Alko, Selina The Case for Loving: The Fight for Interracial Marriage,
illustrated by Sean Qualls and Selina Alko. PICTURE BOOK. Arthur A.
Levine (Scholastic), 2015. Mature Content: PG.
In 1958, Richard and
Mildred fell in love and wanted to get married. In Virginia, however, it
was illegal for Richard, a white man, to marry Mildred, a colored woman.
They got married in Washinton, D.C., where it was legal. But back
in Virginia they were thrown in jail. If they wanted to raise a family,
they would have to move to a place where it was legal for them to live together.
They did, until 1966, when they decided it was time to hire lawyers and
get the law changed. The next year the case went before the Supreme Court
of the United States, where the Lovings won their case.
As much as I
liked this book, I am unsure where it would fit into the school curriculum.
It is not really a topic for an elementary school, where you would
normally find picture books. While the subject would be great for an
ethics class, or a Supreme Court case review, Civil Rights discussion or the
like, those topics are for high schools, which rarely use the picture book
format. I’d love to hear other opinions and ideas.
HS - OPTIONAL.
Cindy, Library Teacher
Posts
2 comments:
I haven't read the book yet, so don't know about specific appropriateness, but I know that our elementary students do read about civil rights issues. In fourth and fifth grade teachers are often seeking books that allow room for discussions that pertain to ethics and rights of people.
Thanks Crystal - love the insight into the elementary curriculum.
Post a Comment