The Great Migration: Journey to the North in Mock Caldecott 2026

May 12, 2011 Mary Ann rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 5th, 4th, picture-books, history, african-american, poetry, families, 6th

The Great Migration is a beautiful blend of poetry, history and illustration. Eloise Greenfield shares a very personal perspective on the mass movement of African Americans from the southern part of the U.S. to the North between 1915 and 1930, intertwining both historical perspective and a personal experience. Greenfield begins with a short explanation of the meaning of “the Great Migration”, what it was, and how it affected her family. In August 1929, she was three months old when her father to The Great Migration is a beautiful blend of poetry, history and illustration. Eloise Greenfield shares a very personal perspective on the mass movement of African Americans from the southern part of the U.S. to the North between 1915 and 1930, intertwining both historical perspective and a personal experience. Greenfield begins with a short explanation of the meaning of “the Great Migration”, what it was, and how it affected her family. In August 1929, she was three months old when her father took the train from their home in North Carolina to find work in Washington, D.C. A month later, he sent for his family: “I was too little to know it then, but I had become a part of the Great Migration.”

The poems in this book follow a number of characters as they set out to move North, hoping to find a better life for themselves and their families. Each character is unnamed, but the poetry speaks from that person’s heart. Through this free verse poetry, the reader is pulled right into what it would be like to contemplate leaving your home.
This is a wonderful way into history for students, helping them imagine what it would be like to stand in a person’s shoes. The poems in this book are arranged in a chronological way, following a family’s move North. As the Horn Book review says, “Many of the poems give voice to unnamed travelers' thoughts; Greenfield explores the heart of each person, from the young woman going North alone, who sees her mother secretly packing her teddy bear in her bag, to the angry woman who says, 'I can't wait to get away. . .I hear that train whistling / my name. Don't worry, train, / I'm ready. When you pull / into the station, my bags and I / will be there.'“ I found this approach very moving, perfect for making me want to learn more.

Gilchrist's illustrations blend watercolor and collage to create landscapes and personal portraits that are as powerful as the poems. I was particularly struck by the way she incorporates faces from actual photographs into her artwork, reinforcing the feeling that these poems speak for actual people’s experiences. ...more

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Jun 15, 2011 Amy rated it it was amazing

Shelves: juvenille-non-fiction

I have tremendous respect for those authors who use their creativity, imagination, and passion to present a "non-fiction" topic to young readers in a way that not educates them about the facts surrounding a particular place or time in history, but are able to do so in a way that shows you the many different facets and perspectives of the people who lived the event. This beautiful picture book tells the story of the great migration north made by thousands of African Americans searching for a bett ...more

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Feb 06, 2012 Julie rated it really liked it

Shelves: csk-award, picture-book, poetry

Eloise Greenfield uses poetry to interweave the story of her family's move from North Carolina to Washington, D.C., in 1929 with the greater migration north that took place between 1915 and 1930. Her family's story is a familiar one--more than one million African Americans took this journey north to find freedom from discrimination and prejudice and new opportunities. Jane Spivey Gilchrist's mixed media illustrations provide additional depth to the story and her use of historical pictures is par ...more

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Aug 09, 2010 Alyson (Kid Lit Frenzy) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: picture-book, culturally-diverse, mg, non-fiction, book-a-day

Some picture books do an amazing job of mixing text and illustrations to tell a story. I loved the combination in this book. The Great Migration tells of one African American family's migration from the south to the north. One that I will definitely look for upon it's release. ...more

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Mar 18, 2012 Robynn rated it really liked it

CSK author honor award. From 1915 to 1939 over a million Black Americans moved north, among them the author and her family. In poetic prose she tells the story about who made the trip, how they felt and what they found. The illustrations are amazing.

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Jul 19, 2011 June rated it liked it

Shelves: poetry, cap-choices-2011, black-history

Greenfield begins and ends the book with her family's own stories of their migration to the north. I. The News, II. Goodbyes... Greenfield includes the young and old. The angry woman is especially powerful. ...more

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Sep 02, 2011 Cathy rated it really liked it

Shelves: poetry, picture-books

I love the little surprises in the illustrations! Those surprises invite closer inspection which in turn encourages another examination of the text. This book sings!

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May 26, 2012 Leslie rated it really liked it

Shelves: wonder, picturebooks, verse, nonfiction

An excellent introduction to the Great Migration. Would inspire older children to want to learn more.

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Nov 05, 2011 Jenny rated it it was ok

Shelves: picture-books, nonfiction-j

Interesting subject but I intensely disliked the illustrations.

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May 27, 2011 Jennifer rated it liked it

Shelves: kids, 2011reads, nonfiction, historicalfiction, poetry, corettascottkinghonor

This is another hard one for me to review as it is so emphatically not my thing. The art isn't a style that appeals to me, but I think it's a good fit that complements the text. Greenfield's poems give you a sense of what those involved in the Great Migration might have felt and thought, but I didn't connect to them emotionally (which probably says more about me as a reader than the book). The supplemental materials are very good and consist of a bibliography and an opening author's note describ ...more

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Jan 28, 2013 Ann marked it as to-read

Shelves: notable-children-s-books-2012, booklist-top-10-2013

Notable Children's Books 2012 (ALSC)
Top Ten Black History Books for Youth 2013 (Booklist) ...more

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Feb 12, 2011 Janet rated it it was amazing

Shelves: read2012-picbk, children-s-nonfiction, picture-books

Although this is definately not a picture book story, I include it in my picture book listing because of the stunning illustrations. These illustrations capture exactly what the Great Migration was all about. I especially like the illustration of the train tracks, with the outline of the southern states and the point of the perspective being the northern states--exactly what the Great Migration was about-leaving the South and going North. A great addition to Africian American history books for c ...more

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Dec 23, 2011 Beth rated it really liked it

Shelves: history, children, middle-grade-picture-book, mentor-texts, picture-books

The blend of text and illustrations in this book would lead to great discussion about symbolism. The fact that the author uses "they" throughout the entire book without really giving you the antecedent to that "they" could lead to all sorts of discussions: about inferring and even using it in a grammar lesson. Lots of great uses for this text in the ELA and social studies classroom. ...more

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