Sister Anne's Hands

Viking Easy-to-Read

by Marybeth Lorbiecki, Wendy Popp (Illustrator)

Seven-year-old Anna has her first encounter with racism in the 1960s when an African American nun comes to teach at her parochial school

Genres: Picture Books, Historical Fiction, Cultural, Childrens, Realistic Fiction, School, Friendship

40 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1998

Reviews

[Elizabeth Sciarra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was a very good book that explained to children the time of racism in a very good way. This is because it was not to drastic, but it got the point across as well. Another reason why I thought it was a good book it because it explained Anna's first encounter with someone who was of a different race than her and showed the way that I think a young girl such as herself would have reacted.

Another part of the book that I thought was very beneficial after reading and finishing it was how Anna reacted when her friend in her class made a racial remark the to African American Nun. This is because I believe that this could have been a true story. This is because there are always classmates or friends who are going to say something if something is different in a room if someone in the classroom looks different than themselves. I think that this was a very good book because it helped children realize how to deal with uncomfortable and maybe different situations in which they would not know how to handle it. Lastly, the illustrations I thought were very good. I loved how they looked like paintings and it felt as though they were real at some points because they looked so realistic. I think that the pictures really gave a nice feel to the book itself.

For a lesson plan I would probably start off by asking my classroom if they had ever been in a situation where they felt uncomfortable such as Anna did. Then I would read them the book and afterwords ask them if from that experience, they learned something knew in comparison to what happened to Anna throughout and at the end of the story.

[Caitlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has an amazing story message behind it. This book is about a little girl named Anna who is seven years old during the 1960's who has never seen an African American ( or darked skinned) person before. Her first day of second grade changed that for her. She attended her first day of school wondering what color her teacher would be due to the fact that her parents were talking about of women of "color". She enters the classroom to see Sister Anne, a women who was very dark in color. Anna soon realizes that this is one of the funnest, nicest teachers she has ever had. One day a classmate of hers decided to make a really racist comment about Sister Anne's color, she turns her classroom around and educates them on racism and the civil rights movements that were going on. This book is a great way to teach kids just how nice and similar all people are no matter what color their skin is, and also inform them about racism at a young age. It also is filled with brilliant illustrations. They are wonderfully drawn and stand out enourmously on every page.

[Jillian Menendez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great book! I think it is important for all kids to understand the issue with racism. I believe although it has gotten better over the years it is still present in today's society. This is a great book that will show students a side of racism that will open their eyes. It is a great story with a meaningful lesson, I think it will stand out to kids and show them how we are all a like. I would read this to a class of primary grade children who would be able to understand it like second graders and older. I believe that even student in high school can benefit from this story it has a power This is a great book that will show students a side of racism that will open their eyes. It is a great story with a meaningful lesson, I think it will stand out to kids and show them how we are all a like. I would read this to a class of primary grade children who would be able to understand it like second graders and older. I believe that even student in high school can benefit from this story it has a power message and is very meaningful.

[Lauren Edgar · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is beautifully illustrated and the message and poetic wording is magnificent. I think it is important to read books to children that show differences are alright. In this book it does not just show the acceptance of people from different cultures and with different color skin but it also teaches the lesson that no matter how someone is different from you they are still like you. I really like the part of the book where Sister Anne reflected on the paper airplane that had the hateful words on it, and shed light on the discrimination going on in the world around the students and she says "One thing you're going to learn is that some folks have their hearts wide open, and others are tight as a fist. The tighter they are, the more dangerous." I think this is a beautiful statement and an important one at that. Although I enjoyed this book and how it was put together I still struggle with the appropriateness of it, I think the message it sends is good at any age, although to talk of people dying, pictures of people hung, and some shot and bleeding is fairly graphic for younger children. I am aware of what happened in history and those words turned my stomach, this makes me wonder how children would react. My biggest struggle with books with a more serious message and heavier topics is what age is it appropriate for?

