by Andrea Davis Pinkney
illustrated by Brian Pinkney
Andrea Davis Pinkney and Brian Pinkney are among my favorite picture book authors and illustrators and this book is just one of their wonderful cooperative achievements. In it, the story of the Montgomery bus boycott is told by a rhythmic guitar-playing hound dog who sings the blues, the Boycott Blues, of course. One of the things I especially like about this book is that all of the people of Montgomery become more important in the boycott than either Rosa Parks or Martin Luther King, Jr. They're not neglected, but it's the perseverance of all the people that prompted change.
The illustrations are full of windy sweeps and dreary blues as the people toil by foot and bicycle, but there's also a lovely glow and you can feel them encouraging one another.
A wonderful addition to the study of Civil Rights, Rosa Parks, and Martin Luther King, Jr.
