Grandmama's Pride

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Grandmama's Pride was written by Becky Birtha. It has 32 pages and it was published in January 1st 2005 by Albert Whitman Company. Becky Birtha ws born in Hampton, Virginia, The United States. She said that as an author she's the author of three books for adults, two collections of short stories and a volume of poetry. Her short stories had been widely anthologized, and some of her writing has appeared in textbooks. More recently, she'd written two children's picture books. She was also a parent, a Quaker, was an adoption worker for many years, and currently live in Delaware County, PA, just outside Philadelphia. She enjoyed visiting schools to share about her books.She was especially interested in books by other African American writers and with African American, black, or biracial kids as characters. She read lots of picture books and few things are better than having a bag full of picture books to savor, one a night, before going to sleep. [1]

Summary

The story tells about a young black girl named Sarah Marie, her mother, and her little sister travel down south to visit Grandmama in the summer of 1956. Grandmama makes every effort to shield her granddaughters from the prejudice that still plagues her town. But as Sarah Marie learns to read, she notices Grandmama's town is filled with signs and rules that she's never understood before. As Sarah Marie tries to make sense of the world around her, she's left wondering if life in the South will ever change. [2]

Pros

Daniele Bower thought this book worth to earn five stars because of the touching story of a mother and her two daughters visited their grandmother in the south. On the trip down, her mother explains why the back of the bus is the best seat due to the space and proximity to the bathroom. This happens again when the girls are passing by the water fountain on their walk. Their grandmother tells them to not drink the dirty city water and to wait until they get back to her house. This continues to happen, until the older sister learns how to read from her aunt. Once she is able to read the signs all over town, she is starting to understand why they cannot do these things. She first notices the signs above the bathroom that states who is allowed to use what bathroom. After this realization, she understands that she cannot do things based on the color of her skin. She then does the same thing that her mother and grandmother did for her for her little sister in order for her to not learn about the segregation. The next year, they go back to visit their grandmother again, and she is ready for the sign again. However, this time, they are no longer there. Her grandmother explains that they stood up for what they believe in and made a change. Carolyn also thought it was deserved to get five stars score because this book was a great introduction to the era of racial segregation in the U.S. This picture book does what fiction does best - builds empathy! All children get a look at what segregation and racism looked like through the eyes of a little African-American girl from north of the Mason-Dixon line when she visits her grandmother down south. She was part of a discussion of this book on Sabbath Rest Book Talk, and she thought Erin McCole Cupp was right when she said Grandmama's dignity would be a more apt description of the grandmother's attitude and her desire to shield her grandchildren from the shameful state of things. [1]

A detailed reviewed was given by Mhouk on one of online sites. This book can be used in a history lesson regarding the civil rights movement. Sarah reads many newspaper articles about the events that occurred during the civil rights movement and it would be very beneficial for students to learn about this part of our history from something other than a textbook. The story addresses the Stage C, 2B as well as Social and Emotional Learning Standard which deals with recognizing “individual and group similarities and differences.” There is an author’s note on the back page that provides the historical connections between Sarah’s experiences and the pivotal events that occurred in the years of 1956 and 1957. Students might need to have a little background knowledge on segregation and Jim Crow laws in order to fully understand this story. [3]

Kirkus also reviewd this book, they wrote that the first-person narrative conveys wide-eyed wonder, and each of the superbly detailed watercolor illustrations is a short story in itself. Bittersweet nostalgia and a gentle introduction to an important and painful piece of our national past. A lengthy author’s note gives the story a helpful historical context. [4]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Grandmama's Pride. Retrieved February 9th, 2021
  2. Grandmama's Pride. Retrieved February 9th, 2021
  3. Grandmama’s Pride. Retrieved February 9th, 2021
  4. Grandmama’s Pride. Retrieved February 9th, 2021