[Kylie Walter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sister Anne's Hands was a great book for children. It really showed how people can be cruel when they don;t understand or they can't relate to the other person. The story is about a white girl named Anna who is in second grade and being taught by Sister Anne who happens to be African American. After an issue with some of the students that related to racism towards Sister Anne, Sister Anne taught her students what racism really is and how serios of an issue it it. She shows them pictures of people who faught for Civil Rights and images of the victims of racism. She showed the kids that just becuse the color of their hands are different colors doesnt mean one person is more important than the other. And that they should be treated as equals. The students learned a lot form Sister Anne and they learned to respect and love her. I think that this book would be great to use to start teaching young children about Civil Rights and the vicitims of racism.

[Regina Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Text-t0-Teaching

Students will listen to the story and discuss the different emotions and feelings throughout the book. After the book, student are to trace their arm and fingers. They are to color the arms the color of their skin tone. Once students are done coloring, students will glue their arms on a big poster. The poster will have different colors and shapes similar to the one displayed at the end of the book.

[Brittany Young · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first think I noticed when I picked up this book was the delicacy and realistic qualities of the images. The two people on the cover look more like a portrait of real people than it looks like an illustration for a picture book. On the cover and inside the book, the images look like they were created with oil pastels or light color pencils. The images have a cloudy or foggy feel to them. I liked that inside on the cover page and on the back last page spread the illustrator drew in a chalk board. It was more interesting to look at than the traditional white page. There was a lot more images filling up the title and library of congress page than in a typical book. One of the illustrations showed that the story took place in the past, maybe in the fifties. You can tell by the car and the wardrobe in the picture. Most of the images were designed with one on each page, with a few full page spreads. There is a very small amount of text on each page, making it easy for a young reader to follow along with the story. The author did a good job creating a serious tone to the story. It let me as the reader know that the book deals with heavy subject matter. I tend to get a bit uneasy with books that deal with religion, but setting that aside, I thought it was interesting that the author used religion and race in one book. Both are such controversial issues to discuss in classrooms. I think a teacher could use this book in the classroom. It could help introduce a social studies unit dealing with racial equality. It could also be used to introduce young students to issues such as race in an introductory way. Not my favorite book, but it has a good moral in it.

[Emily Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story was about Sister Anne and Anna Zabrocky. Sister Anne was an African American nun that was assigned to teach second grade class during the 1960’s. Anna Zabrocky is a student in Sister Anne’s class; she admired the teacher because she was soft spoken and made learning enjoyable. Also she has never had an African American teacher, so she was exited to be in Sister Anne’s class. One day in the classroom, a student had thrown a paper airplane with racist wordings on it. The writings states, “Roses are red, Violets are blue, don’t let Sister Anne get any black on you.” Some students giggled but Anna was very upset about the incident. The next day, Sister Anne hung pictures of people who were involved in the civil rights movements; she even showed pictures of people who were shot and bleeding. Sister Anne explained to the students that racism was bad and they should not partake in it. She continued to teach at the school even though some parents withdrew their children from her class. After a while, Sister Anne moved to Chicago to teach. The lesson Sister Anne taught made Anna Zabrocky to draw pictures of different colors on hands to symbolize unity in the world. I really enjoyed this book and I will be using this in my classroom one day. Although racism is less common in todays world it is still something that can be an issue. Teaching kids at a young age about the history of racism in our country is very important to me. I would recommend this book to any teacher hoping to teach their kids about racism. I would use it in all elementary classrooms and the reading level is around 3rd or 4th grade.

[Christina Bergstrom · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought that this was a very well done children's picture book regarding racial discrimination. The text was tasteful yet purposeful and powerful. The illustrations were soft and beautiful. You could see the beauty from within. There were a couple of times where I got choked up while reading this. I especially liked the drawing that Anna does at the end of the book. As a teacher, I could see myself using this as a way to elaborate on the topic of discrimination. I feel that it could be done in conjunction with a same and different activity. I would also bring in multicultural paints to do each of the students "colors" at a station. They could then put a dot of "their color" with the names of each color that were part of the mixture on the card and compare/contrast with their classmates. This shows that there really IS NOT a "black" and a "white", etc, but rather many different, unique, and beautiful colors.

