When the schools shut down A young girl's story of Virginia's "lost generation" and the Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka decision

In 1954, Yolanda Gladden was born in Prince Edward County, Virginia, and the Supreme Court handed down the Brown v. Board of Education decision, mandating the desegregation of schools. Yet in 1959, when Yolanda was old enough to begin her formal education, local authorities decided to close the county's schools rather than integrate them. Some in the Black community protested in the streets, while others organized schools to educate their children, meeting in homes and churches for the duration. Besides traditional subjects, Yolanda learned Black history in the basement of First Baptist Church. And in 1964, when the county was forced to reopen and desegregate its schools, she was well prepared academically and proud of her heritage. Spotlighting an often-overlooked aspect of civil rights history, the text portrays Gladden as a child within a strong community that rose up against injustice, protected its children, and provided them with hope for a better future. The vibrant digital illustrations feature elements of color and texture created using layered tissue-paper collage. An attractive, informative picture book on school desegregation.

Acknowledging the importance of oral history in African diasporic traditions, this nonfiction account by Gladden (b. 1954), transcribed by Pizzoli, offers an engaging, community care--centered examination of segregation in the Virginia school system before and after Brown v. Board of Education. Four years after the decision was handed down, when Gladden was to begin school, officials closed every public school in her county to avoid integrating the institutions. The community reacted by creating its own schools. Pizzoli's rhythmic prose drives the narrative forward: "When Yolanda's mama and Aunt Dorothy graduated from high school in 1953, the conditions of public schools in Prince Edward County were still separate, still unequal, and still unfair." Collaged tissue paper and digital media art by Morris offers a lushly layered backdrop to the events, emphasizing the expressions and closeness of the Black community portrayed in this informative, warmly personable autobiography. Back matter features notes from the authors, a timeline of desegregation of the American school system, and sources and further reading. Ages 4--8. (Jan.)

Gr 2--5--Many students will know about the desegregation of schools in the late 1950s and 1960s, or will have heard the story of Ruby Bridges. Few may realize that the state of Virginia was so opposed to integration that they closed public school for five years. Yolanda, a Black girl with deep ties to her community, wanted to go to school, but the lawmakers who were getting white students to private schools weren't helping her at all. A detailed bibliography makes it possible for students to do further research on this lesser known piece of history. For raising awareness of the tiered fates of the students in Virginia (and likely elsewhere), this book is an excellent starting place. But the text lurches from poetic notion to historical ones with little transition: "The year Yolanda Gladden was born, the United States looked much different than it does today. The country's cars, clothes, land, and even laws reflected old ideas--some were classic, and others were simply cold." As an opening line, this does not orient readers to what they are about discover. The artwork in the book is vibrant and engaging, giving readers strong images to go along with the text. VERDICT For those wanting to learn more about segregation and desegregation beyond Brown vs. the Board of Education, this is a necessary addition, despite its flaws.--Debbie Tanner

Yolanda Gladden was born in modest circumstances in Farmville, Virginia, in 1954, the same year the landmark Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka Supreme Court case ended school segregation in the U.S. This third-person biography opens with an account of Gladden's formative years, including happy times spent at her Uncle Tank's convenience store, in church on Sundays, and watching her mother sew. In her close-knit community, young Yolanda learned important lessons of resilience and faith, and her family instilled pride in her. As she grew older, she "noticed the world around her was divided into two distinct colors: black and white." By 1959, Yolanda was school-aged, but White lawmakers in her county still hadn't implemented the federal mandate to integrate classrooms; rather, they had closed all schools. The rest of the book highlights the response of Farmville's Black community, which included protests and the establishment of empowering grassroots schools for Black children. While the book shines a light on the so-called "Lost Generation," a piece of U.S. history that many readers will be unfamiliar with, Gladden's personal and emotional experience of the life-changing events gets lost in the largely fact-driven, outward-looking narrative. Morris' collaged tissue paper and digital art is dynamic and excels at depicting multiple scenes per spread. Most characters are Black. Edifying and worth the read despite some flaws of execution. (authors' notes, timeline, sources, further reading) (Picture book biography. 6-10) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.