Belle, the Last Mule at Gee's Bend: A Civil Rights Story

by Bettye Stroud, Calvin Alexander Ramsey, John Holyfield (Illustrator)

Overview

“This small snapshot of the protest movement pays homage to both the determination of ordinary folk and the power of Dr. King’s words. . . . An intergenerational story filled with heart and soul.” — Kirkus Reviews


When Alex spies a mule chomping on greens in a nearby garden, he can’t help but ask about it. “Ol’ Belle?” says Miz Pettway. “She can have all the collards she wants. She’s earned it.” And so begins the tale of an ordinary mule in Gee’s Bend, Alabama, that played a singular part in the civil rights movement of the 1960s. When African-Americans in a poor community — inspired by a visit from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. — defied local authorities who were trying to stop them from registering to vote, many got around a long, imposed detour on mule-drawn wagons. As Alex looks into the eyes of gentle Belle, he begins to understand a significant time in history in a very personal way.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781536221046
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	11/03/2020
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Lexile:	AD710L (what's this?)
File size:	19 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	5 - 8 Years

About the Author

Calvin Alexander Ramsey is a playwright, photographer, and painter. He adapted one of his plays for print as Ruth and the Green Book, illustrated by Floyd Cooper. Calvin Alexander Ramsey lives in Atlanta.

Bettye Stroud is the author of several books for children, including The Patchwork Path: A Quilt Map to Freedom, illustrated by Erin Susanne Bennett. Bettye Stroud lives in Georgia.


John Holyfield has illustrated several books for children, including The Hallelujah Flight by Phil Bildner. John Holyfield lives in Virginia.

Editorial Reviews

As Alex, a contemporary African-American boy, watches a mule named Belle munching collard greens in a garden in Gee’s Bend, Ala., her elderly owner tells him that the animal can eat all she wants—“She’s earned it.” Inspired by real events, Ramsey (Ruth and the Green Book) and Stroud’s (The Patchwork Path: A Quilt Map to Freedom) story steps back in time as the woman explains why. After Martin Luther King Jr. visited the poor community in 1965 and rallied its black residents to register to vote, Belle and other mules brought wagonloads of people out to do just that after the white sheriff shut down the ferry; later Belle and another mule pulled King’s casket through the streets of Atlanta during his funeral procession. The story is written as a conversation between the woman and Alex, her first-hand perspective on events epitomizing the idea of “living history.” Lit with bright blues suggestive of period film posters, Holyfield’s (The Hallelujah Flight) thickly painted acrylic scenes successfully capture the story’s modern and historical eras. An author’s note provides further detail about Belle and Dr. King. Ages 5–8. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

Gr 2–3—In this true story from the 1960s, a poor African-American community in Alabama becomes a microcosm for the Civil Rights Movement itself. While waiting for his mother to finish shopping, Alex occupies himself by watching a mule snack on a field of collard greens. He is surprised when an old woman walks by and tells him it is fine for Belle to eat as much as she wants. Miz Pettway explains by telling him a story. The people of Gee's Bend (or "Benders") were thrilled when the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., came to speak to them. No black person from their county had ever dared to vote, but after Dr. King suggested that they register in nearby Camden, they were empowered to do it. When local authorities closed the ferry, the Benders arranged their own transportation. The same was true when the time came to vote. When several people lost their jobs as a result, they banded together and began making beautiful quilts as a means of support. In the sad days following Dr. King's assassination, the Benders were called upon again. Dr. King had wanted mules to pull a farm cart bearing his burial casket through the streets of Atlanta. The Benders sent Belle and another mule and once again succeed in spite of the barriers put in their way. Expressive acrylic illustrations in rich colors help make the story child-friendly and accessible. Belle is depicted with an appealing personality, but she is not anthropomorphized. This low-key, unsentimental story is a great vehicle for showing children how ordinary people can make a great difference.—Lucinda Snyder Whitehurst, St. Christopher's School, Richmond, VA

School Library Journal