Marching For Freedom: Walk Together Children and Don't You Grow Weary by Elizabeth Partridge

Jun 12, 2013 Justin rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book details the struggle faced by black Americans in Selma, Alabama to overcome the obstacles placed before them to register to vote. The story is centered on an historic march from Selma to Montgomery. Although it is told largely from the perspective of the young students involved in the struggle, the author does not soften the issue. Rather, Partridge uses descriptive language and direct quotations from participants of the events and combines them with powerful black and white photograp...more

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Mar 06, 2012 IndyPL Kids Book Blog rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction, favorites

Marching for Freedom tells the story of hundreds of men, women and children who marched in Selma, Alabama in the 1960s to help win black Americans the right to vote.

In 1963 Joanne Blackmon was ten. She went to the courthouse with her Grandmother so that her Grandmother could register to vote. They waited in line for hours and finally were arrested and put in jail. An old lady and a little girl…arrested…for patiently waiting in line.

That’s how it was in 1963. If a black person wanted to register...more

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Dec 12, 2011 Homewood Public Library rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: juvenile-nonfiction

Elizabeth Partridge, author of John Lennon: All I want is the Truth and The Life and Work of Dorothea Lange, recounts the gripping days in 1965 that led up to the march from Selma to Montgomery, Al in Marching for Freedom. Instead of focusing on the key players of the Civil Rights Movement, like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Partridge discusses the role that children and teens had on this historic movement. Partridge does not weigh the reader down with historic fact after historic fact, but recoun...more

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Mar 21, 2011 Maricor rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: biography-and-information

Marching for Freedom by Elizabeth Partridge (2009)
Marching for Freedom captures the tale of the African Americans in Selma, Alabama who struggled for the right to vote in the civil rights movement in 1965. Elizabeth Partridge shares the events in Selma leading up to the march to Montgomery which eventually involved over 30,000 African Americans and other civil rights activists. Using storytelling to reawaken the time period and events, Partridge creates an emotional story full of fear, hope, and...more

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Oct 21, 2010 N_maheenayub rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: info-bios

The clear black and white photos in this book are honestly what first captured my attention. The photos are taken from 1965, some are brutal and others are inspiring. They help capture the reader's attention as she reads about the days before "Bloody Sunday," when African Americans attempted to march to Selma, Alabama in order to gain the right to vote, but were injured along the way by state troopers. The nonfiction book continues with the eventual march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. The p...more

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Apr 30, 2010 Samantha rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: award-winning-nonfiction-books

Elizabeth Partridge’s Marching For Freedom tells stories from the civil rights movement in Selma, Alabama. The stories are frequently told from the children’s perspective, which makes the book, which is written for children ten and up, more engaging for children. Marching For Freedom has won the Jane Addams Children’s Book Award.

Partridge explains her inspiration and identifies her research well at the end of the book. She includes an author’s note explaining her inspiration for the book, which...more Elizabeth Partridge’s Marching For Freedom tells stories from the civil rights movement in Selma, Alabama. The stories are frequently told from the children’s perspective, which makes the book, which is written for children ten and up, more engaging for children. Marching For Freedom has won the Jane Addams Children’s Book Award.

Partridge explains her inspiration and identifies her research well at the end of the book. She includes an author’s note explaining her inspiration for the book, which is useful for showing students how authors begin their writing process. She includes a bibliography, source notes, permission, and acknowledgements that really show the depth of her research before writing this book. These sections make the book obviously credible and large source of information about the civil rights movement in Selma, Alabama.

Because of her extensive research, it seems appropriate to assume the text content is accurate. Multiple people’s stories intertwine to paint the picture of major events. Photographs help support the accuracy and moments of the story. The author states facts clearly and uses the characters’ memories to build up the emotions of the events.

The information is powerful and factual which makes it a great source for children to see how other children made such a large impact on the civil rights movement. It is written in an accessible way, which allows readers to focus on the information without wading through too much information or difficult layout. The information is well organized and told like a narrative timeline. At times the characters get confusing. There are so many people within the story that a reader may occasionally have to look back. Partridge shows respect for her readers’ by telling the story without making it childish or preachy. She does a great job of telling a story that will surprise and inspire children.

