Review: Goin' Someplace Special by Patricia C. McKissack

Author: Patricia C. McKissack
Title: Goin’ Someplace Special
Illustrator: Jerry Pinkney
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: 2001
ISBN: 0-329-27980-7

Summary:

‘Tricia Ann is ready, ready to go to that Someplace Special in the city on her own. Her grandmother reluctantly lets her, giving her parting words of advice, “No matter what, hold yo’ head up and act like you b’long to somebody.” From the time she steps onto the bus with its colored section to the time she is swept into the White’s only Southland Hotel only to be told, “No colored people are allowed!” ‘Tricia Ann is confronted with the signs of bigotry and prejudism that existed in the 1950’s. In tears, she escapes to a church ruin, now a quiet garden cared for by an elderly white woman who advises her to listen close for her grandmother’s voice. “Getting’ someplace special is not an easy route. But don’t study on quittin’...,” she hears in her heart. Even though more signs of prejudism confront her, ‘Tricia Ann makes it to her Someplace Special, one of the few places that accept all people, equally... the public library.

Analysis:

Time after time, ‘Tricia Ann meets up with the signs of bigotry and prejudism that existed in the 1950’s, so much so that the story is almost overwhelming in its message of racial injustice. Most picture books with this theme focus on one or two examples of the unfairness of the Jim Crowe laws, but McKissack seems to cram as many as she can into a 32 page picture book. However, in real life, this would have been the case. ‘Tricia Ann wouldn’t have been able to choose what she saw that day or what comments would have been made to her. So, even though it’s a little overwhelming, so was the reality of the times.

Behind the message of racial injustice is a story about a plucky young girl ready and willing to face the world in order to achieve her goal. She steps out from a loving home run by a strong maternal figure (her grandmother) to confront the world with a smile on her face and confidence in her step. The speech pattern brings to the story the flavor of the Black southern dialect but in a way that even young children will be able to understand.

Pinkney’s illustrations add details of the times, from the “White’s only” signs, ‘Tricia Ann’s white bobby socks and black shoes and purse, to the fin backed cars of the 1950’s. ‘Tricia Ann with her beautifully textured hair and soft brown skin dressed in her bright turquoise blue and yellow dress contrasts with the softer, muted colors used for the people and the world around her, keeping the focus on ‘Tricia Ann and her emotional reactions to the events in her life. Pinkney’s illustrations are what make this a story about ‘Tricia rather than solely a treatise against prejudism. ‘Tricia Ann is the link that pulls the reader into the story, making it believable, allowing the message to take heart.

The addition of an author’s note relating her personal experiences during the same era help the reader to realize that this story is semi-autobiographical. Patricia McKissack, too, found refuge in one of the few places that treated everybody equally. Yes, it was the public library.

Review excerpts:
Booklist (August 2001) “Pinkney’s watercolor paintings are lush and sprawling as they evoke southern city streets and sidewalks as well as ‘Tricia Ann’s inner glow.... This book carries a strong message of pride and self-confidence as well as a pointed history lesson.” (Ages 5-8)

Horn Book (November/December 2001) “McKissack and Pinkney strike just the right balance in a picture book for young readers and listeners: informative without being preachy; hopeful without being sentimental.”

Kirkus Review (September 2001) “Every plot element contributes to the theme.... A natural for group sharing; leave plenty of time for the questions and discussions that are sure to follow.” (5-9)

Library Talk (March/April 2002) “This book... would be a wonderful addition to library and school collections. Recommended.”

Publishers Weekly (August 6, 2001) “Pinkney’s... luminescent watercolors evoke the ‘50s, from fashions to finned cars, and he captures every ounce of ‘Tricia Ann’s eagerness, humiliation and quiet triumph at the end.” (Ages 4-8)

School Library Journal (September 1, 2001) “A thought-provoking story for group sharing and independent readers.” (Gr 3-5)

Awards/Nominees/Lists:
Coretta Scott King Awards Winner 2002 Illustrator
ABC Children’s Booksellers Choices Award Winner 2002 Picture Books
Monarch Award Master List (IL) 2007
ALA Notable Children’s Books 2002
The Best Children’s Books of the Year 2002 Bank Street College of Education
Black-Eyed Susan Book Award Nominee 2003 (Maryland)
Colorado Children’s Book Award List 2003
Delaware Diamonds 2003
Georgia Children’s Literature Awards 2003
Kentucky Bluegrass Award 2003
Louisiana Young Readers’ Choice Award 2003
Pennsylvania Young Readers’ Choice Award 2002-2003
Texas Bluebonnet Award 2004

Connections:

As school history books are politically edited, toning down the importance of various events and people in history or cutting them out altogether, it becomes even more important to bring history lessons to life by using literature such as Goin’ Someplace Special by Patricia C. McKissack. Read other books like Rosa by Nikki Giovanni, Freedom on the Menu: The Greensboro Sit-Ins by Carole Boston Weatherford, My Brother Martin by Christine King Farris, The Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles, and Through My Eyes by Ruby Bridges. Every one of these books adds to the sense of the times.

