Sienna’s Scrapbook: Our African American Heritage Trip

Parker, Toni Trent & Genovese, Janell (Illustrator). Sienna's Scrapbook: Our African American Heritage Trip. Chronicle Books, 2005. ISBN 0-8118-4300-9

Plot

Sienna's parents decide to stop at significant sites in African American history on the family's trip from Hartford, Connecticut to Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Sienna, her brother, and her parents first stop in New Haven to see the replica of the ship Amistad. This sailing ship was typically used for transporting cargo. On one journey in 1839, a group of fifty-three slaves were put aboard. They revolted when one of them, named Cinque, thought all the Africans on the ship were going to be killed. The ship was captured by the U. S. Navy and the Africans were put on trial for the murder of the ship's captain and cook. The case went to the Supreme Court which ruled that the Africans were free people who had been kidnapped, and that they were free to go back to Africa. Next the family visits Harlem in New York City. They learn about the Harlem Renaissance and people like Langston Hughes who were a part of it. In Queens they visit Louis Armstrong's home. In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania the family visits a doll museum with more than 300 black dolls. Then they see the Johnson House which belonged to Quakers who used their home as a stop on the Underground Railroad. They visit Baltimore, Maryland and see the Great Blacks in Wax Museum. In Washington, D.C. the family stands on the same step where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his famous "I Have a Dream" speech in front of the Lincoln Memorial. In Virginia they visit Mount Vernon and see the slave quarters there. They drive a long way to Greensboro, North Carolina to see the Woolworth's store where the student sit-ins began in 1960. Finally, they arrive at Grandma and Grandpa's house in Winston-Salem. Sienna hopes that maybe next summer the family can take another "heritage trip."

Critical Evaluation

The author presents significant sites of African American history in a fun and relaxed manner. Seen through the eyes of a young girl, some of these sites do not look interesting. But when her parents share the stories behind each place, history comes alive for Sienna and her brother, Davey. The scrapbook format combines drawings, photographs, and memorabilia in a visually interesting way. The book makes reading about history into a summer time adventure.

Annotations

Sienna and her family travel from their home in Hartford, Connecticut to Winston-Salem, North Carolina to attend a family reunion. On the way they stop at many important sites from African American history.

Author

Toni Trent Parker is the author of Black Books Galore! Guide to Great African American Children's Books. She is an NAACP Image Award finalist for her work in enriching reading experiences for children of any age and across many cultures.

Genre

Fiction - travel and history

Curriculum Ties

Language Arts

Social Sciences – African American history

Booktalk Ideas

Begin with: "Let's take a trip with Sienna and her family. We'll start in Hartford, Connecticut and end in Winston-Salem, North Carolina." Show listeners a map of the northeast United States. Point out Hartford, Winston-Salem, and New Haven. Read about the family's first stop in New Haven to see the Amistad.

Reading Level/Interest Age

Grade 3 to 6 (age 8 to 12).

Challenge Issues and Defense

None.

Why is it here?

The book's scrapbook format is enticing. The history is told accurately in a friendly, storytelling voice.