Mississippi Morning

Name: Mississippi Morning
Brand: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers
SKU: 854971
Price: 5.77 USD
Availability: InStock
Author: Ruth Vander Zee
ISBN: 9780802854971

By: Ruth Vander Zee

Illustrated By: Floyd Cooper

Eerdmans Books for Young Readers / 2017 / Paperback

Write a Review

Expected to ship on or about 09/12/26.
Email me when this product is available.

Stock No: WW854971

Buy Item $5.77 Retail: ~~$10.00~~ Save 42% ($4.23)

Expected to ship on or about 09/12/26.
Email me when this product is available.

Quantity:

Stock No: WW854971

Eerdmans Books for Young Readers / 2017 / Paperback

Quantity:

Add To Cart

or checkout with

Product Close-up

Product Description

▼▲

Mississippi Morning written by Ruth Vander Zee and illustrated by Floyd Cooper is a powerful story of a boy growing up in Mississippi during the Great Depression and his experience learning of the cruelty and hate of the Ku Klux Klan. James William loves his life in rural Mississippi until he learns that a fire that burned down the local preacher's house wasn't an accident, but a hate crime. Until an unexpected encounter brings this harsh reality close to home. Powerful and moving, this book can be used to open up discussions with children about hate and racism. Recommended for ages 7 to 12 years.

Product Information

▼▲

Title: Mississippi Morning
By: Ruth Vander Zee
Illustrated By: Floyd Cooper
Format: Paperback
Number of Pages: 32
Vendor: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: 2017

Dimensions: 11.00 X 8.00 (inches)
Weight: 6 ounces
ISBN: 0802854974
ISBN-13: 9780802854971
Ages: 7-12
Stock No: WW854971

Publisher's Description

▼▲

“Brings urgent politics into personal life.”
— Booklist (STARRED REVIEW)

“Cooper is at his best with action, emotion, and perspective…Vander Zee’s dialogue crackles with import.”
— Kirkus Reviews (STARRED REVIEW)

A young white boy in Depression-era Mississippi confronts ugly truths in this powerful coming-of-age story of family, friendship, and racism.

It's the middle of the Great Depression, yet James William enjoys his life in rural Mississippi. But his happiness starts to unravel when he discovers the fire that burned down the local preacher's house wasn't an accident, but a hate crime.

When his friend LeRoy — a Black boy whose family sharecrops on the land next to theirs — tells him about the Klan and their hanging tree, James William has a hard time grasping this harsh reality. That is, until an unexpected encounter brings the issue close to home.

Ruth Vander Zee’s Mississippi Morning, inspired by a sermon and Illustrated by Coretta Scott King medalist Floyd Cooper, will challenge assumptions and create meaningful discussion among young readers. It was named a Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People by the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) and Children's Book Council (CBC).

Author Bio

▼▲

Ruth Vander Zee, teacher and writer, is also the author of Erika's Story, illustrated by Roberto Innocenti (Creative Editions). She lives in San Jose, California with her husband.

Floyd Cooper (1956–2021) won many prestigious awards for his illustrations, including the 2009 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award for The Blacker the Berry, written by Joyce Carol Thomas (Amistad), and three previous Coretta Scott King Honors, a Da Vinci Award, and an NAACP Image Honor. Throughout his over thirty-year career, Floyd illustrated more than ninety books, including Unspeakable by Carol Boston Weatherford (Lerner), Meet Danitra Brown by Nikki Grimes (HarperCollins), Ben and the Emancipation Proclamation by Pat Sherman (Eerdmans), and Mississippi Morning by Ruth Vander Zee (Eerdmans). Floyd lived in Pennsylvania until his death in 2021.

Editorial Reviews

▼▲

“The subject will spark classroom discussion even among some young teens, and there are plenty of connections to history that teachers will want to make…Without diatribe or heavy message, Mississippi Morning brings urgent politics into personal life.”
— Booklist (STARRED REVIEW)

“Cooper is at his best with action, emotion, and perspective; design lets the art fill the book with color and life; and Vander Zee’s dialogue crackles with import.”
— Kirkus Reviews (STARRED REVIEW)

“Cooper's large, warm oil paintings create the perfect sense of time, place, and atmosphere…A sad and poignant story about a period in American history, and on a more personal level, a son's disillusionment.”
— School Library Journal