Rosa Parks

Moment of Truth

When Rosa Parks was growing up in Montgomery, Alabama, she hated the unfair rules that black people had to live by — like drinking out of special water fountains and riding in the back of the bus. Years later, Rosa Parks changed the lives of African American in Montgomery — and all across America — with one courageous act.
On a December evening in 1955, Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus seat to a white passenger. She was arrested and put in jail. But Rosa Parks fought back, along with many other African Americans. After a long struggle, their heroic efforts launched the modern Civil Rights Movement. How could one quiet, gentle woman have started it all? This is her story.

A biography of a woman whose actions led to the desegregation of buses in Montgomery, Alabama, in the 1960s and who was an important figure in the early days of the civil rights movement.

Moment of Truth

When Rosa Parks was growing up in Montgomery, Alabama, she hated the unfair rules that black people had to live by — like drinking out of special water fountains and riding in the back of the bus. Years later, Rosa Parks changed the lives of African American in Montgomery — and all across America — with one courageous act.
On a December evening in 1955, Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus seat to a white passenger. She was arrested and put in jail. But Rosa Parks fought back, along with many other African Americans. After a long struggle, their heroic efforts launched the modern Civil Rights Movement. How could one quiet, gentle woman have started it all? This is her story.

Children's Literature

A chapter book for young readers, Rosa Parks is a kind of primer for the Civil Rights Movement, explaining both the Jim Crow laws of a South in the 1950's, and Mrs. Parks's quiet, stubborn role in changing them. It is simply and effectively written.

Eloise Greenfield's illustrious list of books for young people includes The Friendly Four, a Texas 2x2 Reading List book for 2007, and In the Land of Words, an NCTE 2005 Notable Children's Book in the Language Arts, both illustrated by Jan Spivey Gilchrist, as well as Honey, I Love and Other Love Poems, named a distinguished book by the Association of Children's Librarians. She is a recipient of the Virginia Hamilton Literary Award; the Coretta Scott King Award; the Milner Award; the Hope S. Dean Award from the Foundation for Children's Literature; and the NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children. Ms. Greenfield lives in Washington, D.C.