Sit-In: How Four Friends Stood Up by Sitting Down

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Sit-In: How Four Friends Stood Up by Sitting Down

by Andrea Davis Pinkney, Brian Pinkney (Illustrator)

4.16 of 5 stars 4.16 · rating details · 414 ratings · 133 reviews

It was February 1, 1960.
They didn't need menus. Their order was simple.
A doughnut and coffee, with cream on the side.

This picture book is a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the momentous Woolworth's lunch counter sit-in, when four college students staged a peaceful protest that became a defining moment in the struggle for racial equality and the growing civil rights...more

Hardcover, 40 pages

Published February 3rd 2010 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

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Mar 15, 2013 Betty Hinton rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: childrens-literature-2013

Audience: This book would be good for students in grades 2nd grade through 6th grade.

Appeal: Students will enjoy the illustrations in this book. The images look like they were done by water painting. The text size changes throughout the book.

Application: I would use this in class to teach students about the segregation. What it was like before the Civil Rights Movement. I could use this book to as a reference, after we read it.

Awards: 2011 Carter G. Woodson Elementary Winner

Gr. 2-5 The talent...more

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Dec 05, 2012 Alicia Feller rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: rdg-4050

This is the story of four African-American college students who, on February 1st, 1960, they went into Woolworth’s café to have lunch. They sat at the counter, which was reserved for Whites only. They were practicing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s philosophy of nonviolence to fight the oppression of segregation. All they wanted was a doughnut and coffee, with cream on the side. But they were refused service because of their color.

News of the sit-in’s spread fast, and more and more people of all ra...more

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Jun 04, 2012 A_Cathi rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: info-bios

Greensboro, North Carolina - February 1960 was the beginning of a movement in civil rights by the unwavering patience of four gentlemen who just wanted a doughnut and coffee. What a wonderful way to present this difficult subject with my first grade class. The feeling of being treated like a second class citizen in this country known for its’ equal rights and freedom is what must have led David, Joseph, Franklin and Ezell to follow Dr. Martin Luther King’s wise words. Their decision to sit, and...more

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Jan 17, 2012 Audrey rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: picture-books

This book has a wonderful concept. An appealingly illustrated picture book with quotes by Dr. King accenting an accessibly told narrative about sit-ins is a really great idea. It should be a great book. But it's not, because it is so very badly written. I don't just mean awkward sentence structure (though it is guilty of that). It's not even just that it's an unabashedly didactic book, destined to be one that adults love and children endure. I could have forgiven both on strength of the truly lo...more

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Dec 06, 2011 Jackie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: civil-rights, historical, children-non-fiction, prejudice, 5013

A picture book that takes a tough subject and makes the word understandable, yet the concept is still unfathomable even by adults. Sit-In: How Four Friends Stood Up By Sitting Down is the depiction of an historical event in America, which is shameful and ethically immoral, and puts in it simple terms for kids to read. Segregation in the 60's was the norm, yet these young men were bolstered by Dr. Martin Luther King's eloquent words, gentle voice, and peaceful tenacity.

These four young men, coll...more

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Apr 02, 2011 Lisa Vegan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: biography, history, picture-books, non-fiction, childrens, reviewed

This history book is a wonderful collaboration by a wife (story) and husband (illustrator) team. It relates the famous occurrence of the four young African-American men, who in 1960 sat down at a Woolworth’s counter and tried to get served at a whites only segregated restaurant, and how their act inspired others to also get involved in the civil rights integration movement, and how they succeeded after a groundswell they helped create. This book was published 50 years after these events. So, I w...more This history book is a wonderful collaboration by a wife (story) and husband (illustrator) team. It relates the famous occurrence of the four young African-American men, who in 1960 sat down at a Woolworth’s counter and tried to get served at a whites only segregated restaurant, and how their act inspired others to also get involved in the civil rights integration movement, and how they succeeded after a groundswell they helped create. This book was published 50 years after these events. So, I was highly aware that for the children who are the target audience of this book, 50 years ago seems like fairly distant history, and the college students who started this peaceful protest against the status quo of the time and place could seem old, not young. So, it’s impressive that the presentation here is so universally appealing.

