Rosa
About This Book
Rosa by Nikki Giovanni and illustrated by Bryan Collier is about an African-American woman named Rosa Parks. Rosa was riding a city bus in Montgomery, Alabama, when she was asked to give up her seat in the front of the segregated bus and move to the back of the bus where blacks were allowed to seat. Rosa’s refusal to go to the back of the bus lead to her arrest and the beginning of a civil right movement. Rosa became one of the most influential people of America’s civil right movement.
Genre
Rosa is a historical non-fiction picture book. The watercolor and collage art illustrations by Bryan Collier wonderfully compliments the historical story of Rosa. The illustrations grabs the attention of the reader.
Importance
It is important for young children to learn the history of America’s civil rights movement. This was a movement that affected the country as a whole.
Discussion Questions
- Do you think Rosa was wrong for breaking the law and not moving to the back of the bus?
- Would you have moved to the back of the bus?
- Is there another way Rosa could have handled the situation without breaking the law?
Activities for the Children
- Have the children break into groups and write a paragraph on why they think Rosa was justified in breaking the law.
- Have the children paint with watercolors a picture of Rosa on the bus, these pictures can be printed on line.
Giovanni, N., & Collier, B. (2005). Rosa. New York: Henry Holt.
If you enjoyed Rosa, check out other books written by Nikki Giovanni.
- The Sun Is So Quiet
- The Genie In The Jar
What a great looking blog! It is very user friendly and interesting. I loved reading the Rosa story and think that it should be read or talked about in school consistenly.
ReplyDeleteAdditional activities could include:
1. Create a worksheet that has an aerial view of a bus similar that Rosa Park's sat on and have the children label the sections of the bus that are described in the story. Have the children color the seats that were only allowed to be sat in by whites in one color and the seats only allowed to be sat in by blacks in another color.
2. Have the children use their pictures as ways to discuss how they think black people felt during those times, and how influential Rosa Parks actions were.