From Barnes & Noble
The Barnes & Noble Review
Author Patricia McKissack uses childhood memories of growing up in the segregated South to create this enlightening and touching story of one very special place. Young 'Tricia can't wait to make her very own journey to Someplace Special (her destination is revealed only at the end of the story). Her grandmother reluctantly lets her baby out on her own, but not without some words of advice. "Hold yo' head up and act like you b'long to somebody."
As we soon find out, these powerful words will sustain Tricia during a rather disheartening journey through her native city as she encounters the harsh reality of segregation. As she enters the bus, she is forced to sit in the COLORED SECTION of seats in the back. When she spots a friend of her Grandmother, Tricia voices her anger. "It's not fair," she asserts. But as Mrs. Grannel points out, it's just the way it is. When Tricia gets off in downtown Nashville, she admires the Peace Fountain and looks to rest on a nearby bench. She quickly jumps up, as the bench graphically reads: FOR WHITES ONLY. As she makes her way through town she bumps into Mr. John Willis, the doorman at Southland Hotel. As he bestows compliments on the lovely girl, she is accidentally pushed into the lobby. Amidst all the hustle and bustle, Tricia can't get out. And the manager yells at her in front of every one, "No colored people allowed!". Just as Tricia is about to give up her voyage to Someplace Special, she runs into Blooming Mary, an older woman who tends to the Mission Church garden. Mary reminds here that Tricia can find strength in the words of her grandmother. Tricia takes heart from this encouragement and feels able to go on. But one more battle lies ahead. As Tricia passes a theater, a young white boy casually asks her if she's going to the show. Before she can reply, the boy's older sister angrily says, "Colored people can't come in the front door. They got to go 'round back and sit up in the Buzzard's Roost." Tricia keeps her head high, announcing that she'd never sit there -- she's headed someplace special. Readers finally learn where Tricia's journey has led her -- the library. The glorious building is large and imposing, its steps overflowing with people of all colors. And Tricia excitedly reads these special words: PUBLIC LIBRARY: ALL ARE WELCOME.
McKissack's author note at the end of the book explains just how close this tale is to her heart and her life. When Nashville's public library board quietly decided to integrate the facilities, it became one of very few places that did not feature Jim Crow signs. This touching story provides personal insight into a time that might be hard to understand for young readers. The text is beautifully written, with the perfect amount of dialogue on each page. Adding to the brilliant words of McKissack are the outstanding pencil and watercolor illustrations from the talented Jerry Pinkney. Each spread comes alive with the sights of the 1950s. The details of Tricia's face, and the family friends she encounters on her journey, speak volumes about the joy and suffering of life in segregated America. Tricia's dress, like Tricia herself, is bursting with life and optimism, providing a visual thread throughout the story.
This dynamic offering from the outstanding talents of McKissack and Pinkney is more than a springboard for conversation; it's also a stunning portrait of strength and beauty for every reader. (Amy Barkat)
From the Publisher
There's a place in this 1950s southern town where all are welcome, no matter what their skin color...and 'Tricia Ann knows exactly how to get there. To her, it's someplace special and she's bursting to go by herself.
When her grandmother sees that she's ready to take such a big step, 'Tricia Ann hurries to catch the bus heading downtown. But unlike the white passengers, she must sit in the back behind the Jim Crow sign and wonder why life's so unfair.
Still, for each hurtful sign seen and painful comment heard, there's a friend around the corner reminding 'Tricia Ann that she's not alone. And even her grandmother's words — "You are somedbody, a human being — no better, no worse than anybody else in this world" — echo in her head, lifting her spirits and pushing her forward.
Patricia C. McKissack's poignant story of growing up in the segregated South and Jerry Pinkney's rich, detailed watercolors lead readers to the doorway of freedom.
