Coretta Scott (Non-fiction Primary)

Shange, N. (2009). Coretta Scott. New York, NY: Katherine Tegen Books.

Summary: Through the moving poetry of Ntozake Shange and the colorful illustrations of Kadir Nelson, the story of Coretta Scott’s life unfolds. Readers will see Coretta’s long walk to school in the early morning hours contrasted by the bus full of white children that leave Coretta and her friends literally in the dust. They will witness the tireless efforts of Coretta and her husband Martin Luther King, Jr. in cities such as Montgomery, Alabama and Washington, D.C. In addition to moving illustrations, the book features a one-page biography on Coretta Scott that fills in any factual gaps that might exist in the book.

Read Alike: Check out My Brother Martin: A Sister Remembers Growing Up with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by Christine King Farris.

For more information about the author, log on to http://www.harpercollins.com/authors/32318/Ntozake_Shange/index.aspx

Discussion Questions:
1. When Coretta Scott was a young girl African American students and white students went to different schools. Even though you are unable to see the white children on their way to school, explain the differences between the experiences of the African American students and the white students.
2. Select a page from the book and look at the faces of the people on the page. What stories do their faces tell?

Wangari's Trees of Peace

Winter, Jeanette. (2010). Wangari’s trees of peace: A true story from Africa. Orlando, FL: Harcourt, Inc.

Summary: The story documents the life of Wangari Maathai, the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize winner who was recognized for her role in the Green Belt Movement. Maathai grew up in beautiful Kenya under the canopy of lush trees. Upon graduation, she traveled to the United States for her college education. When she returned to Kenya she was surprised to see that those trees were gone. In their place was a barren landscape primed for office buildings. Maathai took action. She started small and planted nine seedlings in her back yard. Then she convinced other Kenyan women to do the same and the movement grew and grew despite nay-sayers. Like the trees that line the Kenyan countryside today, Maathai’s impact remains. Readers will be inspired by the book’s many messages.

Read-Alike
If you enjoyed Wangari’s story, you might want to check out Planting the Trees of Kenya: The Story of Wangari’s Maathai.

Discussion Questions:

1. Explain how the people and the animals are affected by the clearing of the trees.
2. Compare Wangari’s movement to the first seedling she planted in 1977.

To read a transcript of an interview with author and illustrator Jeanette Winter, log on to http://www.harcourtbooks.com/authorinterviews/bookinterview_Winter.asp