Tar Beach by Faith Ringgold

Jun 18, 2019 Calista rated it really liked it

Shelves: award-various, bage-children, 1991, award-caldecott, genre-fantasy, award-coretta-scott-king, histiorical, want-to-own, sub-dreams, women

This is a little memoir set in 1930s Harlem. The theme of flying as metaphor for freedom and being free is used to wonderful effect here. It is an African American tradition I learned from this book. Faith has written this story out of her own days of laying on the rooftop and looking at the stars on summer nights and flying over the city.

This was also made into a quilt, well it was a quilt first and then Faith developed it into this story. We see the quilt squares around the edges of the page. ...more

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Feb 06, 2011 Ronyell rated it really liked it

Shelves: african-american, coretta-scott-king-medal, caldecott-honor, read-in-2010, children-s-book, my-blog-reviews, bedtime-stories, picture-book, 1001-children-s-books, reading-rainbow-book

I have actually seen this book on an episode of “Reading Rainbow” and I thought that this book was great! “Tar Beach” is a Caldecott Honor Book and Coretta Scott King Honor Book by Faith Ringgold that is about a young girl named Cassie Louise Lightfoot who tells the audience about how she flies in the sky over the city and relates her tale to the audience. “Tar Beach” is certainly a memorable book that children will love to read!

After reading this book, I started taking an interest in the art of Tar

I have actually seen this book on an episode of “Reading Rainbow” and I thought that this book was great! “Tar Beach” is a Caldecott Honor Book and Coretta Scott King Honor Book by Faith Ringgold that is about a young girl named Cassie Louise Lightfoot who tells the audience about how she flies in the sky over the city and relates her tale to the audience. “Tar Beach” is certainly a memorable book that children will love to read!

After reading this book, I started taking an interest in the art of creating stories through quilts! Faith Ringgold has done an excellent job at both illustrating and writing this story about the life of an African-American girl during the 1930s. What really made this book stand out was the fact that it was based off of Faith Ringgold's story quilt that details the life of African-American women in America and I really loved the idea about this story coming from a story quilt, which is a quilt that tells the story of a person's life, since it made the story more creative and memorable to read about. Also, this book helped me learn more about black history, especially seeing how African-Americans and Native-Americans were treated during the construction of the Union building during the 1930s and it is interesting to see how far we have came from those times. Faith Ringgold's illustrations are truly creative and gorgeous, especially when she uses watercolor painting to illustrate the characters and the cities. The images that truly stood out for me were the images of Cassie flying over the George Washington Bridge and her apartment where her family lives on as it is simply breathtaking. I also loved the way that Faith Ringgold pasted pieces of her quilt on the bottom of the pages since it brings true creativity to the story and made the story even more heartwarming to read.

Tar

The only reason why I gave this book a four star rating is because even though I gave this book so much praise, the story seems to go through the events a bit too fast and there does not seem to be enough information about the characters themselves and the events that surrounded them, especially regarding the Union building since I wanted to learn more about the situation at the Union building during the 1930s.

Overall, “Tar Beach” is a great book for children who want to see stories through the eyes of a quilt and learn more about black history. I would recommend this book to children ages four and up since the format is easy for younger children to understand.

Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog

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Apr 16, 2016 Manybooks rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: picture-books, book-reviews, childrens-literature, african-american-canadian, flying

Although Faith Ringgold's text is sweet and touching (providing both an enchanting story and much food for thought and discussion, as well as deeper analysis), I have to admit that I do not really seem to understand the concept and significance of the flying dream all that much or all that well. I have had dreams of flying myself, but for me, these dreams have generally always been ones of escaping to an alternate, better reality, to fairyland or the historical past so to speak, and not generall ...more

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Apr 01, 2020 Mir rated it really liked it

Shelves: realism, picture

I didn't actually read this; I listened to the author read it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9RKJ...
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Jan 12, 2012 Alyson (Kid Lit Frenzy) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2012, caldecott-caldecott-honor-books, picture-book

I read this when it first came out. And I read it again a few years ago, and now I just read it for the 3rd+++++ time. However, I think I am finally understanding it at a deeper level.