[Nicole Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great book to introduce young students to racism. The concepts and words were simple enough for them to really understand what was going on. This book is about a young girl names Anna, growing up in the 1960's, who encounters her first acts of racism when an African American woman comes to teach at her school. At first Anna is frightened by her because she has never seen someone with dark skin, but then really grows to like Sister Anne because she is kind and caring and really cares about Anna's education. This helps to show students that its really not the color of yor skin, or where you came from that matters, it's about how you treat people and the way you lead your own life. I would definitely introduce this book to my students when we talk about racism and the civil rights movement because it really helps them comprehend and relate a little bit to what we are learning about.

[Nallely Ibarra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did enjoy reading this book. I like the way the author introduced the subject and the flow of it during the book. I don't know how well history is being taught at elementary schools anymore, but if by any chance, kids are not learning much about it, this is a good book for the kids to learn. I like that this book disapproves racism but and lets you know that we are all equal and that no one is better than others. I would read this book a loud to my students on the week of Matin Luther King Jr. day. Even though the Civil Rights movement happened a long time ago, racism is still seen in this country. Specially here in Arizona against illegal immigrants and even just being hispanic. This could be a good book to teach kids that racism isn't good or fair. The book doesn't directly say "racism is bad", but it's a subliminal message. An activity following would probably just be a discussion about what the students think about that topic.

[Sarah Murray · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a great book to read. I think it would be most appropriate for a fourth or fifth grade class as they start learning about black history as well as civil rights. This book had a very nice and soft approach to the topic of racism. The use of a young girl with a colored nun was a great way to show readers a soft side and not a scary side to people who may be different.

I think some activities that could be done with this story would be some civil rights projects. At forth and fifth grade, students should be starting to do research projects and be learning about the civil rights movement within the class. I would have my students research one historical person who had an impact on the civil rights movement. They would then supply a summary of how they helped end racism. They would present to the class giving each student an clear understanding to what each person did to contribute.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this is a good book to read to little kids. When the children are at such a young age, they sometimes don't fully understand issues such as race and I feel this book is a very good book to be an ice breaker. It isn't preaching to them, it is just showing that racism once was a major issue in our society. Sister Anne taught the children that just because they have different colored hands, doesn't make them that different. She showed the pictures from the civil war to help emphasize her point. She wanted to make sure the students treated everyone equally. Even though racism is still an issue today some children don't know the difference in black and white, which is a good thing, but not everyone is brought up that way. So this is a good book for a teacher to rude when teaching about the war or even Martin Luther King Jr. week. I think this book is good for all ages even though it is a picture book. The illustrations are beautiful and it is a heart warming story.

[Melanie Dulaney · Rating 4 out of 5]

The pastel artwork by K. Wendy Popp immediately sets a soft, gentle tone for this marvelous picture book about a second grade girl and her first encounter with an African American person. Anna is beginning second grade and while she is used to having nuns dressed in black and white for her teachers, but she is not used to having a dark-skinned teacher with hands that are dark on one side and soft pink on the other. In "Sister Anne's Hands," author MaryBeth Lorbiecki gently leads Anna and the reader to discover that different can be wonderful. After a student makes a racially insensitive remark, Sister Anne models forgiveness and kind correction that is an example for readers both young and old. Children as young as 5 or 6 will learn a valuable lesson and students/teachers in older elementary grades will find this a fabulous mentor text for cross-curricular lessons on characterization, theme, kindness, civil rights, and desegregation.

[Chrissy Muller · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was such a good inspiration to a lot of teachers who are discriminated against, or have issues connecting with their students. I thought that this was a great book, and Sister Anne was such a role model. I did not like her aggressive approach to teaching about colored people though. Maybe that was accepted in the 1960's in Catholic schools, but posting pictures of dead people would absolutely not be appropriate now-a-days. I like how the book title was so connected with the end of the story; I haven't read a lot of books like that. I thought it was nice how the little girl learned to embrace diversity, and could express it in such a positive way. I would probably put this book in my classroom library because at the age I intend on teaching, I feel that my students could be taught good morals, and to accept all good people no matter what.