From the start, I loved the pictures. They might be my favorite of the picture book illustrations I’ve seen by Brian Pinkney. They’re wonderfully colorful, in an appealing style that helps convey this story, and they’re beautiful, and most importantly they manage to show a fluidity of movement and that is so apropos to the book’s subject matter.

The writing style I vacillated between loving and feeling it didn’t quite work, but overall I thought it was brilliantly engaging and gave a sense of immediacy to these events that happened so long ago. Quotes by Martin Luther King Jr. about peaceful civil disobedience are sprinkled strategically throughout the book. At the end of the book, there is an (also illustrated) civil rights timeline of events that include the Greensboro sit-ins and pertinent things that happened before and after them, a photo of four of the key protestors at the lunch counter on the second day of the sit-ins, and an aptly named For Further Enjoyment page that includes other books and websites too. This book is a wonderful way to teach history and it also serves as a tribute to all those who participated in the civil rights movement, especially the sit-ins circa 1960. The author makes clear that both black and white members of the community were inspired to participate, and it thrillingly tells how they were able to peacefully persevere and eventually succeed in making needed changes.

One of my city’s branch libraries re-opened after a long closure for renovation, and while I was there to check it out, I saw this book on the “new books” shelf and grabbed it; I’m glad that I did.

4 ½ stars(less)

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Mar 30, 2011 Sarah W rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: picturebookparty, nonfiction, civil-rights, protest

This picture book offers an accounting of the sit-in started at a North Carolina Woolworth's lunch counter on February 1, 1960. David, Joseph, Franklin and Ezell, four college students at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, ordered and waited for service. They ignored that the counter was for whites only.

Some treated them as though they were invisible, others ignored them. The four students refused to leave until they were served. A police officer came, but he could find...more

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Feb 02, 2011 Margaret rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: picture-book, historical-fiction

2/2/2011 ** This past weekend, I had the opportunity to hear Andrea & Brian Pinkney, a husband/wife team, talk about their book projects.

Sit-In is about the lunch-counter sit-in movement that started exactly 51 years ago on 2/1/1960 in Greensboro, NC. The author, Andrea Pinkney, has chosen two metaphors to illustrate the concepts of segregation and integration. First, building on the students' order of "a doughnut and coffee with cream on the side" she alludes to the law's recipe for segrega...more 2/2/2011 ** This past weekend, I had the opportunity to hear Andrea & Brian Pinkney, a husband/wife team, talk about their book projects.

Sit-In is about the lunch-counter sit-in movement that started exactly 51 years ago on 2/1/1960 in Greensboro, NC. The author, Andrea Pinkney, has chosen two metaphors to illustrate the concepts of segregation and integration. First, building on the students' order of "a doughnut and coffee with cream on the side" she alludes to the law's recipe for segregation: "Do not combine white people with black people," calling segregation a "bitter brew." Later, she says the students used the time at the counter to study for tests and that if "black people and white people could break bread together, everyone would pass the test."

The visual design provides a strong complement to the text. I was fascinated to hear Andrea deconstruct the artwork - she said that the way Brian portrayed the lunch counter in his images allowed it to become another character in the book. For example, on one page, the counter was shown from two different angles so that it seemed to cave-in on itself in the gutter of the book. This symbolism represented the way that segregation was caving in.

On later pages, the lunch counter becomes a road with ups and downs, showing the series of successes and failures that the civil rights workers experienced. Finally, the lunch counter is shown as a track similar to that of a roller coaster, symbolic of the out-of-control twists that one can encounter when on a frightening journey. Every time I hear someone do a visual analysis of art, I'm impressed at the layers of meaning that the images add to the story.

The poetic prose, extended metaphors in the text, symbolic nature of the images, and the use of multiple fonts and colors all combine to create a richly textured narrative about an important aspect of the Civil Rights Movement. This is definitely a picture book for many ages. Children in the early elementary grades will be moved to discuss the ways that teens try to help others. Children & youth in later grades can use this text as a jumping-off point to explore the many incidents in the civil rights movement.(less)

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Aug 19, 2010 Amy Bloom rated it 5 of 5 stars

Sit-In: How Four Friends Stood Up By Sitting Down
By Andrea Davis Pinkney illustrated by Brian Pinkney
Publisher: Little Brown and Co.
Trade Edition. ISBN 9780316070164. Price 16.99. unpaged. Includes timeline, afterword, further reading
4.5 stars
Four black students, inspired by the words of Martin Luther King, made history at a Woolworth’s lunch counter in February 1960. Fifty years later Andrea Davis Pinkney and her husband, illustrator Brian Pinkney have brought to life the events of that time an...more

