What a book! Polacco knows how to take a story that has been told to her and put it into beautifully composed words and illustrations. After having read this book, I was filled with a newly acquired sense of understanding of the events that occurred in our country between the confederate and union states during the Civil War. I cried. How could there have been a time when people were bought and sold? A time when people were publicly beaten and hanged because of their skin color? It seems completely foreign, but it is literally VERY close to home. AND the fact-of-the-matter is, there is still racist behavior and prejudices of all kinds in this country.
We as teachers MUST work harder than anyone else to combat these evil forces if we want to create a future that continues to foster ideals of kindness, compassion, and sensitivity toward others.
The story of Pink and Say is a true story about two young Union soldiers from different outfits. Sheldon (Say), a 15 year old white boy was badly wounded when Pinkus (Pink) a black boy about the same age as Say finds him suffering in the tall grass and carries him to the safety of his family's home where Pink's mother cares for Say until he is healthy again. The book is dramatic, portraying feelings of sadness, loss, and inadequacy.
I wish I could say the ending is a happy one, but like most stories of war - the book ends in tragedy also. Polacco did not set out to glorify the war in this book. She instead set out to create an accurate portrayal of the hardships faced before the abolition of slavery in America. This would be a great piece of fiction to use in the classroom; I wonder if students would be as touched as I was?!?!
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