Busing Brewster - Hardcover

Michelson, Richard

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 037583334X ISBN 13: 9780375833342

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2010

Synopsis

A New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Book
A New York Times Book Review Notable Children’s Book

Brewster is excited about starting first grade . . . until Mama announces that he'll be attending Central—a school in the white part of town. Mama says they have art and music and a library bursting with books, but Brewster isn't so sure he'll fit in.

Being black at a white school isn't easy, and Brewster winds up spending his first day in detention at the library. But there he meets a very special person: Miss O'Grady. The librarian sees into Brewster's heart and gives him not only the gift of books but also the ability to believe in himself.

This powerful and tender story of desegregation in the 1970s introduces readers to the brave young heroes who helped to build a new world.

About this title

About the Author

Richard Michelson is the author of many books for adults and children, including As Good as Anybody: Martin Luther King and Abraham Joshua Heschel's Amazing March Toward Freedom, illustrated by Raul Colón, which was a Sydney Taylor Book Award Winner and a National Jewish Book Award Finalist. Richard always hated detention in the principal's office, but, like Brewster, he never minded his many library "time-outs"-and to this day, he loves to be surrounded by books and art.

Robert Roth has illustrated several picture books, including Why Butterflies Go on Silent Wings by Marguerite Davol and Jazz Man by Karen Ehrhardt. His work has collected many honors, including eight from the Society of Illustrators.

From School Library Journal

Grade 1–5— Grade 1–5—One fall, two African-American brothers learn that they will be bused to a predominantly white school. While Bryan complains ("Ain't no Negroes at Central"), Mama reassures first-grader Brewster that they will benefit from the new school's fine facilities, such as a well-stocked library. Mama says that with such advantages, Brewster might even be president someday. However, angry whites gather at the school in protest, creating chaos inside and out. Brewster, Bryan, and others are sent to the library for detention in the melee. There they find a friendly librarian who encourages them to dream. The book effectively captures both the promises and the challenges of school integration in the 1970s. Roth's rich earth tones and bold patterns perfectly anchor the book in its era, while the mixed-media and collage illustrations convey the urban environment. The text also stays true to its historical period, using the word "Negro" instead of "African American." This provides an opportunity for adults to explain how and why language evolves as society changes. An author's note provides a factual overview of this era. Michelson also explains here that he wrote the story long before Barack Obama was elected president, and that he never expected such a historic event to become a reality in his lifetime.—Mary Landrum, Lexington Public Library, KY
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Edition details

• Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 037583334X
• ISBN 13: 9780375833342
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Roth R.G.