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Mar 30, 2010 Allison rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: kids-non-fiction

Pinkney, Andrea Davis Sit-in: How Four Friends Stood Up By Sittitng Down, 40 pages, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; Language~G, Sexual Content~G; Violence~PG

In 1960 four students sat down at the counter of Woolworth’s and started a revolution. Taking Dr. Martin Luther King’s words of peace and non-violence to heart, these teens sat at the “WHITES ONLY” counter and waited, and waited, and were ignored until the store owner closed early as a way to get them to stop.

This act of non-violent...more

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Mar 24, 2010 Tasha rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: picture-books

Inspired by the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. four young men sat at the Woolworth’s lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina on February 1, 1960. They placed their simple order of a doughnut and coffee, with cream on the side, and sat quietly, refusing to comply with the Whites Only rule. The next day, more people joined them, sitting still for what was right. The sit-ins got bigger and moved beyond lunch counters to buses, parks and libraries. The students were jailed for loafing, but...more

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Mar 14, 2010 Ch_robyn Schaefer rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: info-bios

Andrea Davis and Brian Pinkney’s brand new book (published 2010) is powerfully told.
It portrays the true story of the 1960 Greensboro sit-in, in which four boys “stood up” by sitting down at a Woolworth’s lunch counter despite the clear WHITES ONLY sign. The boys, of course, were not served. But that didn’t stop them from coming in day after day, sitting and waiting for “a doughnut and coffee with cream on the side.” The text is eloquent and compelling. The author writes, “At first they were tre...more Andrea Davis and Brian Pinkney’s brand new book (published 2010) is powerfully told.
It portrays the true story of the 1960 Greensboro sit-in, in which four boys “stood up” by sitting down at a Woolworth’s lunch counter despite the clear WHITES ONLY sign. The boys, of course, were not served. But that didn’t stop them from coming in day after day, sitting and waiting for “a doughnut and coffee with cream on the side.” The text is eloquent and compelling. The author writes, “At first they were treated like the hole in a doughnut – invisible.” The boys, however, waited quietly, patiently, politely. And in doing so, they inspired a nation. Non-violent sit-ins spread throughout the country.

The colorful, wispy sketches are optimistic, and create a positive and hopeful tone. Although never explicitly mentioned, Dr. King’s presence is felt throughout the book. Like Martin’s Big Words, select phrases from Dr. King -- big, bold, and colorful -- are interspersed with the narrative. For instance, the boys remember that “We must meet violence with nonviolence” and “We must be loving enough to absorb evil.” Despite injustice, the boys remain gentle, stoic, and determined. Readers will truly empathize with the four boys who sit patiently doing schoolwork and studying for their tests waiting for “a doughnut and coffee with cream on the side.” (A repeated refrain throughout the story.) They will feel for other protesters across the county who had “coffee poured down their backs, milkshakes flung in their faces, and ketchup dumped on their heads” yet still sat patiently without lashing out. The final page is an extended pull-out spread that shows what the waiting was for. It reveals swirled lunch counters across the land with all colors being served. The narrative is supplemented by a factual civil rights timeline, a note to the reader from the author about the motivation for writing the book, and actual photograph of the 4 boys who “stood up” by “sitting down.”

The metaphors to recipes and studying in the book were a bit overused. (Those kids had a recipe, too. A new brew called integration. Combine black with white to make sweet justice. Everybody would score an A+ with that coffee and cream on the side. If black people and white people could break bread together, everyone would pass the test.) Still, the book is a powerful one – one that I intend to add to my classroom library and share with my kids in our studies of Civil Rights.(less)

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May 03, 2010 kate and lexi rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: multicultural, we-own, from-the-publisher, non-fiction, history

This beautifully illustrated book details the famous sit-in at the Greensboro, NC Woolworth's counter in 1960. The prose is moving, speckled with quotes that inspired the protesters and good detail. As a picture book ought to be, it is both easily understood and deep enough for older readers. My kindergartner (who does have some exposure to the civil rights movement) grasped the storyline and was moved by the strength it took to stay still.