The language of the text along with the photographs paints a powerfully emotional and inspiring story about the events of the civil rights movement in Selma, Alabama. The author’s clear language, paired with powerful word choice, helps readers feel the emotions and importance of the actions that occurred. Her use of first person perspectives about the events help readers buy into the moments more than you would in a textbook. The images are equally powerful and carry as much weight as her words.
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Feb 15, 2010 Elizabeth rated it 5 of 5 stars

Elizabeth Partridge tells the moving story of young people’s role in the civil rights struggle.to get the vote in Selma, Alabama. The book opens with ten year old Joanne Blackmon’s first arrest when she accompanied her grandmother as she tried to register to vote in 1963. The narrative continues chronologically, highlighting the role played by youth. Adults could lose their jobs or even their lives if they protested, so the high school students were at the forefront of this struggle. The powerfu...more

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May 08, 2012 529_Regina rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: informational-text

Marching for Freedom: Walk Together, Children, and Don't You Grow Weary
by: Elizabeth Partridge
Intermediate and up Viking (2009) 72p.
ISBN-10: 0670011894 $14.95

"From a child up at that time, you was taught to fear them." Elizabeth Partridge took the well know civil rights march from Montgomery to Selma, and showed it through the lens of the children and teens who participated in the marches. Ms. Partridge's accounts are interchanged with first hand accounts and summative narratives was spell bindi...more

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Apr 30, 2010 Jennifer rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: award-winning-nonfiction

Marching For Freedom will challenge your thinking about what children are capable of. Elizabeth Partridge tells the story of the struggles of African Americans in Selma, Alabama in 1963 who were trying to register to vote. They were bullied and intimidated by local authorities, made to take an unfairly administered “literacy test” and charged a poll tax. The blacks wanted the right to vote but they had to join together in a peaceful protest to make their voices heard.

The author tells the story...more Marching For Freedom will challenge your thinking about what children are capable of. Elizabeth Partridge tells the story of the struggles of African Americans in Selma, Alabama in 1963 who were trying to register to vote. They were bullied and intimidated by local authorities, made to take an unfairly administered “literacy test” and charged a poll tax. The blacks wanted the right to vote but they had to join together in a peaceful protest to make their voices heard.

The author tells the story of several children who joined in those peaceful protests and marches to get the message out. The children had to protest because the adults feared losing their jobs and means of supporting their families. Children, as young as ten, were arrested and put in jail for taking part in the marches.

Photographs in this book really help to reflect the times. Signs, such as “colored rest room” or “white only” reveal the tension of the area. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. inspires them to act under the principles of nonviolence in a church and the picture makes you feel like he is talking to you. The photographs also show how things got out of hand on March 7, 1965 also known as Bloody Sunday. It ends by showing the five-day march to the Capitol Building in Montgomery and the signing of the Voting Rights Act.

The author’s style of writing and the page layout make you feel like you are reading the actual accounts of the children who lived it. She divides her chapters by dates like a journal and uses a font similar to the newspaper. She also adds in the words to some of the songs they used to keep their spirits going. All these elements work together to engage middle and upper grade readers and keep them reading. One thing I did find difficult was keeping track of the different children because she did jump back and forth between their stories. Students may have trouble with this as well.

This story does make you think about the risks these young people were willing to take and what a difference they made in history. In the author’s note she does remind us that it was not a “black movement-it was a people movement.”

The Kirkus starred review says it “portrays the fight for the heart of America" and School Library Journal says it’s “an excellent addition to any library.”

Awards:
Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Young Adult Literature
Jane Addams Children’s Book Award
School Library Journal’s Battle of the Books
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Apr 30, 2010 (NS) Amie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: award-winning-nonfiction

