These Hands

These Hands 

Author: Margaret H. Manson
Illustrator: Floyd Cooper

Grade Level: 3-5

Genre: Historical Fiction

Awards: Golden Kite Award for Picture Book Text 

Summary: In this book, a grandfather is showing his grandson, Joseph, all the things that his hands can do.  He can tie shoes, play piano, shuffle cards, and play baseball.  He then begins to tell his grandson what his hands used to not be able to do.  His hands couldn't touch bread in the factory because of his skin color.  So, he joined hands with others, made signs, and raised his voice.  Now, no matter a persons skin color, they can touch the dough in the factory. 

Evaluation: I think the illustrations in this work are amazing.  I love how this book tells about a dark time in our country's history in a way that can be better understood by younger students.  This is definitely a book I will use in my future classroom. 

The readability is between third and fifth grade.  The text in this book includes simpler vocabulary and uses repetition about what the grandfather's hands can do.  Even though the book is talking about a topic that might be difficult for younger readers to understand, the book describes it in an understandable way.

One way I can use this book in my future classroom is when we come across texts that deal with racism.  I think this book will be an impactful addition to that subject.  I also think this book could open up good conversations.  Even in its simplicity, this book can help spark deeper conversations about our country and what racism looked like years ago and compare it to what it looks like now.  This book could then lead to a compare and contrast writing assignment.