Lori the Librarian
Contact Lori the Librarian
  • Home
  • Authors & Illustrators
  • Other Reading Resources
  • Reference Resources
  • Library Blog
  • Fun for Book Lovers
  • Book Reviews by Kids
  • New Arrivals!

Never Take Voting for Granted

10/27/2016

1 Comment

 
Picture
Every four years we have a mock election in the lower school on the same day as the presidential election. As part of gathering resource materials for the teachers and students to use I put together an annotated bibliography of the books we have as part of our library collection. One book moved me deeply as it did the first time I read it when it was first published a year ago. 
 
Granddaddy's Turn: a journey to the ballot box by Michael S. Bandy and Eric Stein is a very touching, historical story about our country's struggle for equal voting rights at the time of the Civil Rights Movement. Michael's life on the family farm alternates between hard, sweaty work and  precious play time which always includes Granddaddy time and  his wise sayings, especially one about having patience as you go about your life. When one morning Granddaddy appears in his best suit and it is not a church going day, Michael knows that something important is up. Grandma says, "It's our time, and you got to look your best!"  Michael doesn't want to miss out on what's going to happen, even though he hasn't a clue about where they are going. Excitedly he joins his grandfather to document the big event with a photograph. Michael is taken by surprise when Granddaddy takes him  to vote. "Nobody in my family had ever voted before...I never knew anyone who had voted before." When his grandfather finally gets his ballot, after being repeatedly cut in front of, Michael snaps a photo. 
Picture
 ​"The happiest day of his life," turns ugly very quickly when the polling officials administer a so-called literacy test. When Granddaddy leaves, with tears in his eyes, something Michael has never ever seen before, Michael says, "Don't worry, Granddaddy. I'll vote for you one day." And when we skip ahead in the picture book, we see Michael as a young man on line to vote, holding onto the photograph of his grandfather taken all those years earlier.
The story line is simple but ever so powerful. The illustrations, by James E. Ransome, have rich earthy tones and a rural, small town look to them. Taken together, this is one very tender book that brings forth an important message for this time, to never take voting for granted.

1 Comment
Shoshana Rosen
10/28/2016 03:34:12 am

Sounds like a very powerful story and an important right to celebrate voting rights for all people in our country. Thanks for sharing!

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Author

    My students call me "Lori the Librarian." For the past 25 years I have had the best job as School Librarian in the Aaron Kushner Library for grades K-3 at the Solomon Schechter Day School of Greater Boston.

    Archives

    October 2018
    September 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    March 2018
    December 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013

    Categories

    All
    Adventure
    Association Of Jewish Libraries
    Author
    Author Visit
    Autism
    Autumn
    Baseball
    Building
    Caldecott Medal
    Cartoon
    Civil Rights
    Deafness
    Desegregation
    Education
    Family Activity
    First Day Of School
    Gratefulness
    Grit
    Growth Mindset
    Hagurah
    Horrible Harry
    Illustrations
    Jacob's New Dress
    Jokes
    Journey
    Junie B.
    Leaves
    Locomotive
    Long Distance Learning
    Math
    Matin Luther King Jr.
    Microbes
    Mindfulness
    Mitz Petel
    Mr. Wuffles
    Music
    Picture Book
    Poetry
    Purim
    Science Books
    Snow
    STEAM
    STEM
    Suzy Kline
    Technology
    Teeth
    Tzedakah
    Vertebrates
    Video
    Voting
    Writing
    Yiddish
    Yom Ha'Atzmaut
    Zorgamazoo

    RSS Feed

    Subscribe to Lori the Librarian - Blog by Email
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.