier, and began hitting everyone with his belt. However, none of them moved. Suddenly, everything got quiet because the Chicken Man was coming. He came and drank from the water fountain, then pointed at the white man. Next, the Chicken Man helped her up and all the black people hugged her and took her home. When she went back home and told her mom what happened, her mom laughed and told her that she could go into town alone now, because she was “old enough to do some good.” The book ends on a happy note. The angry white man was never seen again, and it is implied that the Chicken Man turned him into a chicken. The “Whites Only” sign was also permanently removed from the water fountain. The major themes in the book were racism and children’s innocence. The theme of racism is apparent because this book is about a young black girl who is discriminated against and abused because of her skin color. The book also explores the concept of segregation by showing “white only” facilities. The extent of prejudice and racism is portrayed when the author describes how mad and abusive the white man got just because black people drank from a water fountain. The theme of children’s innocence is demonstrated through the young girl’s actions. First, she goes into town for the sole purpose of trying to fry an egg on the sidewalk. She does not comprehend how dangerous it could get for her just because she is black. Second, she thinks the “whites only” sign means “white socks only”. In her mind, the sign was referring to socks because she could not comprehend something being for “whites only.” This shows how nonsensical segregation was, because she did not even think for one second that this sign could be talking about skin color. The main genre of this book is historical fiction. Children reading this book could learn about the history of racism in America, and the extent of that racism. The detailed account of what happened when she drank from the water fountain and the way the white man hit her demonstrates the extent of abuse black people faced in America. It shows how horrible, scary, and dangerous life was for them. Children reading this book could also learn about the concept of segregation, with the “whites only” sign. In addition, this book teaches a little bit about what it was like to be a black child living in America during the segregation era. This book was a WOW book for me because it showed how even though children are so innocent, they can understand things that sometimes even adults cannot understand. The young girl never would have thought that the sign meant “for white people only,” and in a way, that makes her more mature than the adults around her. In her mind, equality was something natural–why wouldn’t it be? Her pure heart showed how powerful a child’s perspective can be.
Two of the writing craft techniques the author used in this book were setting and dialogue. Since this is a historical fiction book, it has an integral setting. It is set during the segregation era in the United States. The author used dialogue to make the characters more authentic and to better portray black people, reflecting the way black people spoke. These writing craft techniques enhanced the quality of the writing in this book because they helped make the story feel more real and helped teach the reader about black history in America. I would consider this book to be an anti-bias book because it portrays the perspective of a young black girl living in America during segregation. It does not use stereotypes or racism towards black people. The author shows things that actually happened at that time, like the “whites only” sign and the abuse.

[Ashleigh Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is remarkable how the power of innocence can bring a fresh perspective to injustice. This story finds a way to shed new light on the absurdity that was segregation.

[Hannah Werkheiser · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Can't you read girl? Why I'm gon' whup you until you can't sit down."

"I couldn't understand what the white man was so mad about. I was wearing my white socks" (Coleman, 2015)

This a beautifully illustrated picture book that takes place in the 1870's and follows the story of an African American grandmother reliving a memory from her childhood to her granddaughter. In the grandmother's story, she heads to town as a young girl on a hot day to see if it's hot enough outside to cook an egg. Along the way she cracks her eggs, crosses the chicken man, and causes some mischief in a primarily white town. After, she decides to get a drink of water. At the water fountain, she encounters a sign that says "whites only." She instinctively knows what that means. The young girl takes off her shoes to show off her bright white socks to get a drink of water. Soon after follows trouble. When she gets threatened by the predominately white community, fellow African Americans around step up to support the young girl. They ALL start taking off their shoes and get a drink of water to make a statement.

This story filled me with hope, sadness, and some laughs. I would recommend this story to K-8 students. It is such a versatile book that can be tailored to meet several grade levels. This would be a great story to promote discussions about social injustices. Students could reflect on this stories themes/racism through literature circles, annotation, scaffolding of questions, and creating a call to action. This call to action can have students investigate more about Jim Crow laws or other form of racism through projects, investigation, and pushing others to obtain a greater awareness.





References

Coleman, E., & Geter, T. (2015). White socks only. New York: Av2 by Weigl.

