Liberty's Civil Rights Road Trip

by Michael W. Waters, Nicole Tadgell (Illustrator)

Overview

Time to board the bus! Liberty and her friend Abdullah, with their families and a diverse group of passengers, head off to their first stop: Jackson, Mississippi. Next on their map are Glendora, Memphis, Birmingham, Montgomery, and finally Selma, for a march across the iconic Edmund Pettus Bridge.

As told through the innocent view of a child, Liberty's Civil Rights Road Trip serves as an early introduction to places, people, and events that transformed history. The story is inspired by an actual journey led by author Michael W. Waters, bringing together a multigenerational group to witness key locations from the civil rights movement. An author's note and more information about each stop on Liberty's trip offer ways for adults to expand the conversation with young readers.

A portion of the publisher's sales proceeds will be donated to Foot Soldiers Park in Selma, Alabama, a nonprofit dedicated to honoring the history and continued relevance of the Selma movement.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781947888197
Publisher:	Westminster John Knox Press
Publication date:	10/12/2021
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	1,083,621
Product dimensions:	11.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.30(d)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

Michael W. Waters is an award-winning author, activist, professor, and pastor. His picture book For Beautiful Black Boys Who Believe in a Better World, illustrated by Keisha Morris, won the 2020 Goddard Riverside CBC Youth Book Prize for Social Justice and was named a Must-Read Book about Race by Essence. A sought-after speaker, he is a frequent commentator for major media outlets and has been honored for his work in peace and justice. Michael W. Waters lives in Dallas, Texas. For more information, visit www.michaelwwaters.com.

Nicole Tadgell is the acclaimed illustrator of more than thirty picture books, a speaker and workshop leader, and an advocate for diversity in children's literature. Her many honors include the Children's Africana Book Award, the Américas Award, and numerous best-books lists. She lives in Virginia. For more information, visit www.nicoletadgell.art.

Editorial Reviews

09/27/2021

Inspired by a civil rights pilgrimage for faith leaders that the author led commemorating the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination, this picture book follows the author’s young Black daughter Liberty and her light brown–skinned Muslim best friend Abdullah, both of whom attended the real trip through sites in the U.S. South. From the third-person perspective, Waters focuses on Liberty’s viewpoint and emotions at each stop, in particular, an author’s note clarifies, how she “turned these harrowing spaces into hopeful ones”: “Even though the Lorraine Motel was a serious place, Liberty imagined that Dr. King had liked to laugh, just like her dad.” Tadgell illustrates an interfaith tour group of varying abilities, ages, sizes, and skin tones in soft washes of watercolor; small inserts feature the historical figures mentioned. An accessible, anecdotal introduction to pivotal civil rights events and luminaries. Back matter includes an author’s note and supplementary information. Ages 3–7. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

"On an interfaith, family-based road trip, a young Black girl visits important landmarks of the civil rights movement . . . A unique and valuable perspective." —Kirkus Reviews

"This introduction to historic individuals and monumental locations is both inspiring and a useful teaching tool, and will see wide use in most collections." —School Library Journal

"An accessible, anecdotal introduction to pivotal civil rights events and luminaries." —Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

09/03/2021

PreS-Gr 2—A young Black girl named Liberty, along with her family and others, embark on a road trip to visit landmarks of the Civil Rights movement. The diverse group, made up of different ages, races, and religions, have several stops scheduled. Liberty is most excited for the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, AL, but the tour includes Jackson, MS, the home of Medgar Evers, then Glendora, MS, to learn about Emmett Till, among others. Tadgell's gentle illustrations expertly link the historical events with Liberty's tour group, as dialogue among Liberty, her family, and others includes explanation and reflection of the events and sights. This book, based on the true story of actual road trips coordinated by the author, pairs excellently with works such as Monica Clark-Robinson's Let the Children March and Cynthia Levinson's The Youngest Marcher. Back matter includes additional information on the figures and locations visited in the book. VERDICT This introduction to historic individuals and monumental locations is both inspiring and a useful teaching tool, and will see wide use in most collections.—Olivia Gorecke, Cape May Cty. Lib., Ocean View, NJ

School Library Journal

2021-06-29
On an interfaith, family-based road trip, a young Black girl visits important landmarks of the civil rights movement.

Liberty is looking forward to seeing the Edmund Pettus Bridge, but there are many stops before Selma. During the hours on the bus, Liberty plays with her friend Abdullah. The first stop is in Jackson, Mississippi, at the home of voting rights activist Medgar Evers. In Glendora, Mississippi, the group stops to remember Emmett Till. The next day, the group quietly remembers Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at the site of his assassination at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis. Finally, after stops at the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham and Dr. King’s Montgomery home, the group reaches the bridge in Selma, Alabama, where they march and remember those who marched from Selma to Montgomery decades ago. Based on a true story of road trips organized by the author and attended by faith leaders and their families, this story highlights the relationship that links present generations and past. Though the dialogue between the children and adults feels a bit contrived, the focus on Liberty’s perspective during the tour of discovery allows readers to imagine the courage and sacrifice of those who came before. Each site introduction is necessarily brief and somewhat superficial; endnotes offer more details. Tadgell’s delicate illustrations capture warm relationships and diverse identities and personalities, juxtaposing light color in the present with black-and-white images of the past.

A unique and valuable perspective. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews