Michael W. WatersReseñas

Given to Matthew Hayes - 05/11/2023

What a beautiful book! This is why I love picture books! They take a really big topic and highlight the overall concept in a way that young children can understand. This book follows Liberty and her family as they travel through various Civil Rights locations that were significant to the movement. They learn about important people and places along the way. A trip I'd like to do myself someday! A great book to open up discussions in the classroom as well as on your own lap!

On an interfaith, family-based road trip, a young Black girl visits important landmarks of the civil rights movement.

Liberty is looking forward to seeing the Edmund Pettus Bridge, but there are many stops before Selma. During the hours on the bus, Liberty plays with her friend Abdullah. The first stop is in Jackson, Mississippi, at the home of voting rights activist Medgar Evers. In Glendora, Mississippi, the group stops to remember Emmett Till. The next day, the group quietly remembers Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at the site of his assassination at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis. Finally, after stops at the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham and Dr. King’s Montgomery home, the group reaches the bridge in Selma, Alabama, where they march and remember those who marched from Selma to Montgomery decades ago. Based on a true story of road trips organized by the author and attended by faith leaders and their families, this story highlights the relationship that links present generations and past. Though the dialogue between the children and adults feels a bit contrived, the focus on Liberty’s perspective during the tour of discovery allows readers to imagine the courage and sacrifice of those who came before. Each site introduction is necessarily brief and somewhat superficial; endnotes offer more details. Tadgell’s delicate illustrations capture warm relationships and diverse identities and personalities, juxtaposing light color in the present with black-and-white images of the past.

A unique and valuable perspective. (Picture book. 4-8)

-Kirkus Review

Liberty's Civil Rights Road Trip serves as a great introduction to some important sites in the Civil Rights Movement. Enjoy the bus trip with Liberty, Abdullah and their diverse group of family and friends, while learning about these important places in history. This book would be a great addition to school or classroom libraries to support curriculum.

I received an advanced readers copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Fall 2021 (September);
~ LibraryThing Arc

Thank you to Michael W. Waters, Nicole Tadgell, Flyaway Books, and LibraryThing for this advanced reader copy for an honest review.

As an avid reader, lover of books, English Professor, and aunt of several amazing nieces and nephews, I do delight in choosing children's books every once in a while to be a reviewer on. I love, love, love this book. I love the diversity in it displayed by those on the trip, and the charm/realism of how these adults and children are tracing their steps back through some of the most important events that were the path to Civil Rights.

I was very pleased to see there were pages in the back, after the story ending, breaking down even more historical facts and details about the events/people/places that the tour stopped on, so that children can be even more educated to the details of those times.

The author does a fantastic job of making the green book and civil rights history relateable for young children. Liberty is a character that a lot of young brown girls can see themselves in and gives an accurate but also age appropriate view of events during the time that relate to the locations on her road trip.

This absolutely beautiful book, inspired by a civil rights pilgrimage, follows Liberty and her friend Abdullah on an interfaith bus trip through landmarks of the civil rights movement
in the South. Scenes on the bus show the children’s friendship, play, and growing relationships with their diverse fellow passengers.
Tadgell's richly colored illustrations of each stop show us the solemnity of the group and the children taking comfort from their parents and fellow passengers. These are well balanced with paintings of Liberty and Abdullah’s playfulness and energy. The soft watercolors contrast with black and white inserts of the historical figures of each site.

The endnotes, More about places and people from Liberty’s travels, feature thumbnails of the illustrations and more detailed information about each stop, and website information for the Civil Rights Trail.
The author’s note provides background on the Southern Methodist University’s Civil Rights Pilgrimage he founded and the trip he led recently, which included his daughter Liberty and her friend Abdullah, the youngest of the group.

This is a stunning book with a unique approach to introducing the civil rights events that began our ongoing story of the struggle. While recommended for ages 3-7, I believe its appeal and usefulness extend far beyond that range. It is a powerful book for home libraries and gifts and ideal for an introduction to civil rights history; highly recommended for classroom and school libraries.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for this honest review

"How can you change the world?"
Racism is alive and horrible in America today despite our work in the 1960s and beyond. This well illustrated book tackles the problem that parents have in teaching their children about the things in the recent past and how they can help in their own way. There are three full pages at the end that direct readers on how to bring meaningful discussions to others.
Keisha Morris fills the pages with meaningful illustrations which adds to the impact of this book of hope and history that impacts all Americans. All libraries need this book so we can all remember work together to create a better world together.
I requested and received a free temporary e-book on Adobe Digital Editions from Flyaway Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