[Emma Paskey · Rating 5 out of 5]

White Socks Only is a story which seeks to show us a historical moment from a unique perspective and circumstance. In this book, we see a young black child inadvertently protest against segregation. She drinks from a drinking fountain marked "whites only," as she believes that this means white socks only. By doing this, she sparks a moment where older black members of the community drink from the water fountain, in solidarity. In the end, this gesture causes the whites only sign to disappear. This is a win in the ongoing battle to end segregation. The primary theme in this book is equality and standing up for what is right. This book is a reminder of the importance of solidarity and standing up for what you believe in. The main genre of this book is historical fiction. In a classroom, I would use this book to teach about what life was like when the United States was enforcing segregation and what it could've felt like to be a black child at this time. Since the story is told from the perspective of a child, it would give children a greater understanding of what it would feel like to live through this and why it integration and anti-racism matters. This book was a WOW book for me because it showed an message against racism that I found to be really impactful because of the perspective it was told through.
The choice of narrator in this story is a strong literary technique the author uses. By using the perspective of a child, she crafts a story that would have been impossible to tell otherwise. She shows us a point of view on segregation that creates a simplistic statement that still is against racism. I would consider this book to be anti-bias as it is openly against racism and segregation. The message of the book is equality which is an anti-bias idea.

[Lejla Jaz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a WOW book to me because, of the illustrations that the author used in the book, I felt like it fit together perfect. Here is a summary of what happened in the book the grandmother is telling her granddaughter about how when she went to town and drank from a water fountain that said "whites only" she was wearing her white socks, and a white man came and pushed her off, other people from her church also stood up for her and drank from the fountain while the white man was shouting at them and saying he was going to whoop them. The person who had saved them was called the chicken man after the chicken man had helped them all the "whites only" sign had disappeared forever. One of the major themes in the book was segregation and how when the grandmother was a little girl she did not understand that and drank from a fountain that said "whites only" with her white socks. The main genre of this book is historical fiction. If I were going to read this book to children, I could teach them that no matter your skin color you are all equal and another thing I would teach the children is to always trust that someone out there will be on your side.

A literary device the author included in this book was Frame story when the grandmother started telling her granddaughter a story from the past and I believe that hyperbole was also used in this book about the chicken man stating that he could turn people into chickens.This author also used a writing craft in this book which was voice, when the grandmother was telling the granddaughter her story. I would consider this book to be an example of an anti-bias book because this book was well researched before it was written and the author has a detailed understanding about the theme, topic and the characters in this book.

[Fantasia Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was very diverse compared to the other books ive read so far. This books also made me feel like I could relate to it, and it made me feel like home because I have come from this sort of background as well. And growing up I kind of felt the same way when it came to feeling left out because of the color of my skin or my background being different from everyone elses. The pictures in this book looked painted with a brush. It also looked like the pictures were painted on a canvas and they were inserted into the book. When youre reading the book they add in a suddle southern accent and that makes you feel like youre around how it was back in that day. This was my favorite book ive read so far. The book also had a lot of metaphors added into it.

[Laquita Covington · Rating 5 out of 5]

White Socks Only is a historical fiction story told from the viewpoint of a grandmother sharing her experience growing up in the deep south during the Jim Crow time period. After taking a trip into town by herself as a little girl, the grandmother mistakenly drinks water from a “whites only” water fountain and is confronted by a large white man. This book would be a wonderful read for second grade teachers and up, to discuss historical narratives and cultural changes over time. This book allows students to not only see the hatred that was faced during this time period through the eyes of an innocent child, but it also discusses the coming together of a community to protect one of its own members. I truly enjoyed reading this book because I was able to connect with the young girl listening to her grandmother tell stories. Even to this day I enjoy listening to my grandmother tell stories about her upbringing and the challenges her parents and grandparents faced that helped to grow our family to what it is today.

[Brittany · Rating 3 out of 5]

Summary:
This book is about a young African-American girl who wants to go to the town by herself. Her grandma tells her that she is too young to have any business going there alone. Then she proceeds to tell a story about when she was a young girl and took a walk to town by herself. She dressed herself up in a fine white dress, white socks, and black shiny shoes. In each pocket she had an egg. Her intentions were to go to town and try to fry an egg on the cement. She made it to town and tried her experiment. To her surprise it worked! On her way home she got very thirsty. She spotted a water fountain and went to it. There was a sign that said "Whites Only". In her young mind she took this as direction to take her black shoes off so that she was only wearing white. This is what she did and as she took her sip a large, scary, white man pushed her down and yelled at her for drinking from there. He even threatened to beat her with his belt. The girl was so confused. She has on white only; a white dress and white socks. What was she doing wrong? Before she knew it, a line of African-Americans were lined up behind her with their socks off too. Before long, both the white man and the "Whites Only" sign were gone and the fountain was open to anyone.

