Picture Books

Rosa

Picture book. By Nikki Giovanni. Illustrated by Bryan Collier. 2005. 40 pages.
A beautifully illustrated book for children about Rosa Parks in the context of the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

Time Periods: 20th Century, 1961
Themes: Civil Rights Movements, Organizing
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Award-winning writer Nikki Giovanni’s book is the antidote to all the stories about tired, old Rosa Parks who single-handedly desegregated the buses. Here she is placed firmly in the Movement (along with Jo Ann Robinson and E. D. Nixon) and the key historical events of the time.

This is a key book for teaching about the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

The text is accessible to young readers, but without sacrificing the complexity of the story, and the paint and collage illustrations by Bryan Collier are radiant.

ISBN: 9780805071061 | by Henry Holt and Company

Find related teaching resources below.

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Related Resources
News

The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks Teaching Guide

Rosa Parks is one of the most well-known U.S. women of the 20th century and yet much of what has been taught about her is narrow, limited, and at times wrong. This is changing thanks to the release in 2021 of the young adult book, The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks and a new film with the same title — both based on the Parks’ biography by Jeanne Theoharis.

Teaching Activities (Free)

The Rebellious Lives of Mrs. Rosa Parks

Teaching Activity. By Bill Bigelow.
In this mixer lesson, students learn about Rosa Parks’ many decades of activism by taking on roles from various times in her life. In this way, students learn about her radicalism before, during, and long after the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

Articles

The Politics of Children’s Literature: What’s Wrong with the Rosa Parks Myth

Article. By Herbert Kohl. Rethinking Schools.
A critical analysis that challenges the myths in children’s books about Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

Books: Non-Fiction

The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks: Young Readers Edition

Book — Non-fiction. By Jeanne Theoharis and Brandy Colbert. 2021.
This biography of Rosa Parks accessibly examines her six decades of activism, challenging young readers’ perceptions of her as an accidental actor in the Civil Rights Movement.

Books: Non-Fiction

At the Dark End of the Street: Black Women, Rape, and Resistance — A New History of the Civil Rights Movement from Rosa Parks to the Rise of Black Power

Book — Non-fiction. By Danielle L. McGuire. 2010. 352 pages.
History of the violence against African-American women during the 20th century and the role played by Rosa Parks in the organized legal response to that abuse.

Books: Non-Fiction

The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks

Book — Non-fiction. By Jeanne Theoharis. 2013. 320 pages.
A revealing window into Rosa Parks’ politics and years of activism.

Films

The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks

Film. Directed by Johanna Hamilton and Yoruba Richen. Produced by Soledad O’Brien. 2022. 101 minutes.
This documentary sheds light on Rosa Parks’ extensive organizing, radical politics, and lifelong dedication to justice.

Films

Teaching About the Montgomery Bus Boycott

Film. By Teaching for Change. 2006. 15 minutes.
First grade teacher Maggie Donovan (SNCC veteran) introduces her students to the fight to desegregate the buses, placing Rosa Parks in the context of the larger community efforts.

This Day in History

Nov. 27, 1955: Rosa Parks Attends Meeting About Emmett Till

Rosa Parks attended a mass meeting about Emmett Till days before her refusal to give up her seat on the bus.

This Day in History

Dec. 5, 1955: Montgomery Bus Boycott Began

The Montgomery Bus Boycott is one of the most powerful examples of organizing and social change in U.S. history.

This Day in History

March 14, 1968: King Speaks About the “Other America” in the North

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave the speech titled “The Other America” focusing on economic inequalities and white complicity in the North.

Montgomery Boycott Ends | Zinn Education Project
This Day in History

Dec. 20, 1956: Montgomery Bus Boycott Prevails

After a 381-day boycott, a federal ruling declared the Alabama laws requiring segregated buses to be unconstitutional.