Coretta Scott King Book: The Book Itch
Author: Vaunda Micheaux Nelson
Illustrator: R. Gregory Christie
Illustrator: R. Gregory Christie
Genre: Historical Fiction
Major Awards: 2016 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award Honor Book
Age Group: 8-11 years old
Lewis's family owns the National Memorial African Bookstore. The bookstore is a second home to Lewis and his family. During the summer he goes to the store to help his dad. Everyone goes to the bookstore; grown-ups, children, people of all different races, writers, politicians, artists, teachers, and even famous people. One day when helping his dad, Lewis met Muhammad Ali. Lewis's dad had the idea for a bookstore for African Americans before Lewis was born. He had what he called "the book itch" that he had to scratch. His dad used to push a book cart selling books to people on the street, and when he tried to get a loan from the bank to fund his idea for the bookstore he was denied. His dad didn't give up, he worked tirelessly and saved all of his money until his dream for a bookstore became a reality. The bookstore itself only started with 5 books, but over the years it became a huge success. Now the library has so many books and more people come in every day. Despite having the store, Lewis's dad still takes him with the book cart to the street to sell books to those that may not know about or have access to the library. Lewis considers his dad to be a poet, he is always coming up with very clever and catchy rhymes such as "Knowledge is power, you need it every hour. Read a book!" Lewis's dad believes so much in the bookstore and puts so much time, effort, and dedication into it. He aims to create a love for reading, some customers just come and read and never buy anything, and his dad doesn't kick them out at a set time. He lets them finish, and sometimes stays so late that he sleeps in the store. Often outside of the store, there are speeches and rallies. One of the prominent speakers and a close friend to Lewis's Father is Malcolm X. Lewis loves to hear the speeches. One tragic day at a different rally their family friend Malcolm X was shot and killed, and the family was devastated. Lewis and his dad always talk about important things and Malcolm's death was one of those things. Lewis's dad tells him that Malcolm's words will never be forgotten, and that's why books are so important so words may live on. Lewis hopes to one day find his itch, just like his dad did someday.
The Book Itch is an inspiring yet sad story. It's inspiring to see that Lewis's father created a bookstore with nothing more than five books and a dream. That just goes to show that truly anything is possible if you work for it. The story was also sad with the passing of Malcolm X, but I like how his passing was connected to books with his words living on. This book would make a really nice addition to any 3rd-6th-grade classroom library. Although it may not be able to explicitly be connected to a classroom lesson, this is a wonderful story about finding something you're passionate about, or "your itch", and scratching it.
Age Group: 8-11 years old
Lewis's family owns the National Memorial African Bookstore. The bookstore is a second home to Lewis and his family. During the summer he goes to the store to help his dad. Everyone goes to the bookstore; grown-ups, children, people of all different races, writers, politicians, artists, teachers, and even famous people. One day when helping his dad, Lewis met Muhammad Ali. Lewis's dad had the idea for a bookstore for African Americans before Lewis was born. He had what he called "the book itch" that he had to scratch. His dad used to push a book cart selling books to people on the street, and when he tried to get a loan from the bank to fund his idea for the bookstore he was denied. His dad didn't give up, he worked tirelessly and saved all of his money until his dream for a bookstore became a reality. The bookstore itself only started with 5 books, but over the years it became a huge success. Now the library has so many books and more people come in every day. Despite having the store, Lewis's dad still takes him with the book cart to the street to sell books to those that may not know about or have access to the library. Lewis considers his dad to be a poet, he is always coming up with very clever and catchy rhymes such as "Knowledge is power, you need it every hour. Read a book!" Lewis's dad believes so much in the bookstore and puts so much time, effort, and dedication into it. He aims to create a love for reading, some customers just come and read and never buy anything, and his dad doesn't kick them out at a set time. He lets them finish, and sometimes stays so late that he sleeps in the store. Often outside of the store, there are speeches and rallies. One of the prominent speakers and a close friend to Lewis's Father is Malcolm X. Lewis loves to hear the speeches. One tragic day at a different rally their family friend Malcolm X was shot and killed, and the family was devastated. Lewis and his dad always talk about important things and Malcolm's death was one of those things. Lewis's dad tells him that Malcolm's words will never be forgotten, and that's why books are so important so words may live on. Lewis hopes to one day find his itch, just like his dad did someday.
The Book Itch is an inspiring yet sad story. It's inspiring to see that Lewis's father created a bookstore with nothing more than five books and a dream. That just goes to show that truly anything is possible if you work for it. The story was also sad with the passing of Malcolm X, but I like how his passing was connected to books with his words living on. This book would make a really nice addition to any 3rd-6th-grade classroom library. Although it may not be able to explicitly be connected to a classroom lesson, this is a wonderful story about finding something you're passionate about, or "your itch", and scratching it.
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