Response:
To me this book sent a message of being yourself and going good things, then good will come to you. This girl was just being herself. She went out exploring and without meaning to fight for civil rights. It sends a message to kids that if they do what they know they are supposed to do, they will do great things.
I think that kids can really relate to the character in this book. The little girl had no idea that she was getting herself into trouble. She just wanted a drink of water. A sign reading "Whites Only" didn't click in her mind as a form of discrimination. Kids don't see each other by race, but rather as people. If more people had the mindset of kids, perhaps we could all get along a little better.

Classroom Connection:
Two ideas that came to mind when reading this are a science experiment and expanding learning on civil rights. For a science experiment I would have children work through the whole scientific process to test if an egg can really fry on hot cement. As for civil rights, I would use this book as a read aloud or have it available in a classroom library during a unit on civil rights or black history month.

Text Complexity:
The intended interest level for this book is k-4. This book has a grade level equivalent of 4.6. It has a lexile level of 530. I feel that kids in grades 4+ can read this book independently. Younger children may enjoy it as a read aloud, but not until 3rd or 4th grade would a child really be able to grasp what the book is about.

[Christi]

The story starts out with a grandmother and granddaughter sitting out on a front porch, while the grandmother tells a story. The grandmother tells the story of when she snuck into town by herself, in her finest shoes and socks with two eggs in her pockets. She runs into the Chicken Man on her journey into town. When she got into town, she was amazed at all the white women in their finery. The she saw her Mama's friend, Miss Nancy. She hid behind a tree so that Miss Nancy would not see her. But while she was hiding, one of her eggs burst and the yoke made a mess down her legs and dress. She went to a statue, and broke her remaining egg. The egg's inside fell to the cement. She watched as the egg started to cook. What they said was true, it could be so hot that an egg could fry on the sidewalk. Her goal complete, she started to head home. The sticky egg on her dress stuck to her leg as she walked. She grew thirsty. The water fountain she found said 'White Only'. She took her shoes off, and in her white socks climbed up the stool to take a sip. A larger white man found her, and grabbed her off the stool. He pushed her to the ground and pointed to the 'Whites Only' sign, asking "Can't you read, girl?" The man threatened her, and a crowd of white people gathered around as she started to cry. She did not understand why the man was so angry. An older black woman went up to the fountain, and without her shoes on took a drink. And then more black people came to drink, removing their shoes as well. The large white man continued yelling. More white people started yelling too. The large white man started hitting the black people with his belt, but everyone remained firm. Suddenly, everyone got quiet. Everyone moved as the Chicken Man made his way through. He reached the girl, took off his shoes to show a pair of clean, white socks. He stepped up and took a drink from the fountain. The Chicken Man pointed at the large white man, who remained still. The Chicken Man cleaned the little girl's face and told her she did good, and it was time to go home. The group of black people surrounded her and took her home. When they told her Mama what happened, her Mama laughed. She said that she guessed the girl was old enough to go to town by herself, because she is old enough to do some good. No one saw the large white man every again, though there was a new chicken that hung around the courthouse. The 'Whites Only' sign on the water fountain was gone forever.

This story is a fictional account of a family story. It showcases a recent time in history, where overt racism and prejudice was the norm. The story tells of a small rebellion, like many that happened throughout the country, that helped breakdown racially motivated rules.

[Matthew Ciccarone · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this story, an African American woman and grandmother tells a story to her granddaughter. As a young girl the grandmother was playing near the courthouse, shortly after meeting the chicken man. The chicken man is named as such, because it is rumored he turns the bad eggs of society into chickens. When the girl becomes thirsty, she walks to a water fountain which reads “whites only.” Reading the sign through innocent eyes, she takes of her shoes to reveal her white socks, and takes a drink. A Caucasian man takes offense and pulls her away from the fountain, and more African American bystanders are compelled to take a drink. The conflict escalates, and then the chicken man shows up to show solidarity.