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Mar 10, 2011 Dolly rated it liked it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: parents reading with their children

Shelves: childrens, picture-book-club, 2011, other-usa, caldecott-honor, reading-rainbow, books-for-living-end-of-your-life

This is a nice story about the wonders of imagination and the joys of city life.

Where else but in a city of high-rise buildings like New York City could a little girl go up to the "tar beach" on the roof of a building, have a party surrounded by the dark of the sky and the lights of the buildings around you and admire the sparkling jewel lights of a bridge that her own father helped to build?

Fun story, with gorgeous illustrations and dark, bold colors. We loved the background information on th ...more

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Jan 20, 2010 L-Crystal Wlodek rated it really liked it

Shelves: multicultural-literature

Summary: This picture book, illustrated in a quilt-like fashion, is intended for readers 4-8 years of age and is a Caldecott Honor book. This book is about the universal wish of freedom. It delightfully balances dreams of a young girl and the injustices of the adult world. One night, as Cassie Lightfoot lays on “tar beach” which is the rooftop of her apartment building, the stars lift her up, allowing her to fly all round the city. While flying, she claims all of the buildings her own so her fam ...more

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Aug 31, 2016 SamZ rated it liked it

Shelves: caldecott

1992 Caldecott Honor - Favorite Illustration: I like the picture of the adults on the roof playing cards together while the children sleep nearby.
When first reading this book, I was slightly confused as to what it was meant to be. However, after reading the extensive author's note, then reading through the book again it made more sense. Cassie is a young girl who dreams of a better life for herself and her family, and she is able to accomplish this by flying over and "claiming" building for her ...more

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Jan 16, 2013 Alicia Ard rated it it was amazing

"Tar Beach" is a journey through the mind of Cassie Louise Lightfoot. Cassie is an eight-year-old African-American girl whose lower-class family lives in New York. The story originated as a very colorful story quilt and later evolved into book form.

Tar Beach is the name Cassie has given the rooftop of the apartment complex in which she resides. It is a nice gathering place for families to spend hot summer nights.

Cassie tells us that when she visits Tar Beach, she can fly anywhere she pleases. Th "Tar Beach" is a journey through the mind of Cassie Louise Lightfoot. Cassie is an eight-year-old African-American girl whose lower-class family lives in New York. The story originated as a very colorful story quilt and later evolved into book form.

Tar Beach is the name Cassie has given the rooftop of the apartment complex in which she resides. It is a nice gathering place for families to spend hot summer nights.

Cassie tells us that when she visits Tar Beach, she can fly anywhere she pleases. This is not to be taken literally, of course; while Cassie can dream and pretend that she is flying, it is her imagination that really soars. Cassie likes to imagine flying over grand parts of the city. She can see her father working, helping to construct different buildings. Most importantly, Cassie enjoys flying and circling around the George Washington bridge.

This all sounds incredibly mystical for an eight-year-old girl to fly and explore the city. Midway through the story, the reader learns that the story is set in the late 1930's, towards the end of the Great Depression. Cassie's father works in construction, and he was involved in building the George Washington bridge in 1931, and the new Union Building in the present time of the story. Cassie further explains that her dad cannot join the Union because of their heritage. While not having the knowledge of the work force that a working adult would have, Cassie still has a strong sense that the Union could make things better for her family. She comments in her own words that her father would be richer and "Mommy won't cry all winter when he goes to look for work and doesn't come home." Cassie believes that the Union would help her family to feel more secure compared to their neighbors, who have more money.

