Dear Mrs. Parks

A Dialogue with Today's Youth
By Rosa Parks
Paperback: $16.95

On a December day in 1955, Rosa Parks changed the course of history when she was arrested for refusing to give up her seat to a white passenger on a Montgomery, Alabama bus.

Description

This simple yet courageous act set into motion a chain of events that reverberated throughout the world.

Affectionately referred to as the “Mother of the Modern Day Civil Rights Movement,” Mrs. Parks received 500 to 1,000 letters a month from children throughout the United States and the world. Dear Mrs. Parks grew out of Rosa Parks’ desire to share her legacy with all “her children,” and perpetuate a dialogue that will be recorded for generations to come.

Gregory J. Reed is an attorney and the author of several books, including Economic Empowerment through the Church. He worked closely with Mrs. Parks in helping archive and select the letters for Dear Mrs. Parks.

About the Creators

Rosa Parks

Rosa Parks (1913-2005) devoted herself to the nonviolent pursuit of human rights, especially young people's rights, since refusing to give up her seat on a Montgomery, Alabama bus to a white man. She was born in Tuskegee, Alabama in 1913 and married Raymond Parks in 1932. Two years after the Montgomery bus boycott, in 1957, she moved to Detroit, Michigan. In 1987, she co-founded the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self-Development. She passed away in 2005 at the age of 92.

Awards

  • Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People

    National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS)

  • Teachers' Choices

    International Literacy Association (ILA)

  • CCBC Choices

    Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)

Reviews

  • "The letters illustrate young people's genuine concern about personal and societal conditions. . . [Readers] will walk away from this book with respect for a woman whose lifeworks and courage are an example to us all."

    - School Library Journal
  • "You will want this beautiful book containing the wisdom, courage, love, hope, and wit of one of the most remarkable women of our times in your collection, and you will want her words in your heart and in the hearts of your children. Rosa Parks changed history. Our country will never be the same as it was before Mrs. Parks sat down for justice. When you read her inspiring letters to children, you will be moved to stand up for children and for the future."

    - Marian Wright Edelman, President, Children's Defense Fund
  • "These letters provide heartening evidence that today's young people continue to be inspired, educated, and influenced by Rosa Parks' remarkable example."

    - (Former) President Jimmy Carter
  • "Mother Parks has assembled a treasure. In this wonderful collection of her responses to letters from young people she teaches, she inspires, she challenges, and above all, she loves. A marvelous addition to any home library."

    - Colin Powell

Paperback

  • ISBN 9781880000618
  • Price $16.95
  • Publication Date Apr 01, 2013
  • Trim Size 8.25 × 5.5 in
  • Weight 0.375 lbs
  • Page Count 111
  • Word Count 11170
  • Hardcover

  • ISBN 9781880000458
  • Price $16.95
  • Publication Date Jan 01, 2100
  • Trim Size N/A
  • Weight 0.4375 lbs
  • Word Count 11170
  • Interests

  • Imprint Lee & Low Books
  • Audience Middle Grade
  • BISAC Category 1 JNF / Biography & Autobiography / Social Activists
  • BISAC Category 2 JNF / People & Places / United States / African American
  • BISAC Category 3 JNF / History / United States / 20th Century
  • Themes African / African American / Black, Bullying, Civil Rights Movement, Courage, Discrimination, Dreams & Aspirations, Education, Empathy / Compassion, Heroism, History & Civics, Identity / Self Esteem / Confidence, Informational / Expository Nonfiction, Leadership, Mentors, Middle Grade, Multiple Ethnicities Represented, Nonfiction, Optimism / Enthusiasm, Overcoming Obstacles, Peace, Persistence / Grit, Pride, Respect / Citizenship, Responsibility, Self Control / Self Regulation, Social Justice & Activism, Tolerance / Acceptance, United States History, Women's History
  • Reading Levels

  • Age Range Ages 6 - 10
  • Grade Range Grades 1 - 5
  • Guided Reading V
  • ATOS Book Level 5.6
  • DRA 50
  • Interest Level Grades 1 - 5
  • Lexile Level 850
  • Reading Level Grades 2 - 3
  • SRC 5.4
  • Bebop Reading Fluent
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