This is an interesting piece of historical fiction. The setting and characters are believable for the time period, except for maybe the chicken man. The subject matter is serious, but infused with humor as well. It’s an appropriate story for children, while still exposing some terrible and historically accurate pieces of our country’s past. Historical fiction today is less likely to take an idealized view of the past, and this story follows suit by showing the true everyday struggles of discrimination. While not as overt today, the struggles of discrimination are still relevant to us now. The conflict grows out of the nature of this time period, as is the case with good historical fiction, and the characters act believably.

[Kendall Hagerty · Rating 5 out of 5]

'White Socks Only' by Evelyn Coleman is a heartbreaking story about the past of the United States. A young girl asks her grandmother if she can go into town. Her grandmother tells her a story of a time when she was a child and she went to the town. She saw a drinking fountain that said 'Whites Only' and she believed that meant her white socks. It was difficult to read this story becasue of the actions of some of the people in the town.

This story is fiction based on research. It is about a certain time-period and the author needed to do some research to correctly portray the characters. The grandmother is the main character with her granddaughter being a minor character. The plot of this book involves two stories. The daughter is asking to go into town; as well as the grandmother's story of her past. I think the illustrations were very impactful in this book. Each picture showed what was happening with its' realistic illustrations and darker colors. I really enjoyed reading this book and I would love to read it again.

[Ashley Lopez]

White Socks Only is about a child who wanted to go out but when she asked her grandmother she was told no and then told a story about when she sneaked out on her own. When she sneaked out she went to go cook an egg on the street to see if it is really true about the heat in Mississippi. When the girl was finished she headed to the fountain to take a drink but when she saw the whites only sign she proceeded to take off her black shoes and climb onto the step stool to take a drink with white socks only. A white man came to scold at her, when he did many other black people came to take off their shoes and take a drink from the fountain as well.

The story was during the times when blacks and whites were segregated. The book features the innocence of a young child unaware of the conditions surrounding her. Children can very well relate to this because many children do not fully understand certain things, and may even be reading the story and not understand why the child was pulled of the stool as well. This story is a great way to incorporate history with the point of view of a child.

[Katy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I watched this book read on storylineonline.net Actors read the stories while the pictures and words are shown. It was the story of a black girl in Mississippi who thought the "whites only" sign on a drinking fountain meant that she had to take off her shoes. When she does a white man pushes her down and threatens to beat her for drinking from the fountain. Other black people remove their shoes and drink from the fountain until the whole town is watching in shock. This story is so touching because this sweet innocent little girl only wanted a drink of water on a day that was hot enough to fry an egg on the sidewalk. The brutality of the adult male pushing her down is sickening! The honesty of this story is necessary for children to start to understand how things used to be, and so that it never happens again.

[Kali Guest · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about a young African American girl who asks to go into town by herself. In turn, her grandmother tells her a story about the segregation between them and white people. She had snuck into town one summer day, and she went to a whites only fountain. She assumed this meant no shoes, not understanding it was directed at her race. Then a group of African American people followed on her footsteps, taking drinks from the fountain. This story is a fictionalized memoir because it is a fictional story that took place in the same era when segregation was big. The images in this book a blurry, I believe they are watercolor. They help to story to show what is going on, but the text enhances the experience. The character is not a well known figure, just a young girl and the plot is one that created conflict, two characteristics of historical fiction.

[Gillianne Litvack]

“White socks Only” is a short informational picture book written by Evelyn Coleman and illustrated by Tyrone Geter. The story is about a little girl and her introduction to the history of her people and how she struggled with racism in the past. The story begins with a little girl asking her grandmother if she could go into town, so her grandmother takes this opportunity to teach her granddaughter how going into town was like for her growing up. The story switched to the perspective of her grandmother, this book portrays the emotional toll and power that resulted from racism in our country. His writing is accompanied with charming water colored pictures that take you from the page to each setting in the story. I believe this book is very inspiration and would beneficial to educating our younger generation.

