Tar Beach

Bibliographic Information: Ringgold, F. (1991). Tar beach. New York, New York: Crown Publishing.

Annotation: A story of how a young girl uses her imagination to break the restrictions she and her family experience because of the color of their skin.

Genre: Realistic Fiction, named an honor book for both the Caldecott Medal and Coretta Scott King Award. The Criteria for the Coretta Scott King Award is as follows and was retrieved from http://www.ala.org/emiert/cskbookawards/slction

1. Must portray some aspect of the black experience, past, present, or future.
2. Must be written/illustrated by an African American
3. Must be published in the U.S. in the year preceding presentation of the Award.
4. Must be an original work
5. Must meet established standards of quality writing for youth which include:
   • Clear plot
   • Well drawn characters, which portray growth and development during the course of the story.
   • Writing style which is consistent with and suitable to the age intended
   • Accuracy
6. Must be written for a youth audience in one of three categories:
   • Preschool-grade 4
   • Grades 5-8
   • Grades 9-12
7. Particular attention will be paid to titles which seek to motivate readers to develop their own attitudes and behaviors as well as comprehend their personal duty and responsibility as citizens in a pluralistic society.
8. Illustrations should reflect established qualitative standards identified in the statement below:

   Illustrations should... “heighten and extend the readers' awareness of the world around him. They should lead him to an appreciation of beauty. The style and content of the illustrations should be...neither coy nor condescending...Storytelling qualities should enlarge upon the story elements that were hinted in the text and should include details that will awaken and strength the imagination of the reader and permit him to interpret the words and pictures in a manner unique to him”
   --Cianciolo, Illustrations in Children's Books (p. 24-25)

Eligibility and Exclusions

1. Author or illustrator must live in the U.S. or maintain dual residency/citizenship.
2. Book must be published in the year preceding the year the award is given, evidenced by the copyright date printed in the book.
3. Only finished copies will be accepted. Do not send advance reader copies, galleys, etc.
4. Titles submitted for the Coretta Scott King Book Awards will not be returned. Titles received by the OLOS office are donated as part of The Coretta Scott King Review Books Donation Grant

Grade Level: P-I

Readers Who Will Like This Book: Those of African American decent, anyone who has not be allowed to do something or likes to use his or her imagination.

Personal Response and Rating: I rate this book a 3. To me, the reason the young girl was flying through the air was a little abstract, but I think this book could be paired with a study of civil rights and why she might want to do the things she does.

Prereading Question: Have you even wished you could do something you weren't allowed to do?

Fallen Angels

Myers, W. (2008). Fallen Angels. Walter Dean Myers. New York, New York: Scholastic, Inc.

Annotation: This is a riveting story about a young, black boy from Harlem that is not able to go to college, so he enlists in the army and goes off to Vietnam War. He is faced with warfare and wonders why black men in the army are given the most dangerous tasks. It is truly a book to reflect on.

Genre: Coming-of-age

Grade Level: 9-12

Readers who would like this: This would be a great book for someone to read, because it is based on the realities of what our world was like and still like today. It is a heartfelt and thought-provoking book.

Ratings/Response: I give this book a 4, this is an outstanding and well written book. I read it in one sitting. I suggest anyone to read this book.

Reading Strategy: I think the reading logs would be a good way to gauge the students' thoughts and interpretation of the book. I think this along with silent reading strategy would be best for this book. The reading log, students write down what they read and a summary of what they read. The teacher is able to gauge a students true understanding of the book. Silent reading is important as well, because the students that the book is aimed at are more than capable of silently reading to themselves. These two strategies hand-in-hand will keep the teacher aware of how well they are able to comprehend the book as well as gauge their progress in how much they are reading. For grades 9-12, I feel that these are the most appropriate strategies. I think having discussion circles throughout reading the book would be good discussion for the students as well.