[Anna Rothenhoefer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sister Anne's Hands discusses the issues of racism. I enjoyed how Anna looked past the differences between herself and Sister Anne and loved her just the same. I think this story provides a good example of how children can look past differences to see that they are not so different from each other. I would suggest this story be read to students in elementary school. I think it could serve as a lesson regarding racism, or if directed to a younger age, a lesson about being different. I enjoyed the illustrations in Sister Anne's Hands. In addition, I think that this story provides a good example on an appropriate teacher-student relationship. I would like to read this story aloud to a young set of students and listen to their understanding or opinions on race and if they are aware at such a young age.

[Shauna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. I can definitely see myself reading this to my class. I think this book is a great book to introduce when your class begins learning about racism/diversity. This book i believe sends the message that racism is taught at a young age. No one just automatically hates another. I think it also shows the lesson that people hate anything or anyone that is different. I loved how sister anne took some time to think about how she should react to the note. Most people would just react to something like that, but when sister anne took time to think it should she had more control over the situation and wasnt going to aloow anyone to make her feel as if she was less than average. I hope to have more composure over my actions if something like that happens to me when i teach. I think this book is a must read!

[Ryan Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found “Sister Anne’s hands” to be a great children’s book. The story takes place in a small town in the 1960’s when racism is very prevalent. The main character is a young girl by the name of Anna. Anna is seven years old and has never seen an African American before. However when she arrives at school for her first day of second grade class she comes to find that her teacher is not like any that she had ever had before. Her teacher is a very dark skinned women by the name of Sister Anne. Although a few students make racist comments, Anna falls in love with her new teacher and comes to find that she is one of the best teachers she has ever had. This book is great for children of all ages. I think it would go a long way in teaching children about acceptance and social equality. In addition to its great message it his great life like illustrations that really help depict the story.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sister Annes Hands tells the story of a child who's teacher is African American in the 1960s. Her parents are concerned about her color which confuses Anna who thinks her teachers going to be pink or green. When she finally meets Sister Anne she realizes her teacher is black. Some of the other students write a mean note about the teacher so she decides to show her students the injustices done to African Americans by whites. The students start to put themselves in her shoes and realize that they were wrong for judging her based on the color of her skin. This book would be good for teaching younger students about racial issues or in social studies leading up to the civil rights movement. The students will also enjoy the illustrations which have a dreamlike feeling to them and are seen through the eyes of a 7 year old.

[Analissa Cox · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book could play a big role in society because it exposes the truth to children about the racism in the real world. Even today this is still a problem, and this story reteaches the delicate lesson once again, that people are people no matter their race, religion, size or any other differences we preserve as different. I would recommend reading this book in the subjects of civil rights, and introduce the children to problems like this to better ready them in the class. When Anne exposed the children to the violence of racism I thought that was a great idea to tell them the truth about what it could lead to if it does not stop. In the long run you would hope that those children never forget those photos and learn to be accepting, and tolerant of everyone, a very important lesson that many still have yet to learn.

[Allie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is about a little girl Anna, who is seven years old. She has never seen an African American before until her first day of second grade. Her teacher Sister Anne is an African American woman. Anna loved her teacher and thought that she made teaching enjoyable. One day during class a student throws a paper airplane with a racist comment on it. Many of the students found this funny but Anna did not. The next day in class Sister Anne taught the students a little bit about racism. She taught them how they should not take part in racist comments because they can be offending. This book is a great story to read to a classroom. After reading this book you can teach the students about racism and depending on the age go into the history. The lesson that the students should take from this story is color doesn’t matter. I think this book can be read to third-sixth grade.

