What's Mr. Giso Making "Room to Read" Pick 11

Title:  Sometimes People March

Author/Illustrator:  Tessa Allen

Publication Information:  2020, Balzer & Bray

Received or Recommended By:  Amazon

Number of Pages:  28

Level/Target Audience:  PreK-adult

Genre:  Picture Book/ Narrative Nonfiction

Date Finished:  February 2, 2022

Part of a Series?:  No.

First Lines:  Sometimes ants march.  Sometimes bands march.  Sometimes people march.

Last Lines:  And together we find the courage to march.

Quotable Quotes: 

•People march for the freedom to love and live and learn.

•People are more powerful together.

Teaching Points:  This book is great tool to launch a study of historic movements and marches of both the past and the present.  The end pages include supplemental information to all the key figures and featured marches throughout the text and illustrations including the Woman's Suffrage Movement (1776-1920), the Greensboro Sit-Ins (1960), Loving v. Virginia (1967), the Black Lives Matter movement (2018-present), the Pride Parade (1970-present) and the People's Climate March (2017).

Author Tessa Allen dedicates this book to her family "who have always encouraged [her] me to be feisty and curious."  It introduces young readers to a familiar use of the word "march" as something both ant and bands do.  From there, it expands the idea to marches that occur in order to resist injustice, create change, gain freedom, and protect the earth.  The carefully placed illustrations help show that people can show resistance in many ways besides marching.  These ways include using voice, typed words, songs, or art.  In addition to marching, this picture book cleverly shows how people resit by having meetings, standing up, sitting down, or even taking a knee.  This book carries the theme that even though the road may not be easy, problems may become too complex, and one may grow pretty tired and feel defeated people, when together, can make a difference.  This is book leaves the reader hopeful, inspired and empowered.  It celebrates the heroes who have stood proud for us and have fought for us to receive the many rights we have today.