About.com Rating

Summary

Goin' Someplace Special, a picture book by Patricia McKissack, with pencil and watercolor illustrations by award-winning artist Jerry Pinkney, succeeds on several levels. It's an appealing story that holds children's attention and touches them emotionally; it provides an accurate look at the impact of the Jim Crow laws on African Americans in the 1950s, and celebrates the library of the author's youth, which opened its doors to everyone at a time when segregation was the norm.

While the publisher recommends the book for ages 4 to 8, I would recommend it for ages 8 through middle school because I think the book lends itself to fruitful discussion with older children.

The Story

Goin' Someplace Special is based on Patricia McKissack's own life. It's the story of 'Tricia Ann, an African American girl who is finally old enough to go downtown by herself to what she calls "Someplace Special." It's the 1950s in the South during the Jim Crow era and 'Tricia Ann experiences humiliation on her journey but continues, supported by her grandmother's faith in her and the encouragement of several people she talks to on her way. Her "Someplace Special" turns out to be the public library where the sign above the door states, "All are welcome." Jerry Pinkney's artwork poignantly illustrates both 'Tricia Ann's joy and the hurt she experiences.

The History Behind the Story

In the Author's Note, we learn that the story is based on Patricia McKissack's childhood in the 1950s when she was almost 12 and allowed, for the first time, to go the the library all by herself.

McKissack grew up in Nashville, Tennessee where during the Jim Crow era, the library board voted to integrate the libraries. In describing that trip to the library, Patricia McKissack says, "But like 'Tricia Ann, I had been fortified with enough love, respect, and pride to overcome any situation I encountered. Along the way, I had to face all kind of racial bigotry and discrimination. But, for me, the library was always filled with a specialness that made the effort worthwhile."

Author

Patricia McKissack has had a long and distinguished career as an author, writing children's books about African American history and African Americans on her own and in collaboration with her husband, Frederick McKissack, who died in 2013. They were honored with the NAACP Image Award for their book Let My People Go: Bible Stories Told by a Freeman of Color. Their book Christmas in the Big House, Christmas in the Quarters was a Coretta Scott King Book Award winner. Her book The Dark-Thirty was both a Newbery Honor Book and a Coretta Scott King Award winner. (Sources: Simon and Schuster: Patricia C. McKissack, The New York Times, Frederick L. McKissack obituary, 5/9/13)

Illustrator Jerry Pinkney

As you'll note when you read my article Artist Jerry Pinkney and His Children's Picture Books, the talented artist is one of my favorite children's book illustrators. He has won numerous Caldecott honors and Coretta Scott King Children's Book awards for his picture books. Jerry Pinkney was awarded the 2010 Randolph Caldecott Medal for his retelling of The Lion and the Mouse, one of Aesop's fables, as an almost wordless picture book. Another of his award-winning books is John Henry by Julius Lester. For more about Jerry Pinkney, watch Video: Profile of Jerry Pinkney.

Awards

2001 Parent’s Choice Gold Award
2002 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award

My Recommendation

Goin' Someplace Special is a well-written, beautifully illustrated book. The Author's Note at the book's end brings home the fact that this kind of thing really happened, that every day children like 'Tricia Ann experienced similar humiliations. It also highlights the importance of the library and reading. Because reading Goin' Someplace Special has an emotional impact, making children care about how people were treated during the Jim Crow era and making them think about racism today, I believe the book is a good one to use to generate discussion both at home and in the classroom, particularly with children 8 to 14. (Aladdin Paperbacks, Simon & Schuster, 2008 reprint edition. ISBN: 9781416927358)

Related Recommended Picture Books

Another excellent picture book set in the Jim Crow era is Ruth and the Green Book by Calvin Alexander Ramsey, with illustrations by Floyd Cooper. I also recommend Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans, written and illustrated by Kadir Nelson.
 

Some of the picture books about librarians and libraries that I recommend include historical fiction and nonfiction: Tomás and the Library Lady, written by Pat Mora and illustrated by Raul Colón, The Librarian of Basra, A True Story of Iraq, written and illustrated by Jeanette Winter and Hands Around the Library: Protecting Egypt's Treasured Books by by Susan L. Roth and Karen Leggett Abouraya, with illustrations by Susan L. Roth. For an amusing look at the impact librarians have, I recommend The Boy Who Was Raised By Librarians by Carla Morris, with illustrations by Brad Sneed for younger children, aged 4-8. For toddlers and preschoolers, I recommend Lola at the Library.

For more information about all that libraries have to offer, see my article Save Money at Your Public Library. For more information about how libraries can help, read my article 10 Tips to Help You Raise Kids Who Love Reading.