Marching For Freedom: Walk Together, Children, and Don’t You Grow Weary by Elizabeth Partridge is a moving portrait of how the children of the Civil Rights Movement propelled the movement forward and changed history. These children had to stand up and fight when their parents and teachers couldn’t for fear of losing their jobs and possibly their lives. Many of the brave children were beaten up, thrown into jail and, in some cases, killed. A 2009 Cybils Award nominee finalist and a 2010 ALA Notab...more Marching For Freedom: Walk Together, Children, and Don’t You Grow Weary by Elizabeth Partridge is a moving portrait of how the children of the Civil Rights Movement propelled the movement forward and changed history. These children had to stand up and fight when their parents and teachers couldn’t for fear of losing their jobs and possibly their lives. Many of the brave children were beaten up, thrown into jail and, in some cases, killed. A 2009 Cybils Award nominee finalist and a 2010 ALA Notable Children’s Book for Older Readers Award winner, Marching For Freedom reflects and encourages children’s interests. The School Library Journal raves about how “effective and meaningful archival photographs, quotes, poems, and songs are woven throughout the narrative, giving readers a real sense of the children's mindset and experiences.” The book’s layout is extremely attractive and grabbed my attention immediately. The black and white photographs (at least one on every double-page spread) takes the reader back to the unfairness and inequality by showing actual photos of the people and events the author is describing in the text. These photographs are so much more compelling than illustrations of that time are because the reader can see that this actually happened. Each photograph is clearly labeled with specific information that moves the story along. The narrative prose vividly portrays what it was like for these young people from Selma, fighting for equality from the time of “votelessness” in 1963 through the Voting Rights Act in August of 1965. The author was able to interview many of the children she wrote about which makes the book all the more powerful. The text is effectively organized by chronological events, and each chapter title is an important event and date. Elizabeth Partridge includes an author’s note, source notes, bibliography, permissions, acknowledgments and index at the end of the book. All of these are helpful to have as a teacher who wants to make sure to include only the most credible and accurate informational texts in their classroom library. This is a wonderful text to use in the middle school or high school classroom. It can be used as a read aloud or in literature circles to have in depth discussions about the civil rights movement, as well as other movements from the past or present day. Children can see that they can make a difference, and that they don’t have to wait until they are adults to stand up for what they believe in.(less)

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Apr 10, 2010 JuJu rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: nonfiction, juvenile, civil-rights

Elizabeth Partridge, author of John Lennon: All I want is the Truth and The Life and Work of Dorothea Lange, recounts the gripping days in 1965 that led up to the march from Selma to Montgomery, Al in Marching for Freedom. Instead of focusing on the key players of the Civil Rights Movement, like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Partridge discusses the role that children and teens had on this historic movement. Partridge does not weigh the reader down with historic fact after historic fact, but recoun...more

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Nov 20, 2009 Donna rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: nonfiction, social-issues, history

In 1965, segregation persisted in Alabama, and African Americans were often arrested while attempting to register to vote. This is the story of the grass roots civil rights movement in Selma, where children and teenagers were recruited to join adults in non-violent protest against absurd voter registration requirements. It's shocking to see photographs of young boys dressed in striped prison uniforms and chains after being arrested. Many of these young protesters were arrested multiple times. Th...more

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Nov 29, 2012 Jaclyn rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is an amazing, quality nonfiction children's history book. It is extremely well written and provides very important information about actual people and event that took place during the five day march. The actual photographs and captions add to the effect of the book and the teaching of the history of this historical event. This book details the youth of America's impact on the civil right's movement. The book follows the young children who marched 54 miles to Montgomery, Alabama. The march...more

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Nov 22, 2009 Kathy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: j-nonfiction

Dramatic, immediate writing and well-chosen, crisply reproduced photographs show how residents of Selma, Alabama, no longer content with their voteless state and encouraged by Dr.Martin Luther King, began demonstrations, which culminated in a five-day march and spurred the introduction and passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Partridge wisely focuses on the young people who demonstrated from the beginning and, in some cases, were among the 300 allowed to march the whole way or among the 30,...more

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Dec 28, 2009 Ginger rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is the best book I've ever read on the Civil Rights movement. Just using the bare facts of the Selma March and the events leading up to it, seen throught the perspective of several young people who participated, Partridge brings the events to life, creating a welling up of emotion that can only be equaled by something like the PBS series Eyes on the Prize. Fine archival photos enrich the text. Thorough source notes and bibliography complete this excellent work. I hope it gets into the hands...more

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Dec 04, 2012 Amy Dennehy rated it 5 of 5 stars

