I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from the Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Loretta Little Looks Back
by Andrea Davis Pinkney
on September 29, 2020
Genres: Middle Grade Historical
Pages: 224
Format: Hardcover
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From bestselling and award-winning husband and wife team Andrea Davis Pinkney and Brian Pinkney, comes an innovative, beautifully illustrated novel that delivers a front-row seat to the dramatic events that led to African Americans earning the right to vote.
"Right here, I'm sharing the honest-to-goodness." -Loretta
"I'm gon' reach back, and tell how it all went. I'm gon' speak on it. My way." -Roly
"I got more nerve than a bad tooth. But there's nothing bad about being bold." -Aggie B.Loretta, Roly, and Aggie B., members of the Little family, each present the vivid story of their young lives, spanning three generations. Their separate stories - beginning in a cotton field in 1927 and ending at the presidential election of 1968 -- come together to create one unforgettable journey.
Through an evocative mix of fictional first-person narratives, spoken-word poems, folk myths, gospel rhythms and blues influences, Loretta Little Looks Back weaves an immersive tapestry that illuminates the dignity of sharecroppers in the rural South. Inspired by storytelling's oral tradition, stirring vignettes are presented in a series of theatrical monologues that paint a gripping, multidimensional portrait of America's struggle for civil rights as seen through the eyes of the children who lived it. The novel's unique format invites us to walk in their shoes. Each encounters an unexpected mystical gift, passed down from one family member to the next, that ignites their experience what it means to reach for freedom.
Loretta Little Looks Back by Andrea Davis Pinkney is a great book that features three different generations in one book. We meet Loretta, Rollins, and Aggie Little at different times in the African-American community in the South.
Can the Littles make a difference?
Loretta Little
Loretta Little is the last Little girl born in the early 1900s. She was the baby of the family and being raised as well as she could with what was happening to the African-Americans back in the day. Retta had a tough time, though. She had to work in the cotton fields when she wasn’t in school; really, Retta had to quit going to school to help her family get by. I really like Retta; she is a strong character who gave up her dreams to survive. Retta tells her story from 1927 to 1930.
A lot was going wrong with what had to happen back in those days to African-Americans, but it is our history as a nation. The unfairness of the time and the way these people were treated truly upset me.
Rollins “Roly” Little
Roly is a “Night-Deep” child. Meaning his own mother and father left him in a cotton field since they couldn’t afford to raise him. He is the youngest child of the Little family now, and he tries his hardest to help his family. Roly has helped them with their own plot of land in Ruleville, Mississippi, where they grew everything they possibly can. He was a smart child, especially to the standards set back then.
He ended up getting married to a girl there named Tess, and they were okay. Roly tried his best with what he could do in the role that he was born into. His story is told from 1942 to 1950.
Aggie Little
Aggie Little is the only child of Roly and Tess. She is trying to change things in Mississippi in the 1960s, which were still the hardest years ever for the African-American communities, especially in the South. She has a powerful mindset, and she fights against suppression and inequality. Aggie’s story takes place from 1962 to 1968.
I have to say that each of the Littles are very different from each other, partially by the different time frames and also by the way that they are each talking and telling their stories. Each of the Littles’ stories are great in their own way. I learned much from each of them and what they have gone through in their lifetime. This is a unique way of telling this story.
Four Stars
Loretta Little Looks Back by Andrea Davis Pinkney is the first book I read by this author. Ms. Pinkey is a good author that can weave a tale that transports you to another time. She did a great job of weaving these stories into a way to teach young kids what the Southern African-American communities have been through in history. I am giving this book four stars, and I recommend it to anyone who wants to learn a bit more about our nation’s history.
Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Loretta Little Looks Back by Andrea Davis Pinkney.
Until the next time,
Happy Reading!
About Andrea Davis Pinkney
Andrea Davis Pinkney is the New York Times bestselling an award-winning author of numerous books for children and young adults. Her work has received multiple Coretta Scott King Book Award citations, and she is a four-time nominee for the NAACP Image Award. Ms. Pinkney is the recipient of both the Regina Medal and the Arbuthnot Honor Award= for her distinguished and singular contribution to the field of children’s literature. Ms. Pinkney has been named among the “25 Most Influential People in our Children’s Lives” by Children’s Health magazine, and is listed among the “25 Most Influential Black Women in Business” by The Network Journal. She is included in the “50 Over 50 Extraordinary Women” noted by Good Housekeeping and Woman’s Day magazines. Her Husband, Brian Pinkney has illustrated numerous books for children, including two Caldecott Honor books, and he has written and illustrated several of his own books. Brian has received the Coretta Scott King Book Award for Illustration and three Coretta Scott King Book Award Honor medals.
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