Book Magazine
Bursting with excitement, 'Tricia Ann pleads with her grandmother to let her go to a place she calls Someplace Special. Mama Frances cautions,"Hold yo' head up and act like you b'long to somebody." When 'Tricia Ann boards a bus and has to walk back to the colored section, readers see why her grandmother was worried. The girl faces several incidents of racism before she finally reaches the sign outside her Someplace Special: "Public Library: All Are Welcome." Luminous watercolors convey 'Tricia Ann's emotional journey in this autobiographical story.
—Kathleen Odean
Publishers Weekly
McKissack draws from her childhood in Nashville for this instructive picture book. "I don't know if I'm ready to turn you loose in the world," Mama Frances tells her granddaughter when she asks if she can go by herself to "Someplace Special" (the destination remains unidentified until the end of the story). 'Tricia Ann does obtain permission, and begins a bittersweet journey downtown, her pride battered by the indignities of Jim Crow laws. She's ejected from a hotel lobby and snubbed as she walks by a movie theater ("Colored people can't come in the front door," she hears a girl explaining to her brother. "They got to go 'round back and sit up in the Buzzard's Roost"). She almost gives up, but, buoyed by the encouragement of adult acquaintances ("Carry yo'self proud," one of her grandmother's friends tells her from the Colored section on the bus), she finally arrives at Someplace Special a place Mama Frances calls "a doorway to freedom" the public library. An afterword explains McKissack's connection to the tale, and by putting such a personal face on segregation she makes its injustices painfully real for her audience. Pinkney's (previously paired with McKissack for Mirandy and Brother Wind) luminescent watercolors evoke the '50s, from fashions to finned cars, and he captures every ounce of 'Tricia Ann's eagerness, humiliation and quiet triumph at the end. Ages 4-8. (Sept.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
Children's Literature
'Tricia Ann endures the indignities of segregation in the 1950s South, fortified with the love of her family and friends. As a Negro, she must sit at the back of the bus. Because of Jim Crow laws, she can only sit in the back of the balcony at the theater. When a crowd rushes into a plush downtown hotel following a celebrity, 'Tricia Ann is caught up in the throng—and then thrown out of the all-white establishment. She tolerates all of these insults because she is on her way to Someplace Special. That someplace is full of good things and it welcomes all people. That place is the Public Library. Based on McKissack's early life in Nashville, Tennessee, this is a story about how unfair life can be—and how love and persistence can triumph over injustice. Artwork is rendered in pencil and watercolor on paper by artist Jerry Pinkney, the only illustrator to have won the Coretta Scott King Award four times. 2001, Atheneum Books, $16.00. Ages 4 to 8. Reviewer:Chris Gill
Katherine Beecham
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The Five Owls
'Tricia Ann has someplace special in her heart. The story is set in a small southern town, in the 1950s. At twelve years of age, 'Tricia Ann believes the time has finally come that she can make the journey alone to that special place. After convincing her grandmother, Mama Frances, and heeding a few last-minute warnings to "be particular, hold yo' head up, and act like you b'long to somebody," she is on her way. 'Tricia Ann's journey is filled with obstacles and the heartbreaking reality of "Jim Crow." First, 'Tricia Ann boards the bus and is forced to sit in the "colored section," in the back. As the bus fills, 'Tricia Ann gives up her seat to a friend of Mama Frances, though there are empty seats available just ahead of the Jim Crow sign. On reaching the Peace Fountain in the middle of town, 'Tricia Ann is overtaken with excitement, with the beauty of the fountain, only to be jolted back to reality when she sees the sign on a nearby bench that says: FOR WHITES ONLY. No matter that her grandfather was a stonemason who worked on the Peace Fountain. Next on the journey are Jimmy Lee, the street vendor, whose brother cooks in a restaurant across the way, where they cannot be served, and Mr. John Willis, a doorman at the Southland Hotel, who has a smile and a kind word for her. Suddenly, 'Tricia Ann finds herself caught up in a crowd outside the hotel that is awaiting a celebrity. As she is pushed and shoved in the midst of the crowd, she finds herself inside the hotel's grand lobby, where she is quickly pointed out and humiliated by the manager who announces, "No colored people are allowed!" Holding back tears, she retreats to the Mission Church ruins, wishing her grandmother were there tohelp her with her journey. Once again, 'Tricia is met with a word of encouragement, this time from Blooming Mary, who reminds her that she is not alone, but that if she listens carefully, she will hear her grandmother. Mama Frances' words ring in her ears, reminding her that "You are somebody, a human being—no better, no worse than anybody else in this world." 