She Persisted: Claudette Colvin

by Lesa Cline-Ransome, Chelsea Clinton, Alexandra Boiger (Illustrator), Gillian Flint (Illustrator)

Overview

Inspired by the #1 New York Times bestseller She Persisted by Chelsea Clinton and Alexandra Boiger, a chapter book series about women who stood up, spoke up and rose up against the odds!

In this chapter book biography by award-winning author Lesa Cline-Ransome, readers learn about the amazing life of Claudette Colvin—and how she persisted. 

Before Rosa Parks famously refused to give up her seat on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama, fifteen-year-old Claudette Colvin made the same choice. She insisted on standing up—or in her case, sitting down—for what was right, and in doing so, fought for equality, fairness, and justice.

Complete with an introduction from Chelsea Clinton, black-and-white illustrations throughout, and a list of ways that readers can follow in Claudette Colvin's footsteps and make a difference! A perfect choice for kids who love learning and teachers who want to bring inspiring women into their curriculum.

And don’t miss out on the rest of the books in the She Persisted series, featuring so many more women who persisted, including Harriet Tubman, Ruby Bridges, Oprah Winfrey, and more!

Praise for She Persisted: Claudette Colvin:

"Cline-Ransome brings the teen activist to life with great compassion and impressive brevity . . . A noteworthy start for chapter-book readers wishing to read more about young leaders of the movement." —Kirkus Reviews
 
"Cline-Ransome’s narrative provides a knowledgeable, interesting introduction to an ­important player in the civil rights movement." —School Library Journal

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780593115848
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	02/02/2021
Series:	She Persisted Series
Pages:	80
Sales rank:	145,240
Product dimensions:	5.30(w) x 7.40(h) x 0.30(d)
Lexile:	NC1170L (what's this?)
Age Range:	6 - 9 Years

About the Author

Lesa Cline-Ransome (lesaclineransome.com) is the award-winning author of many critically acclaimed books for young readers, including Not Playing By the Rules: 21 Female Athletes Who Changed Sports, Young Pele: Soccer's First Star, Before She was Harriet, Overground Railroad, and Game Changers: The Story of Venus and Serena Williams. Her numerous honors include the Jane Addams Honor Award, the Christopher Award, Kirkus Best Book of the Year, SLJ Best Book of Year, and three NAACP Image Award nominations. Her debut middle grade novel, Finding Langston, received the Coretta Scott King Author Honor and the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction. The companion novel is Leaving Lymon. She is currently an SCBWI board member and host of KidLitTV's Past Present: Giving Past Stories New Life. She lives in the Hudson Valley region of New York with her family. You can follow Lesa on Twitter @lclineransome.

Chelsea Clinton is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller She Persisted: 13 American Women Who Changed the World; She Persisted Around the World: 13 Women Who Changed History; She Persisted in Sports: American Olympians Who Changed the Game; Don't Let Them Disappear: 12 Endangered Species Across the Globe; It's Your World: Get Informed, Get Inspired & Get Going!; Start Now!: You Can Make a Difference; with Hillary Clinton, Grandma's Gardens and Gutsy Women; and, with Devi Sridhar, Governing Global Health: Who Runs the World and Why? She is also the Vice Chair of the Clinton Foundation, where she works on many initiatives, including those that help empower the next generation of leaders. She lives in New York City with her husband, Marc, their children and their dog, Soren. You can follow Chelsea Clinton on Twitter @ChelseaClinton or on Facebook at facebook.com/chelseaclinton.

Gillian Flint (gillianflint.com) is an illustrator who has a passion for painting in watercolors. She has been drawing and creating characters for as long as she can remember. Her work has been published in the USA, the UK and Australia. In her spare time she enjoys reading and gardening at her home in the UK. You can follow her on Instagram @gillianflint_illustration.

Alexandra Boiger (alexandraboiger.com) has illustrated nearly twenty picture books, including the She Persisted series by by Chelsea Clinton; the popular Tallulah series by Marilyn Singer; and the Max and Marla books, which she also wrote. Originally from Munich, Germany, she now lives outside of San Francisco, California, with her husband, Andrea; daughter, Vanessa; and two cats, Luiso and Winter. You can follow Alexandra on Instagram @alexandra_boiger.

Read an Excerpt

Dear Reader,

As Sally Ride and Marian Wright Edelman both powerfully said, “You can’t be what you can’t see.” When Sally Ride said that, she meant that it was hard to dream of being an astronaut, like she was, or a doctor or an athlete or anything at all if you didn’t see someone like you who already had lived that dream. She especially was talking about seeing women in jobs that historically were held by men. 

I wrote the first She Persisted and the books that came after it because I wanted young girls—and children of all genders—to see women who worked hard to live their dreams. And I wanted all of us to see examples of persistence in the face of different challenges to help inspire us in our own lives. 

I’m so thrilled now to partner with a sisterhood of writers to bring longer, more in-depth versions of these stories of women’s persistence and achievement to readers. I hope you enjoy these chapter books as much as I do and find them inspiring and empowering. 

And remember: If anyone ever tells you no, if anyone ever says your voice isn’t important or your dreams are too big, remember these women. They persisted and so should you.