[Luz Herrera · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this is a great book for kids in the fourth and fifth grade. It displays some older content so i feeel like older kids would have a more mature conversation, as with little kids they would just say whatever is on their mind and it might offend someone. But with this book i would have a good lesson played out. I would probably do it around martin luther king day and just give the kids the full tour of the civil rights movements and just what african americans had to go through back in the day. Also after i read them them the book i would want them to write an essay on their opinion and just see what kind of kids I have in my classroom. It would open my eyes to a lot of things as a teacher

[Juliana Duarte · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sister Anne's Hands by Marybeth Lorbiecki was a very enjoyable book for me. It was a story that dealt with racism to kids. In this book Anna is a young girl who has never met someone with dark skin until her teacher, Sister Anne. Since Anna has never met someone with dark skin she doesn't know what to think about her but realizes that she is just like everyone else and a great teacher! Not all of the students accept Sister Anne like Anna does though. This is a great book to read to your future students when teaching them about racism and how it is not tolerated! It teaches students that just because your not used of the way someone or something looks doesn't mean its wrong. This story has a great moral behind it that I think student's would really understand and enjoy to read also.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book, and thought it was a very influential story! I liked that fact that it was based on a teacher, really reaching out to kids and giving them life-changing experiences. You can learn a lot reading stories like these, and can always push you do to do better,especially being a teacher, yourself. I think all kids would be inspired by this book, and really get their imaginations flowing. It's a great way to teach them that they should be grateful for what they have in their lives. I think a great activity to do in the class would be to have the students write a story about pretending to be a teacher for a day, and then share it with the class.

[Sarah-Rae Bugayong · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It did a great job about demonstrating the civil rights movement. I liked how Sister Anne presented herself as a teacher and nothing more. She was there to teach the children and not to corrupt them. This book is a great way to teach kids that blacks and whites were not always equal, that there was a struggle.
The illustrations were perfect. They were so realistic that a child would know that this story is based on realistic events. Overall, this is a great book, with a good lesson inside of it. An education is an education regardless of the teacher's skin.

[Shinji Nishida · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is very touching story. I was really impressed when I see Anna's work, her present for Anne. This story tells us communicating with other color's people is really important rather than education in classroom. The picture she drew was brought about through her real experience with Sister Anne. I believe stereotype or prejudice will disappear through knowing "specific" person by communicating. This book is being wrapped with very soft atmosphere because of illustrations. Mist is hanging over through this book.

[Nicolas Robles]

This book would probably be appropriate for younger students in maybe 2nd and even 3rd grade. It talks about how this little girl is able to look past her differences with Sister Anne so she can appreciate who the lady for who she really is. It is good because it teaches kids to not let that build a barrier between you and someone else because you could miss out on a great friendship. This would be a good book to read in class and have discussion about, just be careful not to put your own views too much on the children

[Emily Blahak · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about an African American nun who came to teach a classroom of white children. When one of them wrote something hurtful on a paper airplane, Sister Anne took the next day to explain what "colored" people had gone through to become equal. The little girl, Anne, accepted her and soon realized that there was no reason to be scared of people who were not the same as her. This would be a good story to read to students who are starting to learn about racism, and show them it is not right and everyone is equal.

[Katelynn Callahan]

A little girl attends school where a African American nun begins teaching in the face of much prejudice because of her race. At first the little girl is scared 'cause the Sister's hands look so different. In the end she accepts the Sister for who she is and draws a picture of hands of all colors. This is a great story that teaches students diversity. Everyone is different but everyone is special. It has a great moral that everyone can appreciate.
The images of this book are heartwarming and very realistic. It is a beautiful story that uses warmer colors to illustrate it.

[Jazmin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was interesting and I enjoyed reading it. The illustrations are really pretty. I really like the part when the teacher chooses to teach her students about her heritage as a response to the paper airplane that was thrown towards her. This is a good book to talk to children about racial discrimination. I will definitely read this book to my students. An activity I could do after reading this story is to get in a circle and have everyone talk about their heritage.