Yesterday, I had the opportunity to hear Andrea & Brian Pinkney, a husband/wife team, talk about their book projects.
I was fascinated to hear Andrea deconstruct the artwork in this book. She said that the way Brian portrayed the lunch counter in his images almost made it another character in the book. For example, on one page, the counter was shown from two different angles so that it seemed to cave-in on itself in the gutter of the book. This symbolism represented the way that segregation was caving in.
On later pages, the lunch counter became a road with ups and downs, showing the series of successes and failures that the civil rights workers experienced. Finally, a road was shown on a track similar to that of a roller coaster, symbolic of the out-of-control twists that one can encounter when on a frightening journey. Every time I hear someone do a visual analysis of art, I'm impressed at the added layers of meaning that the images add to the story.
This is definitely a picture book for many ages. Children in the early elementary grades will be moved to discuss the ways that teens try to help others. Children & youth in later grades can use this text as a jumping-off point to explore the many incidents in the civil rights movement.
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