[Kayla Reents]

White Socks Only is a brilliant and heart touching story of a little girl during the civil rights movement. While the story is fictional, the events like separate entrances, water fountains, etc. for white and black people were a reality at this time. This book is particularly moving because it shows the point of view of a young girl during all of this. She has seen the signs before but does not truly understand the meaning behind them. When she reads “whites only” she thinks they mean only white clothes and promptly takes off her black shoes. This is inspiring to others and provides a sense of innocence to the story. The lines in this book are not very clear. The images are paintings, but are not like a picture, they are almost blurry. However, the characters have very detailed clothes. The color is bright, especially the girls white outfit to allow it to stand out.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a story about a young African American girl who asks her grandmother if she could go into town on a hot summer day. The grandmother proceeds to tells her a childhood story when she faced discrimination because she had drunk from a fountain which had a sign on it saying "whites only". She had misunderstood this sign thinking "whites only' meant white socks only. Her action of drinking from this fountain results in a town which begins to make changes. This would be an excellent story for student dramatization.

[Lucas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great story told to a granddaughter by the perspective of her grandmother telling her a story about her days as a youth and the experiences she has had and what historic events took place. Her story was based before civil rights were relevant. The story was about her as a little girl going to town on her own and the events that she saw that changed a whites only water fountain to an everyone fountain. Her story teaches young readers what it was like back then and how far we have come, with a twist of fictional events. A great read I highly recommend it.

[Jeimy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Simplistic portrayal of a complex issue.

[Sali · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is incredible how a young girl can inspire an entire community to fight against segregation. In this book, I see a child not realizing that she is about to start a revolution against segregation. Grandma tells her story about when she was a little girl excited to go into town to test an egg theory that she was told about. She passes a man that people referred to as the “chicken man”. After confirming the egg theory, she decides to go get a drink from a water fountain that had a sign stating, “whites only”. The young girl thought that this meant something completely different. As she was scolded for her choice by a white man, other black members of the community joined her. She was confused about why everything was happening. This showed how the author portrayed an innocent child. Eventually the chicken man shows up and joins in on this. People seemed afraid of him, and the white man backed down from punishing people.

The main genre of this book is historical fiction. A major theme of this book is segregation. The “whites only” sign clearly means the water fountain is to be used by white people only. This shows how people were treated during segregation, which we must remember was not that long ago. We still have people telling segregation stories today from their younger self. Another theme that I find is important is innocence. The young girl felt lost on why she was being scolded. Even after others participated in drinking from the fountain, she had no idea why everyone was being punished. Through reading this book, children can learn how terrible segregation was, even to young innocent children. They can also learn that no matter how young you are, you can make massive changes to big issues. This book helps children understand that your peers, community, can work with you to fight issues such as speaking up against bullying. This book was a WOW book for me because of the way it interprets segregation to children and teaches valuable lessons on making a difference.

The author used multiple literary devices and other forms of writing craft in this book. First, the author used the literary device of symbolism. An example of this is with the black chicken at the end of the book possibly symbolizing the “chicken man” protecting the water fountain. The author notes that the white man, who punished black people drinking from the water fountain, was never seen again. This enhanced the quality of the book by showing how black people had to protect each other during times of segregation. Another literary device that the author used is hyperbole, however, it ended up being a literal meaning. This is seen when the little girl wanted to test the theory of “it’s so hot, you can fry an egg on the sidewalk”. This phrase is common to describe how hot it is outside, but in this book, it really was that hot. This helped us to understand how hot it was in Mississippi at the time the main event, drinking from the water fountain, took place. I would consider this book to be an anti-bias book by the way it speaks to racial injustice. It gives an interpretation that children are clearly able to understand and teaches valuable lessons. I would highly recommend this book to young readers to help them to have empathy when learning about segregation.

[Mei Chen · Rating 5 out of 5]

White socks only by Evelyn Coleman
Review by Mei Chen

This story is talking about the author’s grandmother’s story when she was little, one hot summer day a black little girl sneaked out from her house went into the big town with her white finest Sunday dress, white socks and a pair of black patent leather shoes. She brought two eggs with her inside the pockets, when she passed by the Chicken Man’s house, she walked really fast, she thought Chicken Man is mysterious, because she heard from her mama said that Chicken Man can heal the sick and make people become chicken by his own hands, and that is the reason why people named him Chicken Man. When she arrived the big town she walked to a big building with a statue of soldier sitting up on the horse, she cracked an egg on the horse’s leg and placed on the hot cement to watch it gets cooked. On the way she back home, she was really thirsty and she spotted a water fountain with “white only” sign on it, then she took off her black shoes stepped on the stool with her white socks. A Caucasian man stopped her loudly, then there are more black people started coming over and drink form the water fountain, the Caucasian man hit them with his belt, and the Chicken Man came through drank the water, saved the girl and told her she did nothing wrong. When the girl came back to her house, told what was happening in the town today, her family laughed and said she can go to town by herself in the future, and when she wen to the town again she never sees the “white only” sign on the water fountain and there was a big chicken flapping around the courthouse.

