This Is the Rope: A Story from the Great Migration

by Jacqueline Woodson and James Ransome

When is a rope something more than a rope? When it's a toy a child jumps with, and... read more

When is a rope something more than a rope? When it's a toy a child jumps with, and a tether to fasten belongings to the roof of a car. When it's a line for drying freshly washed diapers in a big-city apartment, and the means for starting new friendships, with jumping again. When it secures a young woman's belongings as she heads off to college, and when it's the heart of a story that ties one generation to the next. Jacqueline Woodson pays tribute to the generations of her own family and of countless African American families who journeyed north as part of the Great Migration, following dreams and establishing new lives while never losing sight of the past, in a narrative voiced by a contemporary child who recounts how the worn, frayed rope she has grown up with is part of her family's history. The finely paced, lyrical narrative is paired with shining illustrations by James Ransome. Honor Book, 2014 Charlotte Zolotow Award (Ages 5-8)

© Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 2014

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