The simple, powerful prose is well matched by the illus...more

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Mar 15, 2013 Alaina Rogers rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: multicultural

Audience: This would appeal to both boys and girls in upper elementary. Younger children might not be able to understand what is going on in the book. The book is also longer to it might be difficult for a young child to read it.

Appeal: Children will want to read this book because the artwork is amazing and will draw their attention in. All of the metaphors used in this book make it fun for children to read too. The time line in the back will allow children to continue on learning after then hav...more

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Nov 02, 2011 Liz Strode rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: civil-rights, historical, intermediate, multi-cultural-literature, picture-book, wide-reading-project, ya, award-honor-book

Andrea Pinkney's version of the historic "Greensboro Four" sit in that began on February 1, 1960. The story is told in a poetic, song-song verse. The text plays off of the lunch counter setting (i.e. "At first they were treated like the hole in a doughnut -- invisible" and "Those kids had a recipe, too. A new brew called integration."

Award/Honor: A 2011 Jane Addams Peace Honor Book for Younger Children

In the classroom this book would be an excellent addition to lessons on the Civil Rights Moveme...more

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Jun 27, 2011 Amy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: childrens, childrens-non-fiction

Very well done book. My niece learned about MLK Jr. and Rosa Parks this year, and she immediately grasped what was presented in this book. I asked her lots of questions about what she was hearing and seeing here, and this enabled me to confirm that she was understanding what this story was telling. I was thrilled when I asked her what the people were sitting-in for and she responded, "for respect." She got the point.

This story provided a great starting point for us to talk about the civil right...more

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Mar 15, 2012 Jessi rated it 4 of 5 stars

I think this book is a pretty great way to introduce the concept of the civil rights issues of the 1960s to kids. The text is clear and easy to understand, and the ideas come across really well (as opposed to some children's books I've read on the same subject, which can be too wordy or confusing.) Another thing I liked about the book was the fact that important quotes or concepts are featured in bold, colorful print, along with the story:
"We must...meet hate with love."
"If black people and whi...more

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Mar 02, 2012 Emily rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: picture-books

Wonderful book to introduce and explain the Greensboro Sit-Ins and the Civil Rights Movement. The language is rich , providing information in a poetic style. The illustrations mirror the moving words of the text with a simple, yet detailed style that evokes the feeling of viewing someone's old memories or fuzzy video footage from this historical era. Particularly powerful is the interwoven theme that all of the actions of the Civil Right Movement were working toward a "recipe" for justice, peace...more

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Jun 22, 2012 Jami rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: children-s-literature

Audience: This is a book for those interested in the Civil Rights Movement. It is also for those who like to read about real life heroes. It contains an illustrated timeline and a detailed Author's Note so it is also a great book for those who like to read about history. It would be a great text to teach problem solving or good leadership skills.

Appeal: The illustrations in this text are amazing. The text is written in different colors and in a poetry like manner that mingles real life history w...more

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Apr 04, 2013 Angela added it

Shelves: children-s-lit-2013

Audience: This book is primarily for grades K-3. For the younger grades, the students might not find interest by what is going on in the pictures. The meaning of the story might be hard for the younger grades to understand as well without guidance.

Appeal: This book is appealing because the cover says "How Four Friends Stood Up By Sitting Down". This will interest students because it talks about friends which is an interest and it leaves them with the question of how they stood up for one another...more

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Mar 20, 2013 Alissa Anderson rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: children-s-lit-2013

Audience: This would be a good book to both boys and girls in upper elementary. Younger children might not be able to understand what is going on in the book and it is a bit long for them as well.

Appeal: Students will want to read this book because the artwork is amazing and will draw their attention in. The reading is easy and teaches them an important lesson at the same time. There is also a time line of the Civil Rights Movement in the back that is interesting to read or could be used for re...more

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Jul 04, 2012 Molly rated it 4 of 5 stars

Sit-In: How Four Friends Stood Up by Sitting Down is a great historical fiction picture book about the Greensboro sit-ins at a Woolworth's lunch counter. Andrea Pinkney included quotes from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in bold, colored font, intermixed with the storyline. I think that including these quotes makes the story more powerful, and sends a strong message of using peace and nonviolence to combat hatred. Brian' Pinkney's illustrations are colorful and focused on the hope and accomplishment...more

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Mar 27, 2013 Ashley rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: childrens_lit_2013

Audience: The audience for this book would be best suited for fifth or sixth grade students. These students would be able to comprehend the historical events and the concept of segregation.

