Rosa

Giovanni, N. (2005). Rosa. New York, NY: Henry Holt.

Rosa is a picture book biography that tells the story of Rosa Parks, a quiet, hard working seamstress.  Rosa is forced to decide whether or not to give up her seat on a public bus to a white person.  Since she was sitting in a section where either white or blacks could sit, she decided that she would not get out of her seat.  Rosa gathers all her courage and stands up for what she believes in.  During the time of segregation, a community comes together to make a change in a peaceful way.
Although this book is a biography, the text had a clear sequence and was easy to understand. In addition, the illustrations had picture book qualities that made the book fun to read.  We see a great combination of colors put together to create a book that both children and adults can enjoy.

Rosa is a great book to read as a follow up to The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963.  Students will have a better understanding of the issues African Americans faced during a time of segregation and discrimination.