Vander Zee, R. (2004). Mississippi morning. Floyd Cooper (Illustrator) Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans. ISBN: 0-8028-5211-4

 Annotation – A young boy learns from two of his friends about the “Klan” and a hanging. In his naivety he doesn’t believe anyone he knows could be involved in such activities, until one morning when he sees a man come down the path carrying a rifle and wearing a hood.

Media used for illustrations – oil on board, brushed very lightly to give the appearance of a brushed technique used with pastels. Cooper uses light to give the allusion to the young boy’s awakening of what is really going on around him.

Rating for quality of text, illustration and popularity: 3QT and 4QI/2P (1 = low - 5 = high)

Use of Theme – Loss of innocence and connecting to one’s own community are two themes that are quite obvious, however another theme that may emerge for the reader and audience is the role of friends. _____ doesn’t realize at the time but both of his friends are catalysts for a turning point in his life. Once he sees his father come down the road, that father/son relationship changes forever. To mend the rift could take a lifetime.

 Selected Themes

Personal prejudices

“Colored men and women traded in the five and dime all the time. They kept money in the bank and on some Saturdays were allowed to sit in the balcony of the theater to watch a movie. This all seemed normal to me…that’s just the way things were. I don’t think any of those white folks hated anybody enough to hang him from a tree.”

Loss of innocence

“As he ran towards the house, the man stumbled and the hood lifted up. His face was uncovered. My pa’s face. My pa was hiding under that hood. My pa. As he reached up to pull the hood back down over his face, my father saw me. He never spoke to me about that morning. I never asked. I couldn’t find the words…I still loved my pa. But I never really looked into his eyes again. And he never really looked into mine.”

YES

History: The Great Depression; Racial issues in the US

Friendship

Parent/Child relationship

Book talk during January

After school library book group/club

Easy way to introduce a challenging topic

NO

Characters seem stereotyped

Writing seems stilted & uncomfortable

“Old” lady getting into a child’s head….

Based on an amalgam of true incidents

Children/students should learn about “real” people & events of that time period

Nancy