Book 52: A Bus of Our Own

TITLE: A Bus of Our Own
AUTHOR: Freddi Williams Evans
STARTED: June 10, 2009
FINISHED: June 10, 2009
PAGES: 32
GENRE: Juvenile

FIRST SENTENCE: "You got to keep up, Mable Jean," Jeff insisted.

SUMMARY: [From barnesandnoble.com] Mable Jean's folks allow her to walk to the school if she can keep up with the other children but when she injures her ankle, walking is hard. The white school bus passes them each day but African American children don't have a bus. That is, until Mable Jean starts asking about getting a school bus. Cousin Smith who owns property and often hires Mable Jean's cousins and friends to pick cotton, finally offers to buy a bus, fix it up and take children to school providing their parents contribute to the bus's upkeep. Although the county ought to provide a bus for all children from the taxes both black and white pay, it seems, says Cousin Smith, that "we have to pay twice for our children to get a good learning." The amazed Mable Jean climbs on the bus and people cheer as it pulls away to school. An author's note explains how she was raised in Mississippi in the days of "separate but equal" rights and how in 1949, events like those depicted in the story, actually happened. Costello's paint and pastel impressionistic illustrations capture shine and shadow on faces perfectly and warmly suggest the fall countryside in which events take place.

THOUGHTS: This is one of those stories you wish you heard about growing it. It's about what happens when a community bands together for a common cause - it also highlights social injustice in our history. The reader will come away admiring Mable Jean and her community and also wishing they didn't have to. A Bus of Their Own is a great book to teach young readers, in a concrete way, about the harm segregation caused an entire community in this country.

The illustrations are vivid, filled with color, and help evoke the mood of the book.

RATING: 7/10 [Very Good]

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