Cassie feels powerful when she flies and comes to the conclusion that she can take ownership of anything over which she flies. She wants to fly over the Union building and give it to her father. This is an incredibly selfless gift idea that Cassie has for her family. She would also like to give her brother a trip over the bridge. Cassie's flying over the tall structures of the city greatly symbolizes her will and wishes to triumph over the problematic "structures" in her personal life. It is not implied whether or not Cassie's parents discuss with her the issues of finding work in such difficult times and for simply having African-American heritage. Nonetheless, she has an incredible understanding of the issues surrounding her family at the time. Cassie's ability to "fly" helps her to cope with those struggles.

This story great for seeing into the eyes, mind, and heart of a little girl growing up in some very hard times. The issues of being "colored" come out in a very age-appropriate perspective; they are expressed very seriously, but with a sense of innocence still intact. This story serves a great purpose for its intended young audience, and that is to go back in time and gain sense of what it was like to grow up in that time. As an adult reader, the same point of view can be learned and understood, in addition to the memories of one's own childhood troubles. ...more

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Feb 15, 2016 SaraLaLa rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: childrens

This book was not at all what I expected it to be, and for that, I am grateful. The title made me think of an oil spill accident in the ocean. How depressing! The title is referring to using the roof tops in the city like a beach, laying out under the stars. Tar Beach is mainly about a little girl admiring her surroundings at night in NYC and briefly about her family life.

There are some things that seemed not quite right, though. If you live in the city and you look up, you don't really see any ...more

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Apr 23, 2013 Evan rated it it was amazing

Shelves: multicultural, 311, read-aloud, author-study, family

Tar Beach is the story of a young girl named Cassie Lightfoot and her unique perspective of Harlem in the 1930’s. Cassie flies above her black tar rooftop and has a bird’s eye view of her city in which she recounts some of the different things she sees such as her most prized possession, the George Washington Bridge, and her father’s workplace at a union building where he is a construction worker.

The book has a very positive message about the need to dream and flourish while still containing und ...more

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Jan 23, 2010 Ch_beth Rice rated it really liked it

Shelves: mc-literature

This Caldecott Honor book earned it's award with it's beautiful depiction of how powerful imagination can be. I love the way Faith Ringgold shows the hardships that Cassie's family faces, and how Cassie does what she can to help her family through the power of her imagination. I also love how Ringgold shows that although her family has many challenges they also find joy in simple things such as picnics on their roof. A wonderful book to show a different way of life to young children and explore ...more

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Aug 14, 2016 Jenny rated it really liked it

Shelves: children-s-books, picture-books, caldecott

The story is whimsical and yet somewhat historical/autobiographical in nature. The narrator imagines flying through the air and whatever she flies over belongs to her. I really appreciated the author's note because it increased my appreciation for and comprehension of the text. The illustrations are gorgeous...I love the quilt squares along the bottom of each page...and I love them even more after seeing the quilt that Ringgold created to tell this story. The paintings are rich with color and de ...more

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Feb 21, 2010 Ch_charonbradley rated it it was amazing

Shelves: mc-literature

Faith Ringgold's Tar Beach is an amazing story that utilizes her art work as the illustration. Tar Beach, although Ringgold's first book, won critical acclaim as well as a Caldecott Honor and a Coretta Scott King Award for Illustration, and it continues to be a favorite among children and adults alike. The story is about a girl that fly over her neighborhood to claim the George Washington Bridge. It is a story that I would use in grade 3-5. ...more

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Dec 29, 2012 Debbie Hoskins rated it it was amazing

Shelves: creative-how-to, free-therapy, love-the-illustrations, rock-star, mystic, archetypes, poetic, kind-of-my-friend, intelligent, favorite-books

I can't believe I forgot this book. It has one of my favorite quotes in it. "I have told him it's very easy, anyone can fly. All you need is somewhere to go that you can't get to any other way. The next thing you know, you're flying among the stars."
This book is based on one of Faith Ringgold's quilts, which I love! I had the blessing to be able to see her quilts in person with a dear artist friend at the art museum in Kalamazoo. ...more

