GA (ELEM) Only: Controversial Ga. Picture Book Awd. Nominee?

["Tony L. Pope" <Pope1966@AOL.COM>]

If you are on the Georgia Media List_Serv you may have already read this, if
not, read on...

Have any of you read the new Ga. Picture Book Award Nominee entitled "From
Slave Ship to Freedom Road" yet?  If not, you may want to.  It is
written/illustrated by Julius Lester & Rod Brown.  Illustrations are very
good, but some are very disturbing.  However, it is some of the
text/terminology which is most troubling.  Since I do not want to quote
anything out of text, I will leave it up to others to read the book and come
to their own conclusions.

The book is depicting the reality of slavery and I felt well-written and
really makes you think.  I'm just concerned about this being on the "Picture
Book Award" list for elementary (K-4) schools.  In the "Recommended
Activities" I copied from the Child. Lit. website, it does state this book is
suggested for grades 4 and up.

While I know depicting realism and historical accuracy is important...I
personally feel (as do some of the other media specialists in my system) that
one of the alternate titles would be better suited/substituted for this
particular book in the Picture Book category.  I also realize, that it is up
to us in our individual schools to determine what is appropriate for our
respective communities.  However, if most are like me, when I order Book
Award Nominees, I order them all sight unseen.  I do this primarily for
one reason:  the money I save to order nominees for the next year must be
spent by a certain time and that time usually falls right after I find out
what the titles for the following year are.

If there is enough interest, perhaps the the committee over the Georgia
Picture Book Award Program would consider letting us use an alternate.  In
the ten years I have participated in this program, I have never questioned
the reasoning of a nominee as I do this one.

Please read it and share your opinion.  Thanks...

Tony Pope, Media Specialist
McHenry Primary School
100 McHenry Drive
Rome, GA  30161
Pope1966@aol.com

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