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Susan E. Goodman

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The First Step: How One Girl Put Segregation on Trial Hardcover – Picture Book, January 5, 2016

by Susan E. Goodman (Author), E. B. Lewis (Illustrator)

4.7 29 ratings

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2017 Orbis Pictus Honor Book
2017 Jane Addams Peace Association Honor Book
2017 Teachers' Choice Pick, International Literacy Association
An NCSS Notable Social Studies Trade Book of 2017
In 1847, an African American girl named Sarah Roberts attended school in Boston. One day she was told she could never come back. She didn't belong. The Otis School was for white children only.
The Roberts family fought this injustice and made history. Roberts v. City of Boston was the first case challenging our legal system to outlaw segregated schools. Sometimes even losing is a victory. They lost their case but Sarah's cause was won when people, black and white, stood together and said, No more. Now, right now, it is time for change!
With gorgeous art from award-winning illustrator E. B. Lewis, The First Step is an inspiring look at the first lawsuit to demand desegregation--long before the American Civil Rights movement, even before the Civil War.
Backmatter includes: An integration timeline, bios on key people in the book, list of resources, and author's note.

Reading age

6 - 9 years
Print length

40 pages
Language

English
Grade level

1 - 2
Lexile measure

770L
Dimensions

8.85 x 0.35 x 11.3 inches
Publisher

Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Publication date

January 5, 2016
ISBN-10

9780802737397
ISBN-13

978-0802737397
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"An excellent and careful telling of a lesser-known landmark case in the Civil Rights movement . . . E.B. Lewis' watercolors add to the story and help readers feel the resolve and confidence of the people involved . . . would certainly add to a discussion on civil rights with older students and help them understand that there were many players in the civil rights journey and that each step was built upon the past. Highly Recommended." - School Library Connection

"Goodman's real achievement here, though, is in the end matter, in which she not only expands on the lives of the major players but also talks at length of her research process and the educated guesses she made to fill in Sarah's reactions. Although the first impulse will be to put this story to curricular use in civil rights units, this could be of excellent service as an investigation into how a history book gets written." ―BCCB

"An important exploration of the struggle for equality and education in this country." ―starred review, School Library Journal

"A stirring and inspiring story, this one is an excellent addition to classroom and library bookshelves." ―Bookpage

About the Author

Susan E. Goodman is the author of more than thirty nonfiction books for children, including How Do You Burp in Space?; See How They Run: Campaign Dreams, Election Schemes, and the Race to the White House;All in Just One Cookie, an ALA Notable Book; and On This Spot, a Washington Post Top Picture Book of the Year. She lives in Boston, Massachusetts.

E. B. Lewis won the 2005 Caldecott Honor Book for Coming On Home Soon by Jacqueline Woodson and the 2003 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award, for Talkin' About Bessie by Nikki Grimes. Mr. Lewis teaches illustration at Philadelphia's University of the Arts. He lives in Folsom, New Jersey.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0802737390
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Bloomsbury USA Childrens; Illustrated edition (January 5, 2016)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 40 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780802737397
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0802737397
Reading age ‏ : ‎ 6 - 9 years
Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 770L
Grade level ‏ : ‎ 1 - 2
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 15 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.85 x 0.35 x 11.3 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #172,614 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #211 in Children's Books on Prejudice & Racism
- #242 in Children's Historical Biographies (Books)
- #498 in Children's Black & African American Story Books

Customer Reviews:
4.7 29 ratings

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Susan E. Goodman

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To write my nonfiction books for kids, I have had a lot of adventures. I've flown onto the polar icecap with the Air Force, shared a bathroom with a tarantula in the Amazon, and spent three days at a Monster Truck rally without ever buying fried dough. Which was the hardest? I'll let you guess.

My book All in Just One Cookie was an ALA Notable and On This Spot was a Washington Post Best Picture Book of its year. It's a Dog's Life and How Do You Burp in Space? share seven State Book Award nominations between them.

My latest book was illustrated by the wonderful E. B. Lewis. The First Step: How One Girl Put Segregation on Trial is about an African American family who, over 160 years ago, had the courage to take the city of Boston to court for having segregated schools.

Besides writing for kids, I speak at conferences, schools, and libraries and teach writing for children at Lesley University's MFA program. Visit me at www.susangoodmanbooks.com.

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5

29 global ratings

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Rebecca Lindy Coll

Buy it, read it, share it... but mostly TALK ABOUT IT! The First Step is not to be missed!

Reviewed in the United States on January 27, 2016

Verified Purchase

The First Step is an exceptionally well-written and magnificently illustrated book which relates the powerful civil rights story of Roberts v. City of Boston and reminds us that every big change must start with a first step.

