A Sweet Smell of Roses Book

So yes, I do indeed and very much consider Angela Johnson's A Sweet Smell of Roses (about two young African American sisters who sneak out of their home to secretly join a Civil Rights march and rally) to be a loving and emotionally engaging tale, an evocative and tenderly caressing account which not only strives to honour the many young people who contributed to the Civil Rights Movement, but also demonstrates to young children that they can "do" that they can participate and contribute to political protests and social causes that are important to them. I would however also tend to agree with my GR friends Lisa and Krista, that while the facts presented in A Sweet Smell of Roses are certainly moving, poetic and inspiring, textually speaking, A Sweet Smell of Roses is also rather spare and slight in verbal content and does rather leave me wanting and craving more details, more historical background and political, cultural information. And consequently, I am actually and in fact a bit more moved and wowed by Eric Velasquez' evocative mostly black and white illustrations for A Sweet Smell of Roses than by Angela Johnson's narrative. For yes, with the little touches of red in the roses, the American flag and the teddy bear's ribbon, Velasquez' featured artwork truly does feel both amazing and memorable (as to and for me, the little splashes of red amongst the black and white, they represent love, the hope for equality, but also the belief of the Civil Rights Movement in the basic democratic principles of the United States, of the Constitution, the inalienable rights of all people to be seen, to be regarded as equals, as persons). And finally, due to the spareness of the text and the lack of historical detail even in the rather short author's note, I would thus also not necessarily consider A Sweet Smell of Roses as an adequate introduction to the Civil Rights Movement. However, if used in conjunction with other, more historically detailed sources, A Sweet Smell of Roses could indeed be a wonderful way to not only pay homage to the contributions of the many young who participated in the freedom marches, but to also demonstrate that children are strong in and of themselves, that they can and should be actively involved in relevant causes, that they can certainly make a difference.