Pink and Say - Author Study

I chose Patricia Polacco for my author study. The first one of her books that I chose to read was Pink and Say. This book follows two young boys who are about 15 years old, Pink and Say. Say is a young white boy fighting for the north in the Civil War. Pink is around the same age and also fighting for the north, but he is a slave. When Say is inured and lying hopeless on the ground, Pink finds him and brings him home to his mother, Moe Moe Bay. As Say heals, Pink decides they need to go back and fight in the war, yet Say is not so sure.

I enjoyed this book very much. Though this book was for my author study, I was equally impressed with the pictures as with the words. They were extremely realistic and made me feel as though I were a part of the story or as though the author was painting scenes while they happened. Some of the aspects of the story would be great as teaching tools. For example, Pink says to Say, "My mother and Kaylo, my father, jumped the broom on this very spot." Many children may not realize that is a reference to getting married in Pink's culture. With the many references to the Civil War, this could also be a great introduction (or fun reinforcement) to a Civil War unit. The aspect that I found most interesting about this story, however, is that it is a true story from the author's great-great-grandfather, Sheldon Curtis, or Say for short.