Because Claudette

by Tracey Baptiste, Tonya Engel (Illustrator), Joniece Abbott-Pratt (Read by)

Overview

From NYT bestselling author Tracey Baptiste comes a singular picture book that is both a biography about Claudette Colvin, the teen whose activism launched the Montgomery bus boycott, and a celebration of collective action.

When fifteen-year-old Claudette Colvin boarded a segregated bus on March 2, 1955, she had no idea she was about to make history. At school she was learning about abolitionists like Harriet Tubman and Sojourner Truth, which helped inspire her decision to refuse to give up her seat to a white woman, which led to her arrest, which began a crucial chain of events: Rosa Park's sit-in nine months later, the organization of the Montgomery bus boycott by activists like Professor Jo Ann Robinson and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and the Supreme Court decision that Alabama's bus segregation was unconstitutional—a major triumph for the civil rights movement.

Because of Claudette's brave stand against injustice, history was transformed. Now it's time for young readers to learn about this living legend, her pivotal role in the civil rights movement, and the power of one person reaching out to another in the fight for change.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780593326411
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	02/01/2022
Sold by:	Penguin Group
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
File size:	31 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	6 - 8 Years

About the Author

Tracey Baptiste is the New York Times bestselling author of Minecraft: The Crash, as well as the creepy Caribbean series The Jumbies. She's also written the contemporary young adult novel Angel's Grace and nine nonfiction books for kids in elementary through high school. A former elementary school teacher, Tracey does numerous author visits, and is on the faculty at Lesley University's Creative Writing MFA program.

Tonya Engel is an artist who has had studios in New York, Paris, Austin, and Houston, where she lives now. Figurative and full of symbolism, her work is influenced by both folk artists of the Deep South and contemporary masters like Frida Kahlo and Marc Chagall. She is also the illustrator of My Hair Is Magic and Rise!, a picture book biography about Maya Angelou.

Editorial Reviews

★ 11/29/2021

Emphasizing cause and effect, Baptiste follows activist Claudette Colvin (b. 1939), who, at age 15, refused to relinquish her bus seat for a white person. After her arrest, she met Rosa Parks thanks to her lawyer, Fred Gray; subsequently, Colvin began attending NAACP meetings. Featuring the word because in most clauses, the text highlights mounting support for the civil rights movement, and how Colvin’s actions helped lead to the Montgomery bus boycott. “Because she had studied Sojourner Truth and Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass at school, she learned how they worked hard and caused trouble so Black people would be treated fairly,” one spread reads, richly enlivened by Engel’s portraits, rendered in acrylic underpainting and oils on textured vellum paper. A powerful narrative that showcases generative energy of acts of resistance both big and small. Back matter includes an author’s note and further reading. Ages 6–8. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

Jane Addams Children's Book Award finalist
Texas Topaz Reading List unanimous recommendation

*“A gorgeous tribute to a young Black activist that will inspire many readers. Add this to all picture book biography shelves. Luminous.”—School Library Journal, starred review

*“A powerful narrative that showcases generative energy of acts of resistance both big and small.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review

*“This approachable biography of the young activist highlights her bravery, commitment, and vulnerability. Young readers will appreciate learning about a regular kid who did something extraordinary. . . . An engaging profile of an inspiring civil rights hero whom readers will enjoy learning about and cheering for.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“The book’s unusual title echoes the many sentences beginning with the word because and forming a chain of connected circumstances and events. . . . Created with acrylic underpainting and oils, the vivid illustrations capture the look of the times and the satisfaction of those who challenged injustice and prevailed. An effective picture book portraying Colvin and her significance in the civil rights movement.”—Booklist

From the Publisher

★ 12/01/2021

Gr 2–5—On March 2, 1955, 15-year-old Claudette Colvin refused to give her bus seat to a white person, nine months before Rosa Parks's famous act of civil disobedience. Parks befriended the young woman and encouraged her to get involved with the NAACP youth division. The author frames the narrative with the "Because" construct, showing how the civil rights movement was a series of acts of civil disobedience, all part of a larger movement to abolish segregation. Baptiste successfully demonstrates how the decision made by one young person reverberated through history. Cameos by Martin Luther King, Jr. and less-widely celebrated Aurelia Browder, Susie McDonald, and Mary Louise Smith reinforce how it was the collective work of many unsung people that led to victory in civil rights efforts. Engle's illustrations, rendered in acrylic underpainting and oils on textured vellum paper, are stunning. These exude a sense of warmth and unity. Especially powerful is a spread in which Colvin is understanding her place in history as one of many strong women who have "caused trouble" in the name of freedom. In the author's note, Baptiste explains how she was inspired to write this riveting picture book biography when she heard Fred Gray, civil rights attorney and Colvin's lawyer, say that the Montgomery bus boycott wouldn't have happened if it weren't for the teen's influence. Back matter includes materials for further reading. VERDICT A gorgeous tribute to a young Black activist that will inspire many readers. Add this to all picture book biography shelves. Luminous.—Shelley M. Diaz, School Library Journal

School Library Journal

In this brief but powerful audio, narrator Joniece Abbott-Pratt recounts the history of the Montgomery bus boycott in 1955-56, which was initially sparked by the arrest of young Claudette Colvin, who refused to give up her seat. Abbott-Pratt takes the audio’s repeated phrase “because Claudette” and turns it into spoken-word poetry with an insistent rhythm that builds from event to event. Her narration emphasizes the focus on how many separate acts of courage combined and grew to form a successful desegregation protest. The production uses effective sound effects—from the hum of a bus and the click of handcuffs closing to the swelling song of a church choir. N.M. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine

MARCH 2022 - AudioFile

In this brief but powerful audio, narrator Joniece Abbott-Pratt recounts the history of the Montgomery bus boycott in 1955-56, which was initially sparked by the arrest of young Claudette Colvin, who refused to give up her seat. Abbott-Pratt takes the audio’s repeated phrase “because Claudette” and turns it into spoken-word poetry with an insistent rhythm that builds from event to event. Her narration emphasizes the focus on how many separate acts of courage combined and grew to form a successful desegregation protest. The production uses effective sound effects—from the hum of a bus and the click of handcuffs closing to the swelling song of a church choir. N.M. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine

MARCH 2022 - AudioFile

★ 2022-01-25
On March 2, 1955, 15-year-old Claudette Colvin stood up to racism and segregation in Montgomery, Alabama.

The African American teen’s unwillingness to give up her seat on a bus to a White person, months before Rosa Parks famously did the same, led to her arrest. Her lawyer, Fred Gray, arranged for Parks to meet with Colvin, and the two became friends. At Parks’ behest, Colvin joined the NAACP and spent evenings at Parks’ home when the group’s youth meetings ran late. Because they considered her a troublemaker, Colvin’s classmates ostracized her. She was one of five plaintiffs in a federal court case that challenged Montgomery’s discriminatory bus laws and one of the many people who mobilized to demand positive change. The Montgomery Bus Boycott began on Dec. 5, 1955, and by Dec. 21, 1956, anyone could sit wherever they chose on Montgomery’s public buses. This approachable biography of the young activist highlights her bravery, commitment, and vulnerability. Young readers will appreciate learning about a regular kid who did something extraordinary. The acrylic and oil illustrations are vivid and eye-catching, re-creating the period well and capturing its atmosphere. The backmatter includes an author’s note and a brief list of books for further reading. Most characters are Black; a few supporting characters are White. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

An engaging profile of an inspiring civil rights hero whom readers will enjoy learning about and cheering for. (Picture-book biography. 5-8)

Kirkus Reviews