Pink and Say

 

Title: Pink and Say

Author: Patricia Polacco

Age: 4^th-8^th

Summary:  This book is set in Georgia during the Civil War.  The three main characters are Sheldon Russell Curtis, Pinkus Aylee, and Moe Moe Bay.  Sheldon is a white Union soldier that is wounded in battle and left for dead in a field in Georgia.  Another Union solider finds him wounded and takes him back to his home to nurse him back to health.  Moe Moe Bay is Pinkus’s mother that helps Sheldon recover from his wounds.  Both of the soldiers are young men and they are afraid to return to the War but they know that it is their duty to do so.  A major theme in this book is the relationship between black and white.  Sheldon has never met an African American before but he is not concerned about race nor is Pinkus or his mother.  They are concerned for the health and well being of one another.  Once the boys are healthy they are going to return to the War, but before this happens marauders come and shot Moe Moe Bay while the boys were hiding in the cellar.  The boys are shaken by the death of Moe Moe Bay but they bury her and try to return to battle.  They are caught by the confederate before they have a chance, and Sheldon is sent to a prison camp while Pinkus sick with a fever is hung.

The illustrations in the book are well done and give some idea to the readers of how things looked during the Civil War.  I believe this would be a good book to use during a history lesson. 

Historical Fiction