If you’re daring, try an exercise on prejudism with the children. For example, people who can fold their tongues will get to line up first, get a drink from the closest water fountain, use the closest bathroom, sit in the closest desks. Then switch and make it the people who cannot fold their tongues who get the privileges. Follow this exercise and the book readings up with a class discussion. How did you feel when...? How do you think people of color felt when the Jim Crow laws were in effect? Close with an emphasis on the injustice of those laws and the unfairness of prejudism. Most children understand when something is unfair. Hopefully, this lesson will never be forgotten, unlike the history textbook.

RSimpson

Review: Possum Magic by Mem Fox

Author: Mem Fox
Title: Possum Magic
Illustrator: Julie Vivas
Publisher: Gulliver Books, Harcourt Brace & Company, first published by Omnibus Books (1983)
Publication Date: 1983
ISBN: 0-15-200572-2






Summary:
Once upon a time there lived two out-of-the-ordinary possums from Australia named Hush and Grandma Poss. Why are they different than the average possum? Grandma Poss could make bush magic, turning animals into different colors and sizes. What about Hush? Well, Grandma Poss made Hush invisible to protect her from the snakes. After a time, Hush wanted to be visible again. Grandma Poss consulted her magic books, but she couldn’t find the answer. She knew it had to do with human food, so Grandma Poss and Hush hopped on their bicycle and took off on a culinary tour of Australia, seeking the means to make Hush visible once more. (Fox, Mem. 1983. Possum Magic. Ill. By Julie Vivas. New York: Gulliver Books. ISBN: 0152005722)

Analysis:
Created around a simple plot in which Grandma Poss needs to find the right foods to make her granddaughter Hush visible again, Possum Magic is a delight to the ears and to the eyes. The characters, including the background characters, represent a variety of Australian wildlife, including a wombat, a dingo, an emu, a kangaroo, a koala, a spiny ant-eater, and a snake. The characters are simple given that the plot is the focus of the story; however, personalities come through in the determination of Grandma Poss and the willingness of Hush to follow Grandma Poss’s instructions.

Rhyme, repetition, and alliteration are sprinkled throughout the story making it a fun and easy story to read aloud. The inclusion of Australian vocabulary is not so overwhelming as to prevent young children from around the world from following the story line. Instead, the vocabulary used introduces the reader to Australian animals, foods, and places as the plot develops. Grandma Poss and Hush even celebrate dancing to a traditional Australian song, “Here We Go Round the Lamington Plate.”

The illustrations add to the story and the characters. Beautifully illustrated in watercolor washes with some spatter painting, a variety of Australian animals are portrayed, each with its own individual personality. Only Grandma Poss wears clothes: glasses, an apron, slippers, socks, and running shoes. You can see her worry when she can’t find the answer in her books, her determination as she pedals around Australia, her pleasure in Hush’s enjoyment while floating in an umbrella off the beach of Perth. You can see Hush’s fear of snakes, her despair when she thinks she will never be seen again, her enjoyment of the bike ride on Grandma Poss’s back, and her ecstasy in gaining back her visibility.

It is on Grandma Poss's bicycle that the reader travels Australia, visiting cities in states all around the coast as a variety of foods are sampled. Australian children can be seen in the background. In the theater, they are all light-skinned, but on benches outside in the far north of Australia, children of all different skin tones and hair textures can be seen enjoying their lunches. A map is included at the end, showing their travels, the cities, and the foods they explored. This is truly an international book which spreads some of the flavors of Australia to children around the world.

Review excerpts:
Horn Book (February 1991) “They fuse text and illustrations together so masterfully that it seems like a sleight of hand. Presto change-o: one enchanting book.”

School Library Journal (December 1987) “Although the characters, locales, and vocabulary are thoroughly Australian, Possum Magic has universal appeal.” (Preschool-Grade 2)

Awards:
1994 COOL Award (Canberra’s Own Outstanding List)

Connections:
Use this book as a way to introduce Australia, and combine it with a nonfiction book about Australia like Australia in Colors by Nathan Olson or Australia by Allan Fowler or a website such as Aussie-info.com at http://www.aussie-info.com/. Add a virtual tour of the wildlife and of each of the cities included in the story by going to http://www.upfromaustralia.com/virtualtour.html. Explore the flavors of Australia included in the story by serving the same tasty Australian treats. Do you need some help? Go to Mem Fox’s site for Possum Magic at http://www.memfox.com/possum-magic.html. Expand this book into an author study using this site and other books by Mem Fox, such as Wombat Divine and Koala Lou. Have fun, and g’dday, mate!

RSimpson