A bus trip with kids and parents! I felt like I was with them as they traveled to important historical sites, and I (re)learned a lot in a way much better than in a classroom. Illustrator Nicole Tadgell fills the pages with simple artistry which adds to the impact of this trip through the history of the struggle for civil rights for all. All libraries need this book so we can all remember.
I requested and received a free temporary e-book on Adobe Digital Editions from Flyaway Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

Powerful, timely, important story. The ongoing acts of violence against Black lives are chronicled through the eyes of Jeremiah, a young Black boy who asks his parents tough questions about what he sees on the news and in the city around him. The parents beautifully model how to have these conversations in age-appropriate but honest ways; through their consistent validation and openness to his questions, Jeremiah eventually becomes comfortable expressing his feelings ("I'm tired of people killing each other! I'm tired of people hating each other just because they are different or because of the color of their skin!") and then asks what can be done about it. The multi-faceted answer provided - which includes voting, marching, organizing, praying, donating money, speaking out against injustice, and more - ends the story on a hopeful, empowering note.

Unlike many children's books addressing racism and police brutality, this one doesn't shy away from naming names - Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, the Charleston Nine, and others. While this approach might be more intense than discussing a fictional victim, I think it's extremely valuable for young readers to learn the names of these real people who lived and died. Violence is never directly depicted in the illustrations, but they vividly portray the characters' emotions amidst scenes such as vigils and protests. The story is also framed by Jeremiah's desire to grow out his hair into locs, which is eventually compared to the patience and persistence required to change the world ("It's like my hair! You told me my locs would take a long time. I just had to wait and believe. And with a little help, it happened.") While the metaphor may be imperfect, uplifting natural Black hairstyles is a beautiful touch to the story.

Although the title suggests a specific audience, this is an important and empowering story for all children - an affirming "mirror" for Black kids, and an eye-opening "window" for White kids who also need to understand the realities of racial violence and how to stand up to it. I might not share this book with very young children, but it would be appropriate for mid to upper elementary and older. Also a great read for parents, teachers, and other adults who want to address these issues with the children in their lives; see the discussion guide in the back to further support these important conversations.½

This book has beautiful illustrations and is very informative but not overwhelming to children (the author gives additional information in the back to expand deeper). Liberty was the cutest, as was her friend Abdullah. This book will make a great addition to our home library. I think “Liberty” would make a great addition to any home or school library.

I won this book from LibraryThing from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This is based on an actuarial trip taken by the author and their children. About how even in the midst of hard gut wrenching history, they could find the hope and the joy to come from horrific events. The book was fast paced, and I do wish they had better touched on the historical locations and people. The illustrations are watercolor, which makes the book feel a bit dated. I wished they had used real pictures for the info bits at the back but it was not a necessity. I did like how this book mentioned places that are not normally taught about in school.

I received this as part of the LibraryThing EarlyReviewer program. This book is beautiful. I love the illustrations. As someone who goes to Maine regularly, it is very evocative of a place I love. I like how Ada and her grandparents interact, and the gentle conversations about the wonders of the galaxies. Now I just want to go back and see the stars again. My 5 year old who loves stars and Maine as well, kept pouring over the pages and asking everyone which picture was their favorite. We will be reading this many times.

Liberty's Civil Rights Road Trip would make a great springboard for a class discussion on Civil Rights. The author's notes about each stop on the journey provide extra information that could encourage conversation. While the places and events written about are serious, seeing them from the children's point of view adds a layer of hope to each of the stories.

Inspired by real-life events, this honest, intimate look at one family’s response to racism and gun violence includes a discussion guide created by the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville, Kentucky, a multicultural center and museum committed to promoting respect, hope, and understanding.

Liberty's Civil Rights Road Trip is beautifully illustrated by Nicole Tadgell and written by Michael W. Waters. Based on a road trip Waters took with his family, the book is a lovely introduction to key places within the Civil Rights era. It is a nice introduction for young children to various places and people within the Civil Rights era. While written for children from the perspective of Liberty (a child experiencing the road trip), as an adult I thoroughly enjoyed Liberty's curiosity and the value placed on our differences. This book would be a great resource for teachers of younger elementary students or families of younger children seeking ways to approach meaningful conversations about diversity and American history. #LibertysCivilRightsRoadTrip

A colorful picture book based on a real life road trip led by the author, Michael W. Waters, and including his daughter, Liberty. There are two things that really stand out to me about this book:

* I love that the text is age-appropriate. It touches on the story of historic places and people like Selma, Alabama, and Emmett Till, without getting into the gruesome details.
* And the illustrations are just amazing! The characters have different skin colors, ethnicities, and religions, but are united in their desire to learn more about America's history.

