Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott (Graphic History)
It was December 1st, 1955 when Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a public bus for a white man. The laws of that time said that blacks must sit at the back of the bus and that they had to give up their seat to any white person who asked for it, but Rosa had had enough. Though she was breaking the law she decided at that moment that she would not recognize a law which she thought was wrong. Rosa was arrested and put into jail for her actions. Rosa had long been a member of the NAACP, an organization which was trying to fight against the segregation laws of the south. After the NAACP got her out of jail, Rosa met with some other members and it was decided that on the day when Rosa was to go to court, the black people of Montgomery Alabama would boycott the public buses in protest. The boycott was very successful and the boycott leaders decided that they would continue their protest until segregation was stopped once and for all. It was decided that the boycott leaders would form an association and that Martin Luther King Jr. would be the president of the association. Rosa Parks kept up the fight for civil rights all her life. She helped Martin Luther King Jr. and his followers whenever they asked her to and founded an institute in Detroit which teaches young people how to be good leaders. This excellent book will help young readers to see that there are times when one has to stand up for what one believes in. Presented in a graphic rich format, the book presents the story of Rosa Parks and the civil rights movement in easy to follow text and serves as a fitting tribute to a woman who had great courage. --Through the Looking Glass Childrens Book Review, February 2007Part of the Graphic Library series, this book is a wonderful introduction to Rosa Parks and the Civil Rights movement. Because the author provides a sequential and clear outline of the historical events of the time, the story of Rosa Parks and the Montgomery bus boycott is told in a meaningful and interesting way. The graphic novel is broken into four chapters, each one telling a specific part of Rosa Parks story. Through the content presented, readers are introduced to important figures involved in the civil rights movement, racial segregation laws, significant dates and court decisions, important events in the civil rights movement, and the political and social climate of the time. Furthermore, the author shows the impact the Montgomery Bus Boycott had on the civil rights movement and tells about Rosa s life after the boycott. This book can be integrated into the classroom in many ways. It can serve as a way to introduce students to informational texts and to teach nonfiction reading strategies. It can also aid in building a student s background knowledge about the civil rights movement. The book includes a table of contents, a glossary, information about where to find more resources about Rosa Parks and the civil rights movement, a bibliography, and an index. The illustrations are vibrant and complement the text. The use of color in the illustrations adds character and atmosphere to the images being represented. --Childrens Literature Comprehensive Database, January 2007