Dear Mr. Rosenwald

• Age Range: 7 - 10 years

• Grade Level: 2 - 5

• 2007 CCBC Choices

• 2007 Notable Books for a Global Society

  For classroom and reading resources, click here.

SUMMARY

Renowned illustrator Gregory Christie joins the Scholastic Press list with this empowering story about an African-American community who builds their own school.

Based on the true story of the Rosenwald schools built in the rural African-American South in the 1920s, writer and poet Carol Boston Weatherford tells the lyrical story of third grader Ovella as her family and community work together to build a school.

REVIEWS

“Christie's gouache and colored-pencil illustrations have the variegated look and stylized layout of collage art–a good complement to the child's rough-around-the-edges narration. An afterword explains Rosenwald's impact on thousands of poor black communities. An uplifting and inspiring story about the buildings that are all too frequently taken for granted.”–Catherine Threadgill, Charleston County Public Library, SC

“Christie's expressionistic, double-page spreads combine
simplified figures, flat expanses of bold color and big brushstrokes in a style that conveys the emotional content of the story. The author's note highlights the importance of the Rosenwald schools in fostering black pride yet references only one–albeit, primary–source. Accomplished yet
accessible, this is an important book for every library”—Kirkus Reviews