#22 - Back of the Bus

Back of the Bus

Written by: Aaron Reynolds

Illustrated by: Floyd Cooper

Philomel

2010

32 pages

Historical Fiction

            This story is told through the point of view of a young African American boy. He is sitting in the back of the bus with his mom like he is supposed to be. Rosa Parks is sitting near the front of the bus, and he witnesses her refusing to give up her seat. The boy gets to see the big commotion that is caused. The bus driver calls the cops, and the boy continues to try to figure out the situation through the large crowd that gathers. He knows that she broke the rules, but he starts to see that she is taking a stand for a good reason. The boy pays close attention to his mother’s reaction to what is going on. His retelling of the story is very interesting and makes it very easy for students to follow.

            The illustrations are done with oil paints, and the characters are very realistic. The characters reactions and facial expressions are very expressive. They are done with lots of detail. The colors are very natural to fit the lifelike style of illustrating. The illustrations take up the entire page, and the text is informal. There is no outline used in the pictures.

            I would use this book in any elementary classroom. Teachers could use this book to teach about Rosa parks and her life. Students could do further research on Rosa parks. Students could also distinguish which parts of Rosa Parks’ life are true and which parts of the story are fictional. Students could do a writing activity about a time that they would never forget.