Rosa by Nikki Giovanni- Caldecott Honor Book (2006)

Rosa is a wonderful book that introduces Rosa Parks to the reader and takes him through her mental processes, her mindset, and through the fateful day on which she was arrested and sparked the Montgomery bus boycott. This narrative not only talks about Civil Rights and Mrs. Parks role in the movement, but also humanizes Mrs. Parks ad makes her into a quiet, strong hero that readers can only respect, rather than a dusty photograph of an unknown historical figure.

I really liked this book for its format. It begins as any other story, with a hardworking and relatable main character who's having a nice day and wants to make dinner for her husband. Rather than beginning, as many books pertaining to Mrs. Parks do, with lots of technical backstory and unfamiliar historical context, students are eased into the Parks narrative in the format of a beautiful and well written picture book. After Mrs. Parks is arrested, the book continues, and demonstrates the impact that her simple, dignified act had on an entire nation, and how she inspired others working for civil rights. On the other hand, I felt that the language used in this book is probably suited for higher elementary or even middle grades students, many of whom feel they are past picture books. This is my only criticism of the work.
As I mentioned before, this book is a pleasant change from overly-historical and harshly worded books that I have seen on Rosa Parks in the past. The reader becomes familiar with Mrs. Parks, gets a feel for her personality and integrity and then watches as an injust system takes hold of her and other people in her position. This simple picture book is empowering rather than dull and dusty.

I think I learned from Rosa that picture books can be more than they seem. What I assumed to be just another sterile and scary account of Rosa Parks' arrest turned out to be a beautifully illustrated and inspiring version of this civil rights story. This seemingly simple picture book is educational and historical enough to be appropriate for references, but still very readable and uplifting.