I am Rosa Parks

by Brad Meltzer, Christopher Eliopoulos (Illustrator)

Overview

Civil Rights leader Rosa Parks is the 3rd hero in in the New York Times bestselling picture book biography series for ages 5 to 8. (Cover may vary)

Each picture book in this series is a biography of a significant historical figure, told in a simple, conversational, vivacious way, and always focusing on a character trait that made the person heroic. The heros are depicted as children throughout, telling their life stories in first-person present tense, which keeps the books playful and accessible to young children. And each book ends with a line of encouragement, a direct quote, and photos on the last page. This story focuses on Rosa Parks and how she always stood up for what's right. 

This friendly, fun biography series inspired the PBS Kids TV show Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum. One great role model at a time, these books encourage kids to dream big.

Included in each book are:   
• A timeline of key events in the hero’s history  
• Photos that bring the story more fully to life  
• Comic-book-style illustrations that are irresistibly adorable  
• Childhood moments that influenced the hero   
• Facts that make great conversation-starters  
• A virtue this person embodies: Rosa Parks's strength is highlighted in this biography. You’ll want to collect each book in this dynamic, informative series!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780803740853
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	06/17/2014
Series:	Ordinary People Change the World Series
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	49,283
Product dimensions:	7.81(w) x 7.81(h) x 0.36(d)
Lexile:	600L (what's this?)
Age Range:	5 - 8 Years

About the Author

Brad Meltzer is the New York Times bestselling author of Heroes for My Son, Heroes for My Daughter, The Lincoln Conspiracy, and a number of suspense novels like The Lightning Rod. He also helped find the missing 9/11 flag with his History Channel television show Brad Meltzer’s Lost History. He lives in Florida with his wife and their three children. (And did you know that a picture of Brad is hidden in every book in this series?)

Christopher Eliopoulos began his illustration career at Marvel Comics, and has worked on thousands of comics, including his own Cow Boy and Franklin Richards: Son of a Genius. He is the author and illustrator of the picture books The Yawns Are Coming! and The Giggles Are Coming! and the graphic novels Cosmic Commandos and Monster Mayhem. He lives in New Jersey with his wife and their college-graduate twin sons (who also make an appearance in each Ordinary People Change the World book).

Hometown:

Florida

Date of Birth:

1970

Place of Birth:

New York, New York

Education:

B.A., University of Michigan; J.D., Columbia University

Website:

http://www.bradmeltzer.com

Editorial Reviews

05/19/2014
Following books on Abraham Lincoln and Amelia Earhart, this third title in Meltzer and Eliopoulos’s Ordinary People Change the World series traces the life of Rosa Parks from the segregated classrooms of her childhood to the Montgomery Bus Boycott. As in the previous books, Parks is portrayed as a roundheaded cartoon child, even during her adult years, underscoring the idea that anyone is capable of bringing about monumental change. Moments of humor help balance out the harsh racial prejudice on display, but it’s Parks’s determination that stands out strongest. “I knew what the rules said,” she says. “But I also knew in my heart: That’s not how you treat people.” Ages 3–5. (June)

Publishers Weekly

2014-04-30
Following introductions to Amelia Earhart and Abraham Lincoln, this third title in the set introduces an iconic figure in the civil rights movement.In a straightforward fictionalized narration, Parks tells her story. She gives examples of segregation and bullying in her early life, describes the incident that led to her work for the NAACP and the resistance that led to the Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955-56. "The only tired I was, was tired of giving in," she remarks. The book makes a point of contrasting her small size with her great determination. In the cartoon illustrations, Parks has the round head of Charlie Brown; sometimes she even shares his rueful expression. As with other heroes in the series, she remains child-sized throughout the book, which has the effect of infantilizing her. In one particularly unfortunate illustration, she and an equally child-sized Martin Luther King have an imagined conversation, depicted in speech bubbles, in front of an integrated classroom full of students prayerfully reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. The small, square format seems designed for young hands, and the approach may be most appropriate for preschoolers. The thriller-writer-turned-author-for-children has provided no documentation, sourcing or suggestions for further exploration of this history, but two pages of photographs (not seen) follow the account.A barely serviceable introduction with far more child appeal than substance. (Picture book/biography. 3-7)

Kirkus Reviews