Freedom School, Yes!

Jolie has a lot to be scared about since the new Freedom School teacher, Annie, came to town. Bricks thrown through windows in the dead of night, notes filled with hate, and now a fire has burnt down the church where Annie was supposed to start teaching tomorrow! Without the church, how can she possibly teach Jolie and the other townspeople about black poets and artists, historians and inventors? Unless the people themselves fight back.

In this triumphant story based on the 1964 Mississippi Freedom School Summer Project, Amy Littlesugar and Floyd Cooper come together to celebrate the strength of a people, and the bravery of one young girl who didn't let being scared get in her way.

When their house is attacked because her mother volunteered to take in the young white woman who has come to teach black children at the Freedom School, Jolie is afraid, but she overcomes her fear after learning the value of education.

Jolie has a lot to be scared about since the new Freedom School teacher, Annie, came to town. Bricks thrown through windows in the dead of night, notes filled with hate, and now a fire has burnt down the church where Annie was supposed to start teaching tomorrow! Without the church, how can she possibly teach Jolie and the other townspeople about black poets and artists, historians and inventors? Unless the people themselves fight back.

In this triumphant story based on the 1964 Mississippi Freedom School Summer Project, Amy Littlesugar and Floyd Cooper come together to celebrate the strength of a people, and the bravery of one young girl who didn't let being scared get in her way.

Publishers Weekly

The skilled author-illustrator team that introduced readers to 1930s Harlem in Tree of Hope here explores another dramatic chapter in African-American history: the 1964 Mississippi Summer Project. In the summer of 1964, Jolie's family plays host to Annie, a 19-year-old white woman who has volunteered to teach Freedom School. The segregated community of Chicken Creek is rattled by this arrangement--blacks are skeptical of learning about their history and their heroes from a white stranger; whites are suspected of violent efforts (burning down the church, throwing bricks through windows) to drive Annie away. Despite the unrest and tension in the air, Annie helps open Jolie's eyes to her heritage and to the great test of courage that the Freedom School poses to all involved. Littlesugar personalizes the events of an era by colorfully detailing one girl's experience. Vivid imagery and realistic emotion will quickly grab readers' attention. But the story stumbles a bit, rushing to mention a list of African-American historical figures and slightly inflating Jolie's role in comparison to that of Harriet Tubman. Cooper's grainy-textured oil washes, as radiant as ever, depict the strength shining in faces of people newly enlightened. His portraits of various Chicken Creek residents capture their mix of fear, wonder, faith and determination. An author's note includes more information on the Freedom School project and the real-life heroes who inspired this story. Ages 4-8. (Jan.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Amy Littlesugar lives in Columbia, Maryland.
When Floyd Cooper discovered children's book illustrating, he found a way to complement his career in advertising. An apprentice of Mark English, Mr. Cooper began his freelance career while still a student at the University of Oklahoma. After graduating, he made his way to Missouri, where he secured a position at a greeting card company.

Although Mr. Cooper was established in his position there, he felt somewhat stifled. He lacked the freedom and opportunity for spontaneity that he longed for as an artist and the joy that could be found in doing something that he loved.

Determined to break out of the mundane cycle he found himself in, Mr. Cooper relocated to the East Coast in 1984 to pursue his career further. It was there that he discovered the world of children's book illustrating and was amazed by the opportunities for creativity it afforded. Mr. Cooper was energized. The first book he illustrated, Grandpa's Face, captivated reviewers. Publishers Weekly said of newcomer Floyd Cooper's work, "Cooper, in his first picture book, creates family scenes of extraordinary illumination. He reinforces in the pictures the feelings of warmth and affection that exist between generations."

Illustrating children's books is very important to Mr. Cooper. He says, "I feel children are at the frontline in improving society. This might sound a little heavy, but it's true. I feel children's picture books play a role in counteracting all the violence and other negative images conveyed in the media."

Floyd Cooper resides in New Jersey with his wife, Velma, and their two sons.

copyright © 2000 by Penguin Putnam Books for Young Readers. All rights reserved.