children's author
2009 NAPPA Gold Winner; 2010 Paterson Prize for Books for Young People, Grades Pre K-3; A 2010 Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People; A 2010 Skipping Stones Honor Award Winner; Honor Book, 2010 Horace Mann Upstanders Book Awards
When Louis wants to take a book about President Lincoln out of the "Whites Only" library in his town, he is told to go home. That's when Louis--and a kind librarian--decide to shake things up. Based on the true stories of children who faced library segregation, not just in the Deep South, but across the United States during the Jim Crow era, Finding Lincoln is illustrated by the Coretta Scott King honor artist Colin Bootman.
Reviews
"For personal reading and for the classroom, pair this with other stories about the civil rights movement and the brave kids who stood up to hatred." Booklist
"Bootman’s illustrations depict Louis’s curiosity, determination and joy as her pursues his quest for justice. Malaspina’s moving text explains the societal mores of the time and the actions of the people committed to rewriting them." Kirkus Reviews
"Soft, rich watercolor illustrations accompany the text, creating a compelling look at an important piece of history." School Library Journal
"The look of longing on Louis's face as he stands just outside the window while Whites sit at a lunch counter enjoying their strawberry milkshakes is a heart-breaker....Bootman adds visual texture to Malaspina's meaningful story." Multicultural Review
"In the vibrant red of the library's doors, however, kids can sense the hope for treasures within..."
Children's Literature
Library segregation was part of the dark era of Jim Crow, when laws and social customs purposefully excluded African Americans from equal participation in education, employment, housing, voting, and other essential opportunities. I based the fictional story of Finding Lincoln on the true stories of children who went to their local public libraries, seeking a library card or book borrowing privileges, and were turned away because of their race. One account in particular, of John Lewis, the future Civil Rights leader and U.S. Congressman from Georgia, being turned away from his public library, was the inspiration for Louis's story. This happened not just to African Americans in the Deep South but to Mexican Americans in California and people of color in communities across the country. Some communities opened small libraries for African Americans (see above photo, right, of a library in Louisiana). During the Civil Rights Movement in the late 1950s and 1960s, protestors marched into public libraries and tried to borrow books. These peaceful and nonviolent actions often brought in the police, and the protestors were arrested and taken to jail. (see above photos) Only when the Supreme Court began to rule against segregation and the federal government took action against Jim Crow did library segregation begin to end.