This isn't a silly, read-it-again-Mom kind of picture book, but it's one of those important, proud-to-add-to-your-bookshelf ones indeed!

Liberty is a young girl, maybe 6-8 years old, who is on a bus tour with other people, including her friend Abdullah to learn about the history of the civil rights movement in America. They stop at different places that bring the civil rights movement into focus and through age-appropriate text introduce the reader to historical figures such as Martin Luther King Jr, Medger Evers, Emmet Till, and others. They also lightly touch on interfaith relations since some of the characters are from various faiths.

I can see a teacher or librarian using this book to introduce African American history, the civil rights movement, American history, and relating it today.

I'm so in love with the concept of this book - from the physical journey of learning, to the diverse cast of characters that become closer and closer by the end - but I do wish there was a little more explanation at the trip destinations. Most of the time, the story just says "they learned more about it," rather than actually explaining what or who they're learning about. I think the Edmund Pettus Bridge was a good example of what to do. The father explains in a bit more detail what happened while still keeping it appropriate enough for young children to hear, but he also doesn't pull back on important details such as the police hurting people. The information in the back of the book is a very good start, but I think having all of that information in the story itself "translated" into a speech that children can understand is much more effective.
While I do wish there was more context, the art is gorgeous, and the writing style itself is very simple and easy to understand.

Author Michael W. Waters founded the Dallas-based Southern Methodist University Civil Rights Pilgrimage, which annually visits sites in the Deep South important in the history of the civil rights movement. Waters has written a children's book, Liberty's Civil Rights Road Trip, about these travels. The Liberty of the title is his daughter, the youngest person on the first trip in 1968, along with her friend Abdullah, and they provide a child's viewpoint of this trip.

The illustrations by watercolorist Nicole Tadgell portray a diverse group of bus riders. People from the past, at the six historic sites they visit in Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee, are depicted in sepia tones.

While the market is listed as being for children ages 3-7, I think it would also work with children a little older. In all cases, the children would need to know just what "civil rights" are, as that is not explained in the book. An afterword provides more details about the six places visited.

While I think this is a great book to introduce children to civil rights issues, I think it is lacking context for the younger children it's geared towards.

As the mother of a 3 year old, without some context and discussion about what exactly civil rights are, she would just see a story about people taking a trip on a bus. She would not understand the meaning and importance of the issues the book is discussing. I would love for there to be a page where Liberty is asking her mother at the beginning about civil rights and what they are, just to give younger readers some information before reading the rest of the book.

With that said, I think the book is wonderfully illustrated and highlights diversity and the importance of teaching children early on about the people at the beginning of the civil rights movement and the struggles they endured.

This beautiful picture book follows a young girl as her family takes a pilgrimage across the South stopping at 6 places that mark an event or person from the Civil Rights Movement. The author himself led such a pilgrimage to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of Dr. King's assassination. The picture book story itself gives a simple explanation of the importance of each stop, but there are several pages in the back of the book devoted to providing more detailed information about each stop. For example, the section in Glendaora, Mississippi at the cotton gin was mentioned as a place to remember Emmett Till who "inspired many others to stand up for the rights of Black people." At the back of the book, you do get more details about Emmett Till's murder, the acquittal of the murderers, and the national outrage.

The pictures, done with what looks like pastels and colored pencils, are expressive. The Civil Rights leaders' pictures are set apart in sepia and black and white. The story shows a diverse cast of characters which is important to the main message of the book. The postures of the cover picture do not seem as natural as all the other pictures in the book which draw you in. My favorite picture is of the main character Liberty with her older brother who has his arm lovingly over her shoulder as they look at the information at the cotton gin.

This book serves as a good starting point for a journey to learn about the Civil Rights movement.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book from Flyaway Books in exchange for an honest review. #LibertysCivilRightsRoadTrip½

This book is a gentle introduction to young readers about the Civil Rights Movement. I read it to my children last night and they enjoyed it. My kids were already aware of Martin Luther King and had memorized part of his “I Have a Dream” speech. So they were able to take in and understand that part of the book. The illustrations were very colorful and appealing. And I like the fact that my children were able to see themselves in it. A great “mirrors” and “windows” book.