Goin’ Someplace Special. Patricia C. McKissack. Illus. by Jerry Pinkney. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2001. 34 pages. $16.00 (Hardcover). ISBN 0-689-81885-8. Grades Pre-6.
Reminds me of…
I thoroughly enjoyed Goin’ Someplace Special even though I found myself cringing at the racism and opposition ‘Tricia Ann experienced on her journey. There are two important themes/subjects in this book that stood out to me and reminded me of other related materials. The first is the important role of the library and how it welcomes everyone and holds within it stories and hope. The two titles that jumped to my mind were The Storyteller’s Candle by Lucia Gonzalez and Tomás and the Library Lady by Pat Mora. These two stories feature Latino characters, who have been an underserved often neglected demographic in the United States as well. In these stories librarians help the characters feel at home and welcome through celebrating their traditions and/or introducing them to new worlds through literature. The other topic is the struggle of segregation and having to find an inner strength. One similar story, also by Patricia McKissack is Abby Takes a Stand. In this story a grandmother accounts her role in fighting segregation through passing out flyers, sit-ins, etc in Tennessee in 1960. Martin’s Big Words by Doreen Rappaport is about Martin Luther King, Jr. and how he fought for equality and how he was influenced by what he saw as a small child. This book would be great companion to the previously mentioned books.
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