  | Ride to remember : a civil rights story Author: Langley, Sharon | |
| Price: $23.98 | ||
Summary:
An amusement park in Maryland became desegregated in 1963 after a community of black and white residents came together to make the change. Sharon and her parents were the first African American family to walk into the park, and Sharon was the first African American child to ride the merry-go-round on the same day of Martin Luther King Jr.'s March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.
| Added Entry - Personal Name: | Nathan, Amy |
| Illustrator: | Cooper, Floyd |
| Accelerated Reader Information: Interest Level: LG Reading Level: 4.50 Points: .5 Quiz: 509100 |
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (+) (12/01/19)
School Library Journal (12/01/19)
Booklist (11/01/19)
Full Text Reviews:
Booklist - 11/01/2019 In 1963, segregation was still the norm in many public places, including the Gwynn Oak Amusement Park in Baltimore, Maryland. Author Langley narrates, recounting events from her childhood, in which both Blacks and whites peacefully protested this injustice on July 4 and 7, 1963, resulting in negotiations that eventually opened the park to all on August 28, 1963. On opening day (the same day as Martin Luther King Jr.'s March on Washington and I Have a Dream speech), Langley and her father were the first African Americans to legally enter Gwynn Oak, where Langley rode the carousel. The text is simple, direct, and heartfelt, offering readers a clear sense of the frustrations felt by African Americans leading up to these events. Cooper's signature oil erasure illustrations feature sepia tones and expressive faces that support and extend the poignant text. Appended with an extensive author's note (explaining, among other things, that the carousel still operates today on the National Mall), this is a moving tribute to a little-known civil rights event. - Copyright 2019 Booklist.
School Library Journal - 12/01/2019 Gr 1–4—As a young girl, Sharon Langley was forbidden to ride the carousel at Gwyn Oak Amusement Park in Baltimore because of her race. This picture book tells the story of how the park was desegregated in the summer of 1963. Following desegregation, the Langleys were the first African American family to walk into the park. Narrated in the first person, Langley's story is told with the wide-eyed enthusiasm of childhood. Her account is placed in the context of the civil rights movement by noting that August 28, 1963, was the day that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech at the Lincoln Memorial. Today the carousel is located on the National Mall in Washington, DC. Illustrations rendered in muted colors fill the pages. VERDICT A solid addition to U.S. history collections for its subject matter and its first-person historical narrative.—Patricia Ann Owens, formerly at Illinois Eastern Community College, Mt. Carmel - Copyright 2019 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.