This whole story is narrating from a person who describes her past experience without any emotion, the story described the scene from a child's perspective. When little girl saw the sign with “white only” she natively believed it is for the outfits’ color, this implies the world of children is much simpler than adults, people distinguish others according to their education level, skin color, belief and gender, but the little kids and stuffs do not distinguish people, like books they never refuse people to read them because of poverty.

The illustrations are colorful and clear to express the scenes in the story, easy to make kids understand. It shows all the details what the book describes and it shows everyone’s different emotions clearly in book.

I think this book is really good for students to read, they can think and learn a lot from this book, and this book will arouse their curiosity about the civil war and start to pay more attention to the books or the television works relate with the American history.

[Jimmy Filou · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read a fictitious and entertaining story about how a little girl fights segregation in Mississippi.
In this book, a young african american girl sneaks out of her house and into town. It is a hot summer day and she brings two eggs with her because she wants to see if it is hot enough to fry an egg on the sidewalk. She wants past an African man who has been said to be able to work miracles and to turn people into chickens if they were up to no good. She walked extra fast past his house and finally got to town. She broke her egg open and found that her eggs do really fry on the sidewalk. She thought it was time to go home, but because it was such a hot summer day, she needed a drink from the water fountain. The water fountain was whites only, but she didn’t know what that meant. She drank from the water fountain and angered a white man nearby. A crowd of other black people came and drank from the water fountain too. He beat them all with his belt. Then the chicken man came and helped the girl and scolded the man. No one ever saw the man again, but no one ever asked about the new chicken that hung around town. I think this is a very amusing story and is very telling about the time period. A major theme from the book is the evils of racism. It is expressed by the abusement of the girl of the other African American people by the white man. Another theme is injustice, which is shown through the acts of discrimination in this book. The main genre of this book is historical fiction. Children reading this book could learn about racism and segregation in America. This was a wow book for me because it highlights the evils of racism while also showing the resistance and eventual victory for the heroes.

The author used multiple literary devices and other forms of writing craft in this book. First, the author used the writing craft technique of characterization. An example of this writing craft from the book is when the author reveals more and more of the girl's personality throughout the telling of the book. This writing craft enhanced the quality of the book by allowing the reader to be put in the girl’s shoes and gives it a much more personal feel. Second, the author used the writing craft technique of plot. An example of this from the book is how the author tells the story. The author builds up the story with all the necessary events. This writing craft technique enhanced the quality of the book by making the story followable and interesting. I would consider this book to be an anti-bias book because it is from the diverse perspective of African Americans during the segregated south.

[Taijah · Rating 5 out of 5]

White socks only about a curious little girl who wants to go to town alone. Her grandmother tells her no and proceeds to tell her granddaughter a story about when she once snuck into town alone. When she gets there she plans to try out the saying "It's so hot outside, you can fry and egg on the concrete." She wants to see if this is true. Through he own experiment she sees that this is in fact, true. With it being so hot outside and coming across a water fountain, she decides to have a drink. She thinks the displayed whites only sign is referring to articles of clothing. She then takes of her black shoes, and where her whites socks to drink from the water fountain. Quite the troubles this stirred up.

This story takes place in a time of segregation where blacks were not to go to town unless it was for work or business. Children especially were not meant to go there alone, probably because it was to risky and unsafe. The whites sign is a major part of history, as this sign was displayed many places to tell blacks where they would and could not be. It also told them were they couldn't drink and could't use the toilet.