Warmly,
Chelsea Clinton


TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter 1: Born Famous
Chapter 2: Why Aren’t Black People Treated as Equals?
Chapter 3: Why Delphine?
Chapter 4: Just Because I’m Black?
Chapter 5: What Happens Next?
Chapter 6: Who Wouldn’t Cry?
How You Can Persist
References 


Chapter 1
Born Famous

On September 5, 1939, before Claudette Colvin became Claudette Colvin, her family didn’t know what they would call her. But once they saw her perfectly high cheekbones, they named her after Claudette Colbert, the famed high-cheekboned actress and well-loved beauty.

One Claudette was Black and one was white. One Claudette was from Birmingham, Alabama, and one lived in Hollywood, California. But only one Claudette’s brave stand for civil rights would push her into the spotlight by the time she was fifteen years old. And that Claudette was Claudette Colvin.

Editorial Reviews

Praise for She Persisted: Claudette Colvin:

"Cline-Ransome brings the teen activist to life with great compassion and impressive brevity . . . A noteworthy start for chapter-book readers wishing to read more about young leaders of the movement." —Kirkus Reviews

"A well-balanced and very readable account of Colvin’s family life, her values, and her reasons for resisting unjust laws. . . . an engaging introduction to a young civil rights hero." —Booklist

"Cline-Ransome’s narrative provides a knowledgeable, interesting introduction to an ­important player in the civil rights movement." —School Library Journal

From the Publisher

02/01/2021

Gr 1–4—In March 1955, nine months before Rosa Parks made her historic stand against segregation on a Montgomery bus, Black teenager Claudette Colvin (b. 1939) refused to give up her Montgomery bus seat to a white woman. Arrested and verbally abused by police, 15-year-old Colvin endured her trial, where she was found guilty. Following Parks's arrest in December 1955, attorney Fred Gray sued the state of Alabama in Browder v. Gayle. The case sought to challenge state statutes and city ordinances instituting segregation on Montgomery buses; Colvin was tapped as one of the plaintiffs. Colvin, a devoutly religious and thoughtful young woman, was acutely aware of the injustices of Jim Crow laws and understood that the bus segregation laws violated her constitutional rights. This title provides a sufficient introduction to Colvin's role in the civil rights movement. Her religious devotion is emphasized and accounts of her arrest and trial are well-explored and provide an engaging read. The text ends right after Colvin testifies in court in the case of Browder v. Gayle, and readers will wonder what became of the teenager later in her life. Older readers could seek further information about Colvin in Phillip Hoose's Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice. VERDICT Cline-Ransome's narrative provides a knowledgable, interesting introduction to an important player in the civil rights movement. Recommended for school and public libraries.—Margaret Nunes, formerly at Gwinnett County P.L., GA

School Library Journal

Janina Edwards’s steady and friendly narration suits this children’s biography about the life and activism of Claudette Colvin, who helped launch the Montgomery bus boycotts when she was 15 years old. She refused to give up her seat to a white passenger—nine months before Rosa Parks. Young listeners will be inspired by the teenage Colvin’s determination to be recognized as a person with the same rights that others had. And they’ll be galvanized to learn more about historical and current racial injustices. Edwards narrates in a warm voice that conveys Colvin’s curiosity, devastation at her sister’s death, and anger and frustrations in the face of racist discrimination. Chelsea Clinton narrates a brief letter to explain the motivation behind publishing the SHE PERSISTED chapter book series. E.E.C. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine

FEBRUARY 2021 - AudioFile

Janina Edwards’s steady and friendly narration suits this children’s biography about the life and activism of Claudette Colvin, who helped launch the Montgomery bus boycotts when she was 15 years old. She refused to give up her seat to a white passenger—nine months before Rosa Parks. Young listeners will be inspired by the teenage Colvin’s determination to be recognized as a person with the same rights that others had. And they’ll be galvanized to learn more about historical and current racial injustices. Edwards narrates in a warm voice that conveys Colvin’s curiosity, devastation at her sister’s death, and anger and frustrations in the face of racist discrimination. Chelsea Clinton narrates a brief letter to explain the motivation behind publishing the SHE PERSISTED chapter book series. E.E.C. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine

FEBRUARY 2021 - AudioFile

2020-11-18
Cline-Ransom writes the moving story of young civil rights pioneer Claudette Colvin in this chapter-book biography that expands the She Persisted picture-book series created by Chelsea Clinton and Alexandra Boiger.

Weaving together detailed historical background and personal information about Colvin’s life, Cline-Ransome brings the teen activist to life with great compassion and impressive brevity. From her humble beginnings in Pine Level, Alabama, to the loss of her sister to polio when Colvin was 13, readers learn the personal struggles the youth experienced as well as some of her triumphs, such as her frequent victories in class spelling bees, before being pushed into the spotlight for refusing to give up her seat to a White woman months before Rosa Parks would. The book very briefly discusses the politics behind why Colvin is lesser-known than Rosa Parks, focusing on community activists’ leeriness of her youth and not mentioning her pregnancy. With an eye toward the audience, the book keeps Colvin’s emotional journey at its heart even as it summarizes the boycott in conclusion. Flint’s occasional black-and-white interior illustrations emulate Boiger’s airy style, depicting Colvin with her loving family, riding in a Montgomery bus in a scene foreshadowing her history-making moment, and praying in a jail cell. Suggestions for how readers might persist appear in the backmatter.

A noteworthy start for chapter-book readers wishing to read more about young leaders of the movement. (further reading, websites) (Biography. 6-9)

Kirkus Reviews