In this 32-page lap book we join Cassie, the main character from the picture book Tar Beach. As she takes us on a tour of her home, neighborhood, and school, dozens of new words are introduced with simple labels throughout. Young readers will love the simple story line and all the new words they’ll encounter. They’ll relish the beautifully designed spreads, each with its own quilt motif. The bright, boldly colored pages will attract even the youngest lookers, and the words will teach pre-reading skills to slightly older children. The size makes it perfect for story hours, and the price makes it perfect for every home. ...

Illus. in full color. "Ringgold recounts the dream adventure of

eight-year-old Cassie Louise Lightfoot, who flies above her apartment-building

rooftop, the 'tar beach' of the title, looking down on 1939 Harlem. Part

autobiographical, part fictional, this allegorical tale sparkles with symbolic

and historical references central to African-American culture. The spectacular

artwork resonates with color and texture. Children will delight in the

universal dream of mastering one's world by flying over it. A practical and

stunningly beautiful book."--(starred) Horn Book.




...

If a bus could talk, it would tell the story of a young African-American girl named Rosa who had to walk miles to her one-room schoolhouse in Alabama while white children rode to their school in a bus. It would tell how the adult Rosa rode to and from work on a segregated city bus and couldn't sit in the same row as a white person. It would tell of the fateful day when Rosa refused to give up her seat to a white man and how that act of courage inspired others around the world to stand up for freedom.

In this book a bus does talk, and on her way to school a girl named Marcie learns why Rosa Parks is the mother of the Civil Rights movement. At the end of Marcie's magical ride, she meets Rosa Parks herself at a birthday party with several distinguished guests. Wait until she tells her class about this!...