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their grandma "Bigmama" because she was their "Mama's Mama". Once they've said hello, the children free themselves of their shoes and socks and begin their tour of the property, checking to make sure everything is as they remembered it. They check inside the house and then move onto the backyard, listing with excitement everything they see just as it is each summer. The children dip a bucket of water into the well for a drink and visit the chicken coop, venture farther to see the outhouse and the water pump, and then look for nests with