The Great Migration: Journey to the North
Author: Eloise Greenfield
Illustrator: Jan Spivey Gilchrist
Publisher: Amistad
Year of Publication: 2011
Genre: Poetry
Horn Book or Kirkus Review rating: Horn Book Rating of a 1.
Summary: In this storybook the author and the illustrator have created a set of poems and photographs that tell the story of families during the Great Migration. They both can relate to this book because they went through it as children, leaving their hometowns to make a better life. The Great Migration : Journey To The North is a story about the migration of over a million African Americans who left their homes in the South to move to the North. During this time the African American families were moving for about fifteen years. The moving of African Americans from the South to the North took place between 1915 and 1930. The author of this book also had to migrate as a child to a different location just as these African Americans did between 1915 and 1930. When Eloise Greenfield was just a few months old her family moved from North Carolina to Washington D.C. Her Mom and Dad did this to make a better life for their children.
Summary of Professional Reviews: According to Horn Book Reviews, The Great Migration: Journey To The North received a rating of a 1. The review gives a brief description of the book and how it relates to the authors. The author and illustrator of this book have both experienced the Great Migration just like the African American people in this book. The review allows the reader to hear the thoughts of the “ Unnamed travelers thoughts”. The author allows the reader a chance to connect with each traveler on a deeper level. The review states that the book “ adds the right air of seriousness and history to the poetry.
Review by Sasha Ishak: The Great Migration: Journey To The North is an astonishing book full of emotions and information about a very important time period during American history. The book conveys a clear message that is noticeable early on in the text. The clear idea of this book is to inform the reader about the millions of African Americans who had to migrate, leaving their hometowns. The elements of this astonishing book come together to convey an understanding of the Great Migration between 1915 and 1930. This time period in history allowed African Americans to escape racism and it allowed them to create a better life for themselves, and their children. The author and Illustrator have created these sets of poems that are accompanied by beautiful illustrations that are very realistic. The reader who is fully focused on this book is introduced to the emotions, and feelings that the African American people experienced during this time period. The author makes a personal connection as well as a historical aspect. The poems in the book involve a number of characters and their experiences with their families during this time period. Even though the poems each have a character, they are never once named. Each character’s poem speaks from the heart while relaying a certain lesson or message. The type of poetry used is free verse, and it allows the reader to fully emerge in the text. The poems are written and displayed in chronological order. The illustrations are powerful and breathtaking, created by watercolors and other images to create landscapes and portraits of that time period. The portraits are fascinating because they are actually real people. This allows the reader to fully experience those characters experiences.
This book would be useful when teaching...
Illustrator: Jan Spivey Gilchrist
Publisher: Amistad
Year of Publication: 2011
Genre: Poetry
Horn Book or Kirkus Review rating: Horn Book Rating of a 1.
Summary: In this storybook the author and the illustrator have created a set of poems and photographs that tell the story of families during the Great Migration. They both can relate to this book because they went through it as children, leaving their hometowns to make a better life. The Great Migration : Journey To The North is a story about the migration of over a million African Americans who left their homes in the South to move to the North. During this time the African American families were moving for about fifteen years. The moving of African Americans from the South to the North took place between 1915 and 1930. The author of this book also had to migrate as a child to a different location just as these African Americans did between 1915 and 1930. When Eloise Greenfield was just a few months old her family moved from North Carolina to Washington D.C. Her Mom and Dad did this to make a better life for their children.
Summary of Professional Reviews: According to Horn Book Reviews, The Great Migration: Journey To The North received a rating of a 1. The review gives a brief description of the book and how it relates to the authors. The author and illustrator of this book have both experienced the Great Migration just like the African American people in this book. The review allows the reader to hear the thoughts of the “ Unnamed travelers thoughts”. The author allows the reader a chance to connect with each traveler on a deeper level. The review states that the book “ adds the right air of seriousness and history to the poetry.
Review by Sasha Ishak: The Great Migration: Journey To The North is an astonishing book full of emotions and information about a very important time period during American history. The book conveys a clear message that is noticeable early on in the text. The clear idea of this book is to inform the reader about the millions of African Americans who had to migrate, leaving their hometowns. The elements of this astonishing book come together to convey an understanding of the Great Migration between 1915 and 1930. This time period in history allowed African Americans to escape racism and it allowed them to create a better life for themselves, and their children. The author and Illustrator have created these sets of poems that are accompanied by beautiful illustrations that are very realistic. The reader who is fully focused on this book is introduced to the emotions, and feelings that the African American people experienced during this time period. The author makes a personal connection as well as a historical aspect. The poems in the book involve a number of characters and their experiences with their families during this time period. Even though the poems each have a character, they are never once named. Each character’s poem speaks from the heart while relaying a certain lesson or message. The type of poetry used is free verse, and it allows the reader to fully emerge in the text. The poems are written and displayed in chronological order. The illustrations are powerful and breathtaking, created by watercolors and other images to create landscapes and portraits of that time period. The portraits are fascinating because they are actually real people. This allows the reader to fully experience those characters experiences.
This book would be useful when teaching...
- A lesson about the History of The Great Migration. The teacher can introduce The Great Migration first then discuss the importance of it. After formally discussing it with the students the teacher can read this book as a read aloud and have the students see exactly why this time period in American History was so important.
- This story includes a lot of rhyming and repetition that makes the book inviting. The teacher can use this book in a Language Arts less when teaching Rhyme in poetry.The teacher can have the students look at examples in the book, and then have them create their own poem based on something very important in their own life. This can also involve teaching repetition in poetry just as in the book.