Appeal: This book is appealing to students because it introduces them to a true story. Kids love learning non-fiction in these grades. Students can relate to the concept of being left out, especially since by this age they have favored friend groups and cliques.

Application: I would use this book in the classr...more

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Nov 17, 2012 Bridgit rated it 5 of 5 stars

Grade/interest level: Primary/upper elementary
Reading level: AD500L
Genre: multicultural literature
Main Characters: narrator
Setting: Greensboro, North Carolina
POV: third person

This picture book tells the story of the four college students who began the sit-ins in Greensboro, North Carolina, at Woolworth's Diner. Through a sing-song, poetic arrangement, the authors convey the basic demands of the students and the mindsets of the time.

I really enjoy this book. The pictures are beautiful and the...more

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Oct 26, 2012 Angela rated it 4 of 5 stars

A poetic rhythmic picture book that would be great for a second or third grade teacher to introduce the importance of Black History Month and the concept of segregation. The idea of being allowed to eat together is one that children can grasp quickly and I think that the extended metaphor of a "recipe for justice" is lovely.

The illustrations are just a tad too sketchy for me to fall in love with them. It does give some dynamic movement to a story that is mainly about sitting still, and (to a pra...more

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Sep 18, 2010 Todd rated it 3 of 5 stars

This capable treatment of the Greensboro Sit-Ins of 1960 doesn't cover a lot of new ground, but is accessible and well-illustrated. Simple text does its best to cover a very complicated part of the Civil Rights era, as does a timeline at the back of the book. This is a fine addition to the burgeoning collection of books for younger kids on the Civil Rights era, though elements of it seem overly curricular, and the tone of the text can sometimes ring dated, and oddly poetic. It also becomes a lit...more

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Apr 15, 2012 Brandi Smith rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: childrens-literature

This autobiographical picturebook is intended for ages 5-8 years(P). In it the author recounts the story of the 1960 sit-in at the Woolworth's lunch counter.
I gave this book 4 stars. The author uses a series of metaphors to communicate the emotions at the lunch counter that afternoon. Then she carefully places actual quotes from Dr. King's speeches within the text to help explain the protesters motivation to keep peaceful. This book is appropriate for the targeted age group. There are a lot of m...more

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Jul 01, 2011 Sarah Shufelt added it

The husband and wife team of Brian and Andrea Davis Pinkney has created a strong marriage of poetic text and lively, impactful illustrations in Sit-In: How Four Friends Stood Up By Sitting Down. The book tells the story of the Woolworth counter sit-ins in the 1960s and goes on to explain other events of the Civil Rights Movement. The text is punctuated by words from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and a Civil Rights timeline helps students understand some of the important events of the time period...more

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Oct 11, 2011 Heather rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: african-americans, children, history, non-fiction, picture-books

The illustrations in this book were really compelling--scribbly ink and water color on lots of green and yellow backgrounds. The story is a look at the four students who sat down at a whites-only lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina on February 1, 1960 and the movement of nonviolent protest that they helped spawn. It includes quotes from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and uses a clever recipe motif to describe what things make up justice (i.e. "Mix black people with white people," "sprinkle w...more

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May 19, 2011 Laura rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, bes11-12, children-s, picture

A brightly illustrated and easy-to-understand book about the Civil Rights Movement. While the story begins by focusing on lunch counter sit-ins, it expands to explain Dr. King's message, the foundation of SNCC, and legislative changes. The book also uses an extended metaphor of cooking, which I didn't think was necessary. A recipe for integration is included at the end of the book along with an explicit explanation of why the sit-ins were so important for those who were finally served. A timelin...more

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About Andrea Davis Pinkney

Andrea Davis Pinkney is the New York Times bestselling author of more than 20 books for children, including the Caldecott Honor Book and Coretta Scott King Honor Book Duke Ellington, illustrated by Brian Pinkney; Let it Shine: Stories of Black Women Freedom Fighters, a Coretta Scott King Honor Book and winner of the Carter G. Woodson Award; and Alvin Ailey, a Parenting Publication Gold medal winne...more

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