© 2010,  Alfred A. Knopf.

Teach Them to Your Children.  Richard Michelson has written another excellent piece of historical fiction, this time about the “forced busing” of black students into white schools during the 1970s. Using a minimum of words and supported by the 70s-style ink and watercolor collages of R.G. Roth, he manages to convey the powerful emotions of those times as parents did what they felt best for their children and their children did their best to cope with the situation in which they found themselves.  More than a history book, however, it is also about the messages we adults send children.

Brewster’s mama believes that Brewster could be president someday. She knows that in order for that to happen, he will need the best education possible. She decides that he and his brother, Bryan, will receive a better education at a white school outside of the city, a one-hour bus ride away. Bryan is not happy, but Brewster knows that learning to read will make his mama happy, so he goes with the plan. Mama wakes up early to make breakfast and is waiting when Brewster comes home from school.

The bus’ arrival at the new school causes parent demonstrations outside and student misbehavior inside. Brewster and Bryan find themselves in the school library serving detention with a freckle-face boy who wants to start a fight before the first bell rings. Brewster befriends Miss O’Grady, the school librarian, who quickly concludes that he has the heart and determination to be anything he wants to be (which happens to be President of the United States.) Miss O’Grady supports Brewster’s dream with a story about John F. Kennedy:

“It wasn’t long ago that folks didn’t want the Irish in their schools. And just because Kennedy was Irish Catholic, people said he’d never be president. But he proved them wrong.”

In the meantime, Bryan and Freckle-face are laughing and whispering in the background. It appears that race has been put aside and a friendship is forming, at least until the school day ends and the children walk outside. That is when Brewster overhears Freckle-face’s father say, “Wish them coloreds all stayed at Franklin.” Teach your children well, indeed.

Rich Michelson not only gives us a view into a difficult time in American history, but provides a broader lesson as well. If, as parents, it is our responsibility to teach our children right from wrong, if they believe all that we say and act as we do, then our burden and the burden on our teachers and all those who interact with our children is a heavy one. All our actions have consequences, whether they lead to raising a child who goes on to become the first black President of the United States or one who grows up to become an intolerant, insensitive bully.

As our world becomes increasingly more diverse and our society more global, our responsibility as parents (and the support we must extend to their teachers) is to teach our children to achieve their highest potential while exploring and embracing all of the world’s cultures in as open and gracious a way as possible. That is the message I got from reading this short history of a  difficult time in America. I encourage you to read it as well.

Grade Level: 1^st-5th

©2010 Kathleen M. Bloomfield and forwordsbooks.com all rights reserved.
The Book used in this review is from my personal collection.
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© 2000, Lee & Low Books.

During the Gold Rush of the 1850’s, Rosabel and Sophie are best friends because they are both outsiders in a very small California town.  Rosabel is African American and Sophie is Jewish.

Although Rosabel is free and has papers to prove it, Miz Violet, her mother, is still considered “a runaway slave” although she is living in California, a free state.  When a slave catcher comes to town and finds Miz Violet, Rosabel runs to Sophie’s home for help. Without question, the family takes her in during their Shabbat meal. That night the girls make a plan for saving Miz Violet – they will dig for gold and pay for her freedom.

The girls’ ensuing adventure involving panning for gold on the riverbanks,  some helpful advice from the local assayer, getting stuck in small places and running into unfriendly foxes, leads them to their dream come true – a gold nugget big enough to ransom Miz Violet.  Not only that, the girls’ decide to give their “claim” over to the slave catcher in order to pay for the release of all the slaves he caught along with Miz Violet.  Thus earning the name Freedom Hill for the site of their found gold.

This is a beautiful story about friendship, but more importantly a wonderful illustration of the value of Pidyon Shvuyim/Redeeming the Captive. The artwork in this book is extraordinary watercolor paintings that reveal the joy, fear, heartbreak and wonder that the characters endure during their adventure.

A PJ Library book.

Grade Level: K- 3rd

©2010 Kathleen M. Bloomfield and forwordsbooks.com all rights reserved.
Books used in this review were provided by the publishers cited.
I am an Amazon Affiliate. If you click on a book title referred to on my web site and purchase it from Amazon,

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I appreciate your support.

It is 1947, Joey Sexton’s white, Jewish mother has died and he finds out that his black father is also dead. The only family that will take him are his maternal grandfather and aunt who live together in Brooklyn.

As Joey struggles to make friends with the other children in the neighborhood, his cousin Roberta (known as Bobbie) befriends him and takes his side as often as she can. Joey’s Zayde (grandfather) is angry that Joey’s mother ran away from home and married someone who was not white and not Jewish. His grandfather is determined to bring Joey into line so as not to lose him as he lost Joey’s mother.  The struggle between Joey and his grandfather is compelling and makes for a fine and intense read.

While Jackie Robinson, a Brooklyn Dodger rookie, is trying to break sport’s color-barrier, Joey, a half-white half-black child, also struggles to find his place in the world.  He roots for the Yankees, defends his mother when neighborhood women talk about her badly and argues with his grandfather at every opportunity.  At times, it feels he will never succeed in staying with this warm, loving family. However, through all the arguing, he and his grandfather find a way to make peace with each other.

The Jewish content of this book is excellent, from Shabbos dinner to saying kaddish, many Jewish traditions are described and we read about their celebration. The feelings and discussions that are in the story are written in a way to make the reader empathize with every character, whether it be Joey hearing bad things about his mom or his grandfather wondering how to raise him properly. Boys will love this book as it portrays baseball as America’s favorite past time and the play-by-play allows one to picture the games as they are played. Bobbie, a tomboy, is thoroughly accepted by her family and as a result thoroughly accepts Joey.   Joey’s aunt loves Joey and does everything she can to make him feel welcome. What she cannot do is override her father. She believes it is up to Joey and his Zayde to work their issues out with one another.

Grade Level: 4th – 9th

©2010 Kathleen M. Bloomfield and forwordsbooks.com all rights reserved.
Books used in this review were provided by the publishers cited.
I am an Amazon Affiliate. If you click on a book title referred to on my web site and purchase it from Amazon,

I may receive a very small commission on your purchase.

You will incur no additional cost, however.

I appreciate your support.

© 2008 – Knopf Books for Young Readers.

Winner of the 2008 Sydney Taylor Book Award for Younger Readers. This is an outstanding book about how Martin Luther King, Jr. and Abraham Joshua Heschel grew up on different continents at different times yet with similar experiences, and how those experiences caused their lives to entwine during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s in America.  The exceptional illustrations, with brown tones depicting Dr. King’s life and times and blue tones portraying Rabbi Heschel’s, strengthen the already powerful text. The combination creates a book about historical figures that is a must read in every Jewish classroom for its timeliness to today’s events.

Grades K-4th

©2010 Kathleen M. Bloomfield and forwordsbooks.com all rights reserved.
Books used in this review were provided by the publishers cited.
I am an Amazon Affiliate. If you click on a book title referred to on my web site and purchase it from Amazon,

I may receive a very small commission on your purchase.

You will incur no additional cost, however.