gennadybogachev

I consider A Sweet Smell of Roses (about two young sisters who secretly join a Civil Rights march and rally) to be a loving and emotionally engaging story, an evocative account that not only honours the many young people who contributed to the Civil Rights Movement, but also shows children that they can "do" that they can participate and contribute to causes that are important to them. I would, however, also tend to agree with my GR friends Lisa and Krista, that while the story is certainly moving, poetic and inspiring, it is also rather spare and slight in content and leaves me wanting and craving more details, more historical background and cultural information. And consequently, I am actually more moved and wowed by Eric Velasquez' evocative black and white illustrations than by Angela Johnson's narrative text. Combined with the little touches of red in the roses, the American flag and the teddy bear's ribbon, the illustrations are both amazing and memorable (to me, the little splashes of red represent love, the hope for equality, but also the belief of the Civil Rights Movement in the basic democratic principles of the United States, of the Constitution, the inalienable right of all people to be seen, to be regarded as equals, as persons). Due to the spareness of the text and the lack of historical detail even in the rather short author's note, I would not necessarily consider this as an adequate introduction to the Civil Rights Movement. However, if used in conjunction with other, more historically detailed sources, A Sweet Smell of Roses would indeed be a wonderful way to not only pay homage to the contributions of the many young people who participated in the freedom marches, but also to demonstrate that children are strong in and of themselves, that they can and should be actively involved in relvant causes , that they can make a difference.

2022-11-14 18:35