Going North

By: Janice N Harrington
Illustrated by: Jerome Lagarrigue
Historical Fiction
~This is a great historical fiction book about a black family leaving the south and moving up north. It is from the little girls point of view and she talks about how her parents say life will be better up north because her daddy can get a better job and they will be treated nicer. The book talks about their trip up north. They see black people working in the cotton fields, and they have to only stop and negro gas stations as they are heading through the south to the north. The family finally makes it to Nebraska and they see no more cotton fields and the land is green and full of opportunities. They finish they book by saying that they are poineers and will have a better life there in Licoln Nebraska.
~This would be a great book to use when teaching students about civil rights. I like this book becuase it allows students to see civil rights issues from a childs point of view. It also would be good to talk about the difference between the north and the south during that time and that black people were treated better in the north than the south. Be sure to foccus on issues like segregation and how the book shows this when they were running out of gas and were only allowed to get gas at certain places.