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Sep 17, 2016 Jennifer (JenIsNotaBookSnob) rated it really liked it

Shelves: 1001-books-to-read-before-adult, books-we-read-to-kairi

Really liked this one. Don't miss reading older children the last page about Ringgold's quilt in the Guggenheim museum. I had to paraphrase that last page a bit for my 5 year old, but, got most of the main points in. Good opportunity to explain the variations in the American Experience to small children. ...more

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Jan 22, 2017 Courtney Barter rated it liked it

Shelves: kidlit

Tar Beach is a book about a young girl who has a dream about flying above her house and viewing her world from above. The book is based in 1939 when the little girl is eight years old. Her dream comes true in this book! Coretta Scott King award winning book.

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Feb 14, 2011 Fenixbird SandS rated it it was amazing

Shelves: awards-caldecott, cultural-awareness, childrensbooks, passions-life-crises, fantasy, picturebooks

1991 CALDECOTT HONOR PICTURE BOOK MY SYNOPSIS: Many large, tall skyscrapers surround the George Washington Bridge, a lighted suspension bridge, which Harlem overlooks. Atop one of these buildings young Cassie, her brother, parents and Mrs. and Mrs. Honey enjoy potlucks, card games, and whimsy on the rooftop which they name “Tar Beach.” Here Cassie soars over the city wearing the lights of the bridge as a necklace. She learns to “fly” here and feels she can own anything!
THEME: Cassie, a third gra 1991 CALDECOTT HONOR PICTURE BOOK MY SYNOPSIS: Many large, tall skyscrapers surround the George Washington Bridge, a lighted suspension bridge, which Harlem overlooks. Atop one of these buildings young Cassie, her brother, parents and Mrs. and Mrs. Honey enjoy potlucks, card games, and whimsy on the rooftop which they name “Tar Beach.” Here Cassie soars over the city wearing the lights of the bridge as a necklace. She learns to “fly” here and feels she can own anything!
THEME: Cassie, a third grader, can envision an equality for her and her family through her nighttime magical imaginings on those nights at least when her family and their friends can “own” a piece of “Tar Beach” (Harlem tenement building’s rooftop). She shows us HOW to and that they CAN be overcome—prejudices.
Is the theme worthwhile? Is it too obvious or overpowering? The theme is a powerful one! As Cassie determines through her own fantasies own that SHE can overcome anything we each feel somewhat more empowered ourselves. The child audience is appealed to by these themes of unlimited thinking and visions of a better world, an empowered world, through daydreaming (or nighttime day dreaming as in this case). As Ringgold writes and illustrates Cassie’s experiences this theme is woven together and carries us and her little brother BeBe away through Cassie’s vicarious Big-Sisterliness to learn about her very own breathtaking and inspiring experiences atop the roof on many a warm summer night.
Personal Reaction. When I discovered that Ringgold chose her quilt which she also calls “Tar Beach” as an outer border of both her front and back covers of this book, it reminded me of something I recently learned—that quilt makers during the Civil War incorporated messages, directions, instructions. Faith Ringgold branched into story writing from quilt making. My delight at the author’s use of imagery served to emphasize her theme and makes me want to explore other 1991 Caldecott Medal winners because they MUST be even more better than Ringgold’s entry!