By meticulously researching life in 1850s Boston, Goodman transports the reader back in time as she tells the story of young Sarah Roberts in a way that will resonate with children, parents, and educators. Children will try to imagine what life was like for Sarah when she was forced out of her school because of the color of her skin. Parents can take the opportunity to discuss with their children the challenges that Sarah and her family were facing. Educators can use The First Step to lead discussions about history, social change, and how one person's small steps can be a part of a larger solution.

At the back of the book, Goodman includes a list of books, websites and other sources she used in researching this book, as well as an Integration Timeline that puts the story of Sarah Roberts in context and could serve as the basis for broader discussion.

A wonderful new work that shines a light on an important piece of our history, The First Step is not to be missed!

2 people found this helpful

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Deborah Hirschland

An Important, Compelling, and Wonderfully Engaging Read...

Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2016

Verified Purchase

This is a beautifully written book that brings alive an important moment in the history of civil rights in this country. With exquisite illustrations accompanying its clear and vivid text, it will pull young readers into a fuller understanding of what oppression looks and feels like, and will leave them thinking about the tremendous importance of fighting for change in the face of injustice. Most importantly, this eloquently told story conveys how even when the fight for justice isn’t successful in the short run, each step along the way makes a valuable contribution to change over time. The book’s extensive back matter will be of great interest to children, parents, teachers, and librarians, with important information about the timeline of “Marching Toward Equality” in education, additional biographical details about the story’s protagonists, and a fascinating look at the process of how its author worked to gather the information needed to tell this piece of history accurately. Overall an important, compelling, and wonderfully engaging read – with illustrations that add a huge amount to an already vivid narrative.

Reviewed in the United States on November 6, 2017

Verified Purchase

Nice historical fiction book for children. Truly makes students understand this civil war time period and how it was for some children.

Helpful

Amazon Customer

Thought provoking book about the first court challenge to school ...

Reviewed in the United States on March 17, 2016

Verified Purchase

Thought provoking book about the first court challenge to school segregation. It also highlights the way that a first step, even if a "failure" is indeed a first step.

Reviewed in the United States on March 1, 2016

Verified Purchase

Compelling and inspiring story of the first step in the fight for integration. Breathtaking illustrations.

Helpful

Janet Hamilton

An important part of American history

Reviewed in the United States on January 30, 2016

Summary: In 1847, at the age of four, Sarah Roberts started at the Otis School in Boston, just a few blocks from her home. Soon, though, she was told by the police that she had to leave. The Otis was for white children, and Sarah was African American. The school she could attend was further from her house, had no place to play, and owned a single book. Sarah’s parents decided to fight the decision. They took their case to the Massachusetts Supreme Court, where it became the first case in the nation in which a white lawyer and an African American lawyer worked together, and the first in which an African American lawyer argued a case in a supreme court. They lost the case, but Sarah’s father didn’t give up. He traveled around the state to gain support, and in 1855, Massachusetts became the first state to outlaw school segregation. Goodman writes that the fight for justice is often like that, a few steps backward, then a few more forward. She concludes with the story of Linda Brown and how her experience with segregated schools, similar to Sarah Roberts’, led to the 1954 Supreme Court decision banning all segregated schools in the U.S. Back matter includes a timeline, a follow-up on some of the people in the story, resources, and how a nonfiction book is researched and written. 40 pages; grades 1-4.

Pros: This little-known story is an important and inspirational part of American history. It’s told well, with beautiful illustrations. The last two pages do a fabulous job of outlining the work and research that go into the creation of a nonfiction book.

Cons: The coloring in the illustrations sometimes make it difficult to differentiate skin tones. Maybe that was intentional, but I found it a little confusing.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Annette Lamb

Little-Known Story of Segregation

Reviewed in the United States on July 21, 2016

THE FIRST STEP: HOW ONE GIRL PUT SEGREGATION ON TRIAL by Susan E. Goodman tells the inspiring story of the first lawsuit focusing on segregated schools.

Set in the 1840s, this biographical picture book follows the experiences of a young African American girl named Sarah Roberts who sought to attend a white school in Boston. The book concludes by tracing Sarah’s legacy. Although she didn’t win her case, the experience did provide a few small steps forward at the beginning of the fight for civil rights.

Goodman’s straight forward, easy-to-understand narration makes this book an effective resource for classroom social studies and history activities. E.B. Lewis’ touching watercolor images capture the time period and fervor of the times.

The backmatter includes useful information including a timeline, biographies, resource list, and author’s note.

Librarians will find that most students and teachers are familiar with the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, however they may not realize that the fight against segregation began more than a century earlier in the courts. Use this picture book to jumpstart a discussion of the long history of the Civil Rights Movement.

To learn about the author, go to [...]
To learn about the illustrator, go to http://eblewis.com/.

Published by Bloomsbury on January 5, 2016. ARC Courtesy of the publisher.

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