I thought this was a very good book. It provided so much information that I had never heard before. This book provides insight on the influence children had during the civil rights movement. I have never learned about this and never realize what these children went through. It was honestly very shock and interesting to read about. I think this would be a powerful book to have available in an older classroom, such as 5th-8th grade because the book had real pictures of children during the five-day...more

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Dec 04, 2012 Katie Frakes rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book is extremely informative and provides insight on the impact children had during the civil rights movement. Personally, I never really knew about this, so the information provided in this book was very interesting and shocking to me. Also, I really enjoyed how this book had actual pictures of the children during the five-day march from Selma, Alabama to Montgomery, Alabama. I think that this book would be good to have in any older classroom because it provides accurate and well-detailed...more

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Oct 27, 2010 Debra Landay rated it 5 of 5 stars

This was an amazing book! The author clearly has done her homework and weaves quotations from the people involved in the Marches from Selma with the events leading up to and including the final march from Selma to Montgomery. The violence that was committed to the marchers is unbelievable, and makes you wonder if Gov. Wallace and law enforcement in Alabama in 1965 didn't take its lessons from Hitler and the German police. There were times when I had to put the book down, because it was so distur...more

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Jan 22, 2011 Jacki rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: teen-non-fiction

Summary: A look at the events surrounding and leading up to the Selma freedom march, told partly from the perspective of teenagers who were involved.

Verdict: A must for the middle school American history classroom.

Yay!: Finding people who were teen participants in the marches and telling their stories here is an inspired idea. The narrow focus (not trying to tell the entire story of the civil rights movement in a slim book) allows for greater detail about the events covered. Mood-setting element...more

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Jan 25, 2010 Phoebe rated it 5 of 5 stars

Open this book and you will immediately be transported back, so well written, well researched, and powerful is it. Partridge takes a small segment of time (a six-month period in 1965) and writes about it, using interviews, archival photographs, and her own storytelling skills to extraordinary effect. Contemporary teens will feel the horror, fear, and desperation experienced by the young people who took part in the marches and demonstrations in Selma, and in the final march to Montgomery, standin...more

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Oct 05, 2010 Susan Adams rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book was great. I loved the photo illustrations and the layout of the book. It made reading this nonfiction much easier. The book included information I did not know about the push to register Blacks to vote in the South such as how many young people and children were involved in the demonstrations and even got arrested! I liked the fact that the teachers at one of the Black schools marched together to protest because Blacks were being denied the right to register on technicalities. The Sup...more

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Sep 10, 2012 Julien8cn rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: summer-reading-2012

One of my favorite books this summer, Marching for freedom is a book about the african americans trying to get the right to vote. This march was riddled with troubles and hardships. This includes discrimination, weather, and beatings. The march was long and laborious, but by the end the law against right to vote for the african american voter was revoked. Martin Luther king was the one who had been leading the march and was sorry for what had happened when the group had left without him and had...more

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Jun 24, 2010 David rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: kids-nonfiction

Marching for Freedom is a powerful, enotional and factual look at how young people contributed to the Civil Rights movement in Bloody Sunday and the Selma to Montgomery March in the quest for voting rights. It is evocative of the times and very accessible, with bold black and white photographs that illustrate the well researched text. It does not back away from brutality, but illustrates the bravery and endurance of young people. The lyrics of the songs of the marchers are powerful. Already an a...more

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May 12, 2010 Lindi rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: cultural-competency, non-fiction

The Selma protests as remembered by some of the high school students who were involved. Because families were not dependent on these children's paychecks, it was decided that they could suffer the repeated arrests and jailings necessary to force Selma's hand. Shocking and inspiring!

One thing I find shocking and dismaying about myself is that I have recently read two non-fiction books about events that happened in the 1960s when I was a child. I remember hearing about the flooding in Florence, It...more

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Feb 18, 2011 Sam Bloom rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: childrens-nonfiction

After finally reading Marching for Freedom, I have a feeling this would have won some big time awards if it wouldn't have been published in the same calendar year as Claudette Colvin. As much as I love the latter book, I actually prefer this one, which follows the march from Selma to Montgomery and pays particular attention to the role of young people. The photos are amazing, which is no surprise; in her author's note, Partridge talks about the inspiration she felt to write this book after seein...more

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Oct 23, 2010 Theresa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 722

