Sit-In: How Four Friends Stood Up by Sitting Down

This beautifully illustrated book details the famous sit-in at the Greensboro, NC Woolworth's counter in 1960. The prose is moving, speckled with quotes that inspired the protesters and good detail. As a picture book ought to be, it is both easily understood and deep enough for older readers. My kindergartner (who does have some exposure to the civil rights movement) grasped the storyline and was moved by the strength it took to stay still. The simple, powerful prose is well matched by the illustrations. Watercolor paintings with ink, they come across as modern yet classic, and moving. With a repetitive motif of cooking that might come across a bit strong to some adults, however, I wasn't distracted by it and consider it effective for young readers. Though graphic about their struggles, the story isn't scary or overwhelming to children. It would work well in any elementary grades, and even in some middle school classrooms. I'd commend it to any family who is building a personal library with any attention to covering American History or Civil Rights. Kate, age 5 "I like this book, it told about Dr. King and his dreams, and how these boys followed his dreams by sitting at the white skin lunch table. They sat and they sat for a long time. People were mean to them. Now people all sit together. That's why I like this book."

I am a third grade teacher, and I LOVE this book! During Black History Month, this was extremely effective!

Following the words and actions of Martin Luther King, Jr., four students staged a sit-in at a Woolworth's lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina in 1960. Asking only for a "doughnut and coffee, with cream on the side," these black students sat at the Woolworth's counter, and refused to leave. Preaching love, not hate, they sat still at the counter for the cause of integration. But, the waitresses kept telling them, "WHITES ONLY." Following these students' leads, lunch counter protests took over in the south, in Virginia, Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia, with student demonstrators practicing peace and love. Finally, the police took the students to jail. But, the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee, or SNCC, formed and the Civil Rights Act passed in 1964, making segregation illegal in public places. This book would make a nice complement for historical texts for middle grade students.

A doughnut and coffee "with cream on the side" wasn't much to ask for in a place like Woolworth's where the lunch counter was a haven for young and old, eager for a little socialization and a little lunch. Four young black men, David, Joseph, Franklin, and Ezell quietly sat at the counter waiting to be served, but as the times dictated it wouldn't be any time soon. "WHITES ONLY" didn't get any black person a napkin, let alone any food. They sat quietly, ignored by most, and proudly in spite of the refusal of the waitress to serve them. On the counter were the napkin holders, the round sugar containers, and the salt and pepper shakers, but definitely no doughnuts and coffee "with cream on the side." It just wasn't going to happen because "segregation was a bitter mix." Very bitter indeed. A stern looking police officer strolled to the counter, billy club in hand, but the boys were sitting quietly, politely and had not broken any laws. No one knew what to do, but when the store was closed the young men went home. On February 2, 1960, they went to the Woolworth's counter again. The cakes on display looked wonderful, but the only things they wanted were doughnuts and coffee "with cream on the side." Dr. King didn't live in Greensboro, but they remembered well his message, "We must meet violence with nonviolence." It was a difficult message to hold in the hearts of other young people around the country who joined them in their efforts. The sit-ins elicited cruel acts of behavior . . . "Coffee poured down their backs. Milkshakes flung in their faces. Pepper thrown in their eyes." A doughnut and coffee "with cream on the side" . . . please. This stunning portrait of the "Greensboro Four" takes a close look at how young people contributed their strength to end segregation. The power of conviction these young men had, in retrospect, was amazing and this book easily conveys that fact. The dream like, nostalgic quality of the artwork meshes perfectly with the story. The Civil Rights Movement is one that young people have trouble relating to, but stories such as these help bring it to life. One of the best parts of the book is the ten step "recipe for integration," one that starts with love. In the back of the book is a Civil Rights Timeline (in paragraph form from 1954 to 1964), a photograph of the "Greensboro Four" in Woolworth's, a more in depth look at the incident and the times, and additional recommended book and website resources.