11/29/2021
This mouthwatering motivational picture book centers Georgia Gilmore (1920–1990), a Black cook in Montgomery, Ala., who raised money through food sales to help support transport costs and cover fines for those participating in the Montgomery bus boycott. Rockliff relays the narrative in a smooth, easy-to-read style: “And if they couldn’t find a seat—well, even standing up, they found the spare ribs and the stuffed bell peppers tasted just as good.” Caldecott Honoree Christie offers realistic portraits of figures, including Martin Luther King Jr. and Gilmore herself, rendered in saturated gouache hues. This food-related profile (“A boycott! Something was cooking in Montgomery, and not just Georgia’s black-eyed peas”) succeeds in spotlighting a force who helped fuel the civil rights movement. Back matter includes more about Gilmore, an author’s note, and sources. Ages 4–8. (Jan.)
A ROBERT F. SIBERT HONOR BOOK
"Compelling… both narratively and artistically." —The New York Times Book Review
★ "Offering an outstanding take on the Montgomery Bus Boycott from a fresh perspective, this is an essential purchase." —School Library Journal, starred review
★ "Christie’s richly colorful, expressive gouache paintings bring the bus boycott into focus while depicting Gilmore as the text portrays her: a down-to-earth hero who used her considerable talent, energy, and courage to work for justice." —Booklist, starred review
★ 01/28/2022
Gr 1–4—Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. are familiar names in the fight for justice and equality, but unsung heroes such as Georgia Gilmore contributed to the famous Montgomery Bus Boycott, too. In fact, Gilmore had been boycotting the bus herself before Parks was arrested. For over a year, she helped support the boycott by making and selling her delicious food, then using the proceeds to pay for transportation and fines for those who were arrested unjustly. When Gilmore spoke out in court, she was fired from her job, but King encouraged her to work for herself, making food at her house. Gouache illustrations are full of life and expression; think Gordon C. James's paintings for Derrick Barnes's Crown. Gilmore is a big Black woman, often wearing bright colors, with a missing front tooth. Substantial back matter includes "After the Boycott" and resources. VERDICT Offering an outstanding take on the Montgomery Bus Boycott from a fresh perspective, this is an essential purchase.—Jenny Arch
2021-12-03
Georgia Gilmore was just an ordinary person when she fed and funded the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
“Georgia was cooking when she heard the news,” the story begins. The year is 1955, and civil rights activist Rosa Parks has just been arrested for refusing to give up her seat to a White man on a bus. Gilmore had spent her entire life in Montgomery, Alabama, and was no stranger to segregation. Having had her own brush with a racist bus driver, she knew the pain of being treated unjustly. Georgia springs into action, joining her neighbors as they march through the streets in mass protest against the Montgomery bus system. Georgia begins selling pastries and dinners, including her famous crispy chicken sandwiches, keeping the people fed during Dr. Martin Luther King’s church meetings. She then organizes a secret group of friends, dubbed the Club From Nowhere, to help her continue the venture. They use the money they make to support the boycott, which ultimately ends when a Supreme Court ruling makes segregation on public buses unconstitutional. Despite the hardships she experienced, Georgia persevered, eventually opening her own restaurant, which became a hub for Black community organizing. Christie’s vivid acrylic paintings propel the narrative with a fine balance of pathos and power. The straightforward text uses food as an extended metaphor to underscore Georgia’s tenacity and African American people’s hunger for equality and justice.
Young readers will find much food for thought in this inspiring profile of a lesser-known civil rights leader. (notes, author’s note, sources) (Picture book biography. 5-9)
With even pacing and crystal-clear diction, narrator Rosa Howard embodies the charisma and conviction of one woman who stepped up to do what she could during the Montgomery bus boycott of 1955-56. When Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a bus to a white man, Georgia Gilmore joined her community in boycotting the city buses. Georgia then used her talents as a cook to make and sell sandwiches, cakes, and pies, donating the proceeds for ride-sharing and other expenses the boycotters faced. Howard’s voice, rich and warm, strong but relatable, conveys the big heart of an ordinary woman who answered the call to help her community fight injustice. S.C. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
With even pacing and crystal-clear diction, narrator Rosa Howard embodies the charisma and conviction of one woman who stepped up to do what she could during the Montgomery bus boycott of 1955-56. When Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a bus to a white man, Georgia Gilmore joined her community in boycotting the city buses. Georgia then used her talents as a cook to make and sell sandwiches, cakes, and pies, donating the proceeds for ride-sharing and other expenses the boycotters faced. Howard’s voice, rich and warm, strong but relatable, conveys the big heart of an ordinary woman who answered the call to help her community fight injustice. S.C. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
