"Confronted with the indignities and humiliations of segregated Nashville in the 1950s, young 'Tricia Ann holds her head high and
 remembers that she is "somebody, a human being--no better, no worse than anybody else in this world." For the first time, 'Tricia Ann
 has been allowed to venture outside her community all by herself. Her grandmother has prepared her well, fortifying her "with enough
 love, respect, and pride to overcome any situation." 'Tricia Ann, though frustrated by the Jim Crow laws that forbid her, as an African
 American, to enter certain restaurants and hotels, or even to sit on park benches marked "For Whites Only," rises above her pain and
 makes her way to one of the only places in the city that welcomes her with open arms: the public library.

 Drawing on her own Nashville childhood, Newbery Honor-winning author Patricia C. McKissack (The Dark- Thirty) brings the
 injustices of segregation to life in this bittersweet picture book. Illustrator Jerry Pinkney, four-time Coretta Scott King Award winner and
 four-time Caldecott Honor Medalist, captures the spirit of the '50s with his lovely watercolors. McKissack and Pinkney previously
 collaborated on Mirandy and Brother Wind." (Ages 3 to 7) --Emilie Coulter for Amazon.com

*Starred Review* Ages 5-8. "Tricia Ann excitedly gets her grandmother's permission to go out by herself to "Someplace Special" --a
  place far enough away to take the bus and to have to walk a bit. But this isn't just any trip. Tricia's trip takes place in the segregated
  South of the 1950s. That means Tricia faces sitting at the back of the bus, not being allowed to sit on a whites-only park bench, and
  being escorted out of a hotel lobby. She almost gives up, but a local woman who some say is "addled," but whom Tricia Ann knows to
  be gentle and wise, shows her how to listen to the voice inside herself that allows her to go on. She arrives at her special destination--the
  public library, whose sign reads "All Are Welcome." Pinkney's watercolor paintings are lush and sprawling as they evoke southern city
  streets and sidewalks as well as Tricia Ann's inner glow. In an author's note, McKissack lays out the autobiographical roots of the story
  and what she faced as a child growing up in Nashville. This book carries a strong message of pride and self-confidence as well as a
  pointed history lesson. It is also a beautiful tribute to the libraries that were ahead of their time". Denise Wilms for Booklist. Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

"'Tricia Ann's first solo trip out of her neighborhood reveals the segregation of 1950s' Nashville and the pride a young
 African-American girl takes in her heritage and her sense of self-worth. In an eye-opening journey, McKissack takes the child through
 an experience based upon her own personal history and the multiple indignities of the period. She experiences a city bus ride and
 segregated parks, restaurants, hotels, and theaters and travels toward "Someplace Special." In the end, readers see that 'Tricia Ann's
 destination is the integrated public library, a haven for all in a historical era of courage and change. Dialogue illustrates her confidence and
  intelligence as she bravely searches for truth in a city of Jim Crow signs. Pinkney re-creates the city in detailed pencil-and-watercolor art
  angled over full-page spreads, highlighting the young girl with vibrant color in each illustration. A thought-provoking story for group
  sharing and independent readers." Mary Elam, Forman for School Library Journal.
 

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This page was created April 10, 2002.