About the Author

Nikki Giovanni is the author of Lincoln and Douglass, Spin a Soft Black Song, The Sun Is So Quiet, and the Caldecott Honor Book Rosa. Her autobiography Gemini was a finalist for the National Book Award, and several of her books have received NAACP Image Awards. She was the first recipient of the Rosa L. Parks Woman of Courage Award, and has been awarded the Langston Hughes Medal for poetry.

Bryan Collier is the author and illustrator of Uptown, winner of the Coretta Scott King Award and the Ezra Jack Keats Book Award. He is also the illustrator of the Caldecott Honor Books Martin's Big Words (Doreen Rappaport) and Rosa.

Reviews

"Paired very effectively with Giovanni's passionate, direct words, Collier's large watercolor-and-collage illustrations depict Parks as an inspiring force that radiates golden light." --Booklist, Starred Review "Purposeful in its telling, this is a handsome and thought-provoking introduction to these watershed acts of civil disobedience." --School Library Journal "Giovanni and Collier offer a moving interpretation of Rosa Park's momentous refusal to give up her bus seat. The author brings her heroine very much to life...a fresh take on a remarkable historic event." --Publishers Weekly "An essential volume for classrooms and libraries." --Kirkus Reviews

Gr 2-5-Rosa Parks was a powerful figure in the Civil Rights Movement, and her legacy lives on in this beautiful picture book by Nikki Giovanni (Holt, 2005). The crisp text is read by the author with warmth and clarity. Bryan Collier's collage illustrations are scanned iconographically, as well as a few of his illustrations from Doreen Rappaport's Martin's Big Words (Jump at the Sun, 2001; Weston Woods) and some archival photographs. This film brings history to life, adding homey details that personalize Parks and add immediacy to her story. Rich background music completes the presentation. This extraordinary book receives excellent treatment here, bringing Giovanni's clear and expressive prose to life and allowing young viewers to wrap themselves in the warmth of her story. Teachers will welcome this Caldecott Honor Book and 2008 ALSC Notable Video not just for Black History Month and Martin Luther King Day, but all year.--Teresa Bateman, Brigadoon Elementary School, Federal Way, WA Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.

"Paired very effectively with Giovanni's passionate, direct words, Collier's large watercolor-and-collage illustrations depict Parks as an inspiring force that radiates golden light." --Booklist, Starred Review "Purposeful in its telling, this is a handsome and thought-provoking introduction to these watershed acts of civil disobedience." --School Library Journal "Giovanni and Collier offer a moving interpretation of Rosa Park's momentous refusal to give up her bus seat. The author brings her heroine very much to life...a fresh take on a remarkable historic event." --Publishers Weekly "An essential volume for classrooms and libraries." --Kirkus Reviews