Graphic Novel # 7 - Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott by Connie Colwell Miller and Dan Kalal

Mary's Thoughts:

My preconceived notion that graphic novels are too abbreviated to provide anymore than a cursory glance at a historic topic was proven wrong as I read this book about Rosa Parks. Most of my life, I have heard the story of how Rosa changed history by refusing to give up her seat on a Montgomery, Alabama bus, but I never learned what she did with her life after that event. As I read this graphic novel, I was interested to learn that she continued to support the civil rights movement and also founded the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for the purpose of developing young leaders. This book also shares more about the time period in which Rosa Parks lived and details about the Civil Rights movement in general.

Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott is a Lexile 730 level, which places it at a 2nd/3rd grade reading level. It falls within the higher end of that range, so it also would be useful at the beginning of the fourth grade level. I think the material is also appropriate for fourth through eighth grade struggling readers, or for students at higher reading levels who would like light reading on the topic.

The illustrations, by Dan Kala,  are done in muted tones that are pleasing to the eye. I will be using this book this month in my ELL groups, while third graders are studying black women in history. I am interested in finding out whether the illustrations provided in this graphic novel lend significant text support to my third grade readers. Other text features include a glossary and a list of internet links in the back of the book.

Pixie's Thoughts:

Woof! I made a text-to-text connection! Are you impressed? I noticed that we've read about two famous women who were American heroines - Rosa Parks and Dolley Madison!  Dolley saved historical artifacts from being burned in the White House fire the British set and Rosa changed the course of history for standing up for what she believed in her daily life.  I didn't have any background knowledge about either women before I read these graphic novels, but Mom helped fill me in so that I could comprehend the text better! I was fascinated learning about the life of this courageous woman, Rosa Parks! 

Classroom Applications:

• This book can be clustered with other books to provide students with multiple texts to read on the topic. For example, this book can be paired with two other books about Rosa Parks, including Time for Kids: Rosa Parks, Civil Rights Pioneer and If a Bus Could Talk: The Story of Rosa Parks by Faith Ringgold. This would add depth to students' knowledge on Parks's life. 

Rosa Parks Mini-Bio