A Picture Book of Rosa Parks Book

A biography of the Alabama black woman whose refusal to give up her seat on a bus helped establish the civil rights movement.

School Library Journal

Gr 2-4-Adler presents a biographical account of the longtime and committed civil-rights activist, whose role in initiating the Montgomery bus boycott was but one aspect. He also brings in other issues, such as school desegregation and the presence of the Ku Klux Klan. While these inclusions diffuse his focus, they also give young readers background on the time and the movement in which she participated. Brief notes offer additional information about Tuskeegee Institute, located near Parks's birthplace, and Thurgood Marshall, who successfully argued the Brown v. Board of Education desegregation case before the Supreme Court. Casilla's illustrations are realistic and useful, though somewhat static and lacking in excitement. The text also tends toward dryness. Still, Adler's sensitive writing and broad perspective on his subject's life make this a useful source for young children.-Lyn Miller-Lachmann, Siena College Library, Loudonville, NY