Content. What is the focus of the book? Through the nighttime magical imaginings of a young girl, Cassie, in the third grade, we are shown her world where prejudices CAN be overcome and in which she determines through her fantasies that she can overcome anything.
Is the book appropriate for a particular age of student or child? What age would most appreciate the book? From early age 0 to 5 years (pre-readers) and beyond. These vivid inner city illustrations tell the message of life surrounded by high rises and the body of water bridged by the George Washington Bridge, which Cassie’s father helped to build.
Does the book encourage curiosity and wonder about its topic(s)? Yes. How is it that children can “fly”? I can’t fly—or can I? Some people think this book is a good starting point for a discussion of wishes and vision.
Is the book connected to any particular curriculum topic(s) in more than just a superficial way? Yes, occupations, class differences, family life, big city issues such as labor unions, and prejudice. Cassie’s father brings Cassie with him to his job site where he builds skyscrapers.
What is the quality of the language? It is third grad-ish! After all, Cassie tells us that she is in the third grade. Ringgold includes many of Cassie’s own words or thoughts, such as . She flies over the George Washington bridge that she wishes she can wear as a necklace because her father helped build it. She also wishes that her father could be rich and build his own building and get the respect he deserves. In the end, she is happy that she can enjoy Tar Beach(the roof on top of the building she lives in)with her family and it allows her to daydream about so many things she would like in that world. A great book to teach students that anything is possible...even if it is in your dreams
Is the vocabulary appropriate? Absolutely relevant vocabulary that includes some very “adult” concepts like, “But still he can’t join the union because Grandpa wasn’t member.” I am uncertain but believe that since the 1930’s (the setting of this book) unions now accept a diverse culture of workers’ applications. But Ringgold’s book does NOT go into The Civil Rights Act of 1962 (perhaps because this is quite a few decades prior to that! This book and its third-grade geared vocabulary encourage us to live vicariously through Cassie’s dreams and fantasies.
• Illustrations. Both the front and back cover are as vivid as the inside illustrations. I loved that Ringgold chose her quilt which she also calls “Tar Beach” as an outer border of both her front and back covers of this book.—This books back cover shows simply the picture of Cassie “flying” in the sky. Her covers truly appeal to her child audience and equally delight, I feel, her adult audience.
What are the illustrations like? What medium does the illustrator use? I believe illustrator/author Ringgold uses acrylic paintings. Ringgold’s rich detail and vivid, rich colors echo the vibrancy and intensity of young Cassie’s flights of fancy.
Do the illustrations extend the text? Ringgold’s illustrations not only extend the text but further display her respect for children’s understandings, abilities and appreciations, a high measuring stick forCaldecott Honors and Medal winners.
Are the words and illustrations woven together in any way? Yes, tightly woven together Ringgold’s prose and her city life illustrations work in synchronicity to depict the changing moods our little character Cassie feels for example, when she goes with her father to his worksite and when the whole family joins the Honey family on the “tar beach” rooftop at night. “They call him the Cat.” because he walks on steel girders many stories about the ground. Mood changing to magical at night with the vivid, intense nighttime palette of deep, majestic royal blue sky with the white lights of the bridge “like a giant diamond necklace,” she writes.
Do they create "rhythm and movement" in any way? Ringgold’s paintings reflect the lack of motion of the buildings, their starkness against the day time sky and their illusory qualities in the night, starlit skies. It is then at night when the sky comes alive, and Cassie “flies” above the other buildings like the ice cream factory and daddy’s union building which she picks. “Well, Daddy is going to own that building, ’cause I’m gonna fly over it and give it to him.”
What colors are used and for what purpose? Bold primary colors by night accented by the bright whites of the stars in the sky and the lights on the George Washington Bridge.
What does the illustrator try to convey through her art? How magnificent a cascade of dormant colors becomes when the sky is morphed from dusk into night! Cassie almost instinctively comprehends that the limitations of her father’s half-black and half-native American ethnicity has made life harder for her father and her mother. Children can learn here that personal and cultural identity often in the past has created difficulties for people. Ringgold paints for us through her acrylic paintings an empathy for the suffering of Cassie’s family and hopefully influences young minds to consider these influences in their own future decision making.
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Jan 27, 2017 Sandra Couch rated it it was amazing

