Alice Faye Duncan

This book is based on real people and real events. Author Alice Faye Duncan tells a fictionized perspective of the sanitation strike preceding Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination told from the perspective of a 9-year-old little girl. Her father, a sanitation worker, participated in a protest. In the historical event, King calls for economic action, boycotting, and and nonviolent protest to challenge the United States. This illustrated novel gives students and young readers a look into what fighting for civil rights was like during King's era in 1968.… (altro)

This is a picture book biography, written in poems, about Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Gwendolyn Brooks. It covers her childhood in the 1920's and 30's, not shying away from the racist attitudes that made it difficult for a young Black artist to succeed. Much of the story focuses on the frustrations of translating the vision in her head to the words on the page. At one point, Gwendolyn buries her drafts beneath a bush in the yard. This moment spoke to me, as it will likely speak to students, about the internal struggle of expression. But the message of hard work paying off, when Gwendolyn is awarded a Pulitzer Prize, reigns supreme. The illustrations are highly geometric, making bold use of contrast and negative space. Recommended for upper elementary and middle school.… (altro)