When the grandmother begins her story and the picture shows her walking, I am immediately captured by her hair. The nature around her is blurred by many brush strokes to where she stands out the most. Her hair looks so realistic and the illustrations show a true picture of how young black girls wear their hair. They wear them in a few plaits with borets at the top of the plait and borets at the end of their plaits. The picture of the cooking egg also created realism. By looking at the picture you can tell that the egg was cooking. The out edges of the egg whites were whitening while the parts closest to the center where still clear. This let you know it was cooking. Also the center of the yolk looks an orange yellow, while the out portion of the yolk looks more of a deep orange with red undertones. This let us know the yolk was also cooking rom the hot sidewalk. The little girl in her white dress and socks stood out against the colors that everyone else wore. She was the only one with white. I believe the illustrator did this to depict her as an innocent child. Even though she snuck to town, she had no idea what she was getting herself into. Just as she didn't understand the sign mean that she was not to drink from the water fountain because she was black.

[Garstka Third · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think that the theme of the book is that back then, It wasn't fair. For example, This man says can’t you read! And points to the sign. This shows that he is really mean.I know this takes place back then because it had a sign for whites only. But Martin Luther king Changed that.

I think that that the little girl is brave. For example, when the man gets his belt out, she does not run. She stays.This shows she is brave. You can do a lot of things when you’re brave.

I think this mean man is really mean and he does not even know her. For example, He grabbed her and through her off. This shows that he’s not a good character at all. Being mean makes you not a good person. So, just be good, and you will be a good person.
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I recommend this book to all people. I think the main character of this book is really scared. First of all she doesn't stand up for herself.Second of all she does not say anything to stop the fight. Last of all she makes a little scared face that shows that she is afraid. And now I think the lesson of this is not to bully and not to be mean. First when you bully someone else it really hurts them and makes them scared. And that's why you should not bully ever people. And in real life you should not bully To. And if you see someone bully someone else help them and make the world a better place.
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The little girl is a hopeless kind of character. For example when the white guy said” Why I’m gon’ whup you till you can’t sit down” ( White Socks Only page 16) she started to cry. When the fight is going on she’s covering herself. From the part the white man pushed her to the end of the fight she is really scared. I think she feels as if it’s her fault and she started the fight. I also think she feels so bad and nervous that her parents are going to find out. She probably thinks it is a big deal because the guy makes it seem like a big deal. She just is a little girl.


The part that stuck with me was when the white guy pushed the girl over. This part stuck with me because it was really surprising an adult would push a little girl on the dirt in her clean white dress. Without this part the fight never would’ve happened. It was also really mean of that guy to push a little black girl. This probably wouldn’t happened in real life right now but a long time ago I think it could’ve happened.


I think the lesson in this book is people shouldn’t bully others just because they look different. Black people have feelings too. You shouldn’t bully others because if you get bullied, you get hurt. It also ruins that person's day and makes it a bad day.
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I recommended this book to the guy with the bandana because he does not now Grandma and he pushes her she's a little girl she does not now that stuff.She is probably 6 or 7 years old in this book in other words this means that Grandma is probably 5 or 6 years old because a 2nd and
1st grader would now that stuff.

I think that Grandma regrets sneaking out of her house that day I also

Think that the guy with the bandana regrets pushing that girl he turned into a chicken.I realise that pushing should be illegal back then. In other words I wonder why he pushed her he is 30 or 40.

Grandma is a nice silly happy and kind of sneaky girl example for sneaky sneaks out of her house example for happy singing example for silly cracking eggs on the sidewalk.
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I recommend White Socks Only for everyone because it is a story of a little girl and her grandma . Her grandma goes a adverter to fry eggs on the black top. Then she is thirsty so she goes to the water fountain. It ses whites only. She does not know that means color of skin. A man comes up to her and pushes her off the water fountain. A bunch of adults are standing there he turn the man into a chicken that taught me that you should never bully people so i hope the people that read this book will get that message. It is not fair because she is a innocent little girl. It's not good. People do not deserve to be bullied. This shows that you can give love for others to stand up for each other to the bullies because i is not fun to be bullied.


In life people sometimes do not treat people good. Instead people should be kind to other people because it is not fun to be bullied other while the bully will be hurt because it is sad for example the man pust her done . That is not fair to a kid. This shows people should stand for their selth because people will not bully them any more. When they stand up for them selth will make the bully will run away.

Grandma is the main character because she is the one who went on the adventure not her granddaughter for example she goes on adventure to fry the eggs on the sidewalk. This shows that grandma is the main character . to add on . grandma teaches us a lesen not to bully.