Tar Beach by Faith Ringgold is a story about Cassie Louise Lightfoot an eight year old girl who flys around New York City. While her parents and the next-door neighbors play cards, Cassie and Be Be, her brother, lay on mattresses of Tar Beach, the rooftop of their family apartment building. Cassie flies away from the city introducing the union building that her dad works on as a construction worker, and the issue that he isn’t allowed to join the union because he is colored and a half-breed Indi Tar Beach by Faith Ringgold is a story about Cassie Louise Lightfoot an eight year old girl who flys around New York City. While her parents and the next-door neighbors play cards, Cassie and Be Be, her brother, lay on mattresses of Tar Beach, the rooftop of their family apartment building. Cassie flies away from the city introducing the union building that her dad works on as a construction worker, and the issue that he isn’t allowed to join the union because he is colored and a half-breed Indian. Cassie desperately wants to fix these issues for her family and make them right. Can flying free be enough to fix them?

I thought this book was a good one and I enjoyed it. I also enjoyed reading about the author, it helped me understand some of the elements behind the book. I would have liked to been introduced to the characters and given some background knowledge in the actual story. Also what initially drew me in was the use of the bright vivid colors throughout the book. These are beautiful and contribute to the artwork in the best way. I would definitely add this book to my classroom as I think it it is a fun lighthearted way to approach a serious, very real topic.

By the end of the book I saw several different thematic symbols. The most prominent one is the symbol flying signifies freedom. In Cassie’s world flying symbolizes that she is literally flying in the sky free and can go wherever she wants without any limits, but is also symbolic in reference to African Americans being free from slavery, and most of all free from discrimination. We see discrimination in the text when Cassie says, “Then it won’t matter that he’s not in their old union, or whether he’s colored or a half-breed Indian, like they say.” She is able to identify that certain people only see her father as colored or a half-breed Indian and nothing else. She wants to free her father from racial bigotry so she fly’s over the union building, symbolizing that her father is now free from that.

Faith Ringgold did any amazing job writing this story. The tone of this story is one that is carefree and a child like approach to a very serious topic. As Cassie nonchalantly flies thru the air we see her help tackle the burdens of her families’ hardships. She courageously tackles them head on and even gets her brother to join her. We also see that our imaginations can be a good creative outlet to help cope with hard situations as an adult or child. It also shows that children of all ages can be very in tune with what is happening around them.

The bottom borders below the narrative strips appear to look like different strips of cloth. Well turns out they are, because the author originally painted this story on one of the quilts that she made and wanted to mimic that the best she can. By using acrylic paint on canvas paper for the illustrations and including the strips of cloth below the narrative strip shows deep respect to the original artwork and gives the book some character and history behind the story. ...more

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Sep 20, 2017 Kristen rated it it was amazing

Shelves: read-3090-books-1-10

Multicultural
Awards:Caldecott Honor Book, Coretta Scott King Award

Summary:
This story is taken from a quilt the author sewed as part of a series (images of a quilt are visible along the border of each page). Ringgold changed some of the words from her quilt and painted canvases to be used as the illustrations of this imaginative story of a third-grade African American girl. She spends summers playing on the ‘tar beach’ (the rooftop of her building) with her family. She lays on the ‘tar beach’ and ...more

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Oct 15, 2017 Jennifer Ruiz rated it it was amazing

Shelves: cultural-folk-fairytales

This is a wonderful story told by an 8 year old girl named Cassie that dreams and fantasizes of being free to go wherever she wants for the rest of her life. Flying is how this 3rd grader achieves her dream! This goes back to African-American folktale literature as slaves spoke of "flying" to freedom as a metaphor for escaping from slavery.

