Rosa

She had not sought this moment but she was ready for it. When the policeman bent down to ask "Auntie, are you going to move?" all the strength of all the people through all those many years joined in her. She said, "No." An inspiring account of an event that shaped American history Fifty years after her refusal to give up her seat on a Montgomery, Alabama, city bus, Mrs. Rosa Parks is still one of the most important figures in the American civil rights movement. This picture- book tribute to Mrs. Parks is a celebration of her courageous action and the events that followed. Award-winning poet, writer, and activist Nikki Giovanni's evocative text combines with Bryan Collier's striking cut-paper images to retell the story of this historic event from a wholly unique and original perspective.

Nikki Giovanni is one of our best-known and best-loved African American poets. She is the author of numerous books for adults and young readers, with her newest poetry collection published in November 2003 by William Morrow. She teaches creative writing at Virginia Tech and lives in Christiansburg, Virginia.

Bryan Collier is the author and illustrator of Uptown, winner of the Coretta Scott King Award and the Ezra Jack Keats Book Award. He is also the illustrator of Martin’s Big Words, which was a Caldecott Honor Book. The Chicago Sun-Times has called Collier’s art “breathtakingly beautiful.” Mr. Collier lives with his family in Harlem in New York City.

"Paired very effectively with Giovanni's passionate, direct words, Collier's large watercolor-and-collage illustrations depict Parks as an inspiring force that radiates golden light." -- Booklist, Starred Review "Purposeful in its telling, this is a handsome and thought-provoking introduction to these watershed acts of civil disobedience." -- School Library Journal "Giovanni and Collier offer a moving interpretation of Rosa Park's momentous refusal to give up her bus seat.  The author brings her heroine very much to life...a fresh take on a remarkable historic event." -- Publishers Weekly "An essential volume for classrooms and libraries." -- Kirkus Reviews