Really fantastic details, personal accounts and primary source quotes from the people of Selma and others involved in the marches. It's a really great look at an important event (and part of this cournty's history) that doesn't get nearly enough attention. The account is very objective, but the basic facts create such an emotional reaction that editorialize would have ruined the book. The pictures are awe-inspiring. the list of sources in the back is thorough and its a nice place to start farthe...more

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Jan 21, 2012 Mr. Palmer rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: informational-american-history

In honor of Dr. King's birthday I wanted to read a book on something to do with his life. While not a very large book, it's a great read. Marching for Freedom tells the story of Dr. King's voting rights march from Selma, Alabama to Montgomery, Alabama. This book demonstrates the power of non-violence and the strength of standing up for what is right.

It seems every time I pick up a book on American history I am further amazed at the rich, complex stories that are there. The courage that these men...more

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Mar 05, 2013 CH13_Meghan Schultz rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: african-american-literature, rll-520-info-bios

Marching for Freedom documents the Civil Rights Movement through the eyes of children. The book begins in 1965 Salem, Alabama and follows the march led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to Montgomery, Alabama. Each page is filled with authentic photography taken throughout this time period and is accompanied by stories of children who participated in the march. The book shines light one the extreme violence several children endured in order to march alongside Dr. King.

This book is beyond wonderful!...more

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Mar 06, 2011 Erica rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, american, juvenile-non-fiction

Book talk: The ratification of the 15th Amendment in 1870 prohibited denying anyone the right to vote based on race, but in Alabama in 1965, they found enough ways to get around that amendment that even though half the population of Selma was black, 99 % of the voters were white. In 1965 the people of Selma decided to make a stand by marching to protest the unfair voting practices. The marchers were jailed, bombs were set off in the houses of the leaders, protesters were fired from their jobs, a...more Book talk: The ratification of the 15th Amendment in 1870 prohibited denying anyone the right to vote based on race, but in Alabama in 1965, they found enough ways to get around that amendment that even though half the population of Selma was black, 99 % of the voters were white. In 1965 the people of Selma decided to make a stand by marching to protest the unfair voting practices. The marchers were jailed, bombs were set off in the houses of the leaders, protesters were fired from their jobs, and the violence escalated leading up to what came to be known as Bloody Sunday. On Sunday, March 7th protesters gathered to march to Montgomery. Many of the protesters were children and teenagers who did not have jobs to lose. Despite this fact the police released tear gas on the peaceful protesters and came at man, woman, and child with clubs swinging. But trips to jail and even the hospital were not enough to stop them. These children and teenagers would gather again, and this time they would make it all the way to Montgomery.

Rocks my socks: The story of how many children and teenagers were involved in these marches knowing the incredible violence that awaited them is absolutely amazing. The book relies heavily on pictures taken during the events described and there's one on at least every other page. This really helps to communicate the story visually and draw the reader in. Partridge also uses excerpts from protest songs to tell the story, and I loved reading about the songs.

Rocks in my socks: I felt that the story could have been clearer at times. A bit more background and context to the events would have been appreciated. It seems that the story also tries to focus on several children and teens in particular to tell the story and in theory help teenage readers connect with it. However, I didn't feel that enough time was taken to really establish who each of these people were and so I occasionally got a bit lost or confused when it referred to a specific person by name and I couldn't remember who that person was. The pictures are lovely, but I wish there was a bit more text to support them.

Every book its reader: I'd give this to grades 6 and up. This would be a good book to use in class, but anyone with an interest in history of the period would enjoy it, and visual people in particular will enjoy the beautiful pictures.

Read more of my reviews at http://auldschoollibrarian.blogspot.com/(less)

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Mar 01, 2013 Sunday rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: national-book-award, information-texts, text-set-civil-rights-6-8th-grade, 6-8-nonfiction-read-aloud

This is a fantastic book for middle school students. From the first line this narrative is gripping - "The first time Joanne Blackmon was arrested, she was just ten years old." Partridge tells the story of the children and young adolescents who risked their lives to protest for their parents' right to vote. They were arrested, jailed, beaten along the way. The visuals - primary source photographs - are compelling and can easily serve as conversation starters.

Recommended for reading aloud or smal...more

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