In the story it is clearly stated that Cassie's father can not be a part of the union which references to more contemporary African-American history. Cassie' ...more

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Mar 23, 2017 Samantha rated it really liked it

Shelves: cultural-foundations-ece-3255

Tar Beach is a book that tells a story of a 3rd grade girl who's family enjoys spending time of the rooftop of their building, which they call "Tar Beach". There, she can "fly" because she can see everything and feels like she is on top of the world. The book represents an African-American family and the father who is a construction worker in the city. Cassie, the young girl, likes to pretend that she can fly over all of the buildings in the city and that she can own them all one day. She talks ...more

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Sep 15, 2014 Lindsay Fischer rated it liked it

Tar Beach is partially an autobiography and a fictional narrative. The story is about a girl who flies through her city. From above, she sees her family and neighbors and all the buildings that surround her home. She claims the buildings are hers if she flies over them. So, she flies over many things in the city as a way to help out her family. Tar Beach is actually the rooftop of a building where her family and friends spend time together on hot nights.
The author, Faith Ringgold, is also the ...more

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Mar 02, 2017 Robert Leabo rated it it was amazing

Tar Beach, by Faith Ringgold. Published by Dragonfly Books in 1996. 32 pages.
In the book a young Faith Ringgold has a dream where she flies around NYC and claims everything she sees for herself. Along the way she talks about how each part of the city is important to her and her family and why she wants to claim it as her own.
We’ll use the book to discuss families, cultures, diversity and identity. It can also be used to compare where people live: rural or urban. In this book the illustrations ar ...more

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Apr 04, 2014 Briana Nelson rated it liked it

Shelves: multicultural-literature

This book reminded me of my childhood. My mom would read me this story before bed, and I really enjoyed looking at the pictures. Reading this book now gives me a different perspective because I was able to see underlying themes. Reading it when I was young, I only thought it was about a family living on a roof and a girl could fly. Now, I am able to understand that this book is about socioeconomics and and following your dreams. A young girl- who's family is oppressed- finally gets a chance to e ...more

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Jan 01, 2012 Hazel marked it as recommended-for-meredith

I've been reading some articles on development during the pre-teen years and found this quote. If I remember correctly, Ringgold is an artist. I didn't know that she wrote as well.

I will always remember when the stars fell down around me and lifted me up above the George Washington Bridge...Lying on the roof in the night, with the stars and skyscraper buildings all around me made me feel rich, like I owned all that I could see. The bridge was my most prized possession...

Me, Cassie Louise Lightfo

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Jun 30, 2008 Laura rated it liked it

Shelves: caldecott-honor, childrens, review-on-blog, read-2008

I liked the border of colored squares along the bottom pages of the book. I also enjoyed the imaginative mind of the little girl. I did enjoy looking at the illustrations, but I didn't think they were beyond spectacular or anything. I liked the story, but it just didn't click as much as I would have liked, otherwise it would have gotten a higher rating.

*Taken from my book reviews blog: http://reviewsatmse.blogspot.com/2008... ...more

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Apr 05, 2011 Angela Moorer added it

Shelves: african-american-history, pleasure-reads, childhood-favorites

This book is beautiful and I believe it is great to be shared for the historical aspect it conatins. Reading it at first, I didnt really understand the title. The understanding didnt come until reading it many more times and understanding that the "beach" can be anywhere where relaxation and enjoyment occurs. This book had awesome illustrations and students are sure to be able to appreciate them. This would definitely be a read aloud and we would research some of the historical aspects offered. ...more

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Oct 09, 2013 Kimberly rated it it was ok

Week 8 picture book.

I never thought about having a beach on a rooftop. This made me think about how every child can see a situation from a different perspective. I liked this book because it had hidden themes about real-life issues, such as poverty, unemployment, racism, etc. I loved the artwork but I'm not sure students would really understand that this story is about a dream, or be able to see the hidden themes and ideas in this book. ...more

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Jan 24, 2015 Heather rated it it was amazing

Shelves: children-s-books

One of my all time favorite children's books. When I've read this aloud to children they always have a wonderfully excited response and allows them to live the dream of flying up and getting a different perspective on their own life and things around them. Also this book could be used as a way to introduce Faith Ringgold's art of painted story quilts and I could see kids loving to make their own story quilts as a craft. ...more

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