Freedom School, Yes!

Freedom School, Yes!

Author/Illustrator: Amy Littlesugar/Floyd Cooper
Genre: Historical Fiction
Awards: NA
Age Level: 4-8 years old

Summary: Chicken Creek was home to the Freedom school. On the night that a new teacher came to town there was a brick thrown through the window of Jolie's house. Jolie was frightened and called for mama to come see what happened. There was a note wrapped inside the brick saying "FREEDOM SCHOOL TEACHER- GO HOME OR ELSE." This was not the end of the scary and hatred things placed upon the Freedom School teacher. The nineteen-year-old school teacher that was hired was named Annie. Once things started to calm down, a fire overcame the church. Flames climbed high, and the men and women of Chicken Creek were terrified. Reverand Wilkins surprised everyone as he sang praise in the midst of all the fire and suffering. Finally, the church was redone and Annie was as "Brave as a lion." Annie and Jolie beat the hostility from the danger of the local whites. Freedom School, Yes takes place during the 1964 Mississippi Summer Project. During this time period, civil rights of black people have been denied. This story represents a time when black families faced hostility to local white families.

Illustrations in Freedom School, Yes consumed the entire page. The characters looked very real and had intricate details on their hair  and facial features. The illustrations as a whole looked as if they are dusty and faded.

In my classroom, this book would be read to the students during black heritage month. Freedom School, Yes would encourage questions about ancestry and culture.