'Tricia's final encounter is in front of the Grand Music Palace, where a six-year-old boy asks if she would be coming into the theatre. His older sister reprimands him, bringing back the cold reminder that colored people could not enter through the front door, but only through the back, to sit in the Buzzard's Roost. Now 'Tricia Ann is determined to complete her journey, as she turns the corner, to see a wonderful sight, what Mama Frances called, the "doorway to freedom." No more anger, no more hurt or embarrassment. She has reached Someplace Special. Across the front of the building, the message read: PUBLIC LIBRARY: ALL ARE WELCOME. This poignant story is reminiscent of the author's childhood, in Nashville, Tennessee, during the 1950s. While the events are fictionalized, they serve to teach history to our children and promote discussion about society today. Jim Crow laws have been stricken down, but the spirit and attitude of those laws unfortunately still exist in some places, causing the pain and frustration that leave the emotional scars for life, yet the words of encouragement continue. Some of our predecessors also had the world opened up to them, through books in "Somplace Special"—the public library. Beautiful illustrations are provided by Jerry Pinkney. 2001, Atheneum, 32 pages,
School Library Journal
Gr 3-5-'Tricia Ann's first solo trip out of her neighborhood reveals the segregation of 1950s' Nashville and the pride a young African-American girl takes in her heritage and her sense of self-worth. In an eye-opening journey, McKissack takes the child through an experience based upon her own personal history and the multiple indignities of the period. She experiences a city bus ride and segregated parks, restaurants, hotels, and theaters and travels toward "Someplace Special." In the end, readers see that 'Tricia Ann's destination is the integrated public library, a haven for all in a historical era of courage and change. Dialogue illustrates her confidence and intelligence as she bravely searches for truth in a city of Jim Crow signs. Pinkney re-creates the city in detailed pencil-and-watercolor art angled over full-page spreads, highlighting the young girl with vibrant color in each illustration. A thought-provoking story for group sharing and independent readers.-Mary Elam, Forman Elementary School, Plano, TX Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
In a story that will endear itself to children's librarians and, for that matter, all library lovers, 'Tricia Ann begs her grandmother to be allowed to go alone to Someplace Special. Mama Frances acquiesces, sending her off with instructions: " ‘And no matter what, hold yo' head up and act like you b'long to somebody.' " 'Tricia Ann's special place is not revealed until the end, but on the way there, the humiliating racism she encounters on the city bus, in the park, and in a downtown hotel almost causes her to give up. " ‘Getting to Someplace Special isn't worth it,' she sobbed." When she recalls her grandmother's words: " ‘You are somebody, a human being-no better, no worse than anybody else in this world,' " she regains the determination to continue her journey, in spite of blatant segregation and harsh Jim Crow laws. " Public Library: All Are Welcome" reads the sign above the front door of Someplace Special; Mama Frances calls it "a doorway to freedom." Every plot element contributes to the theme, leaving McKissack's autobiographical work open to charges of didacticism. But no one can argue with its main themes: segregation is bad, learning and libraries are good. Pinkney's trademark watercolors teem with realistically drawn people, lush city scenes, and a spunky main character whose turquoise dress, enlivened with yellow flowers and trim, jumps out of every picture. A lengthy author's endnote fills in the background for adults on McKissack's childhood experiences with the Nashville Public Library. This library quietly integrated all of its facilities in the late 1950s, and provided her with the story's inspiration. A natural for group sharing; leave plenty of time for the questionsand discussion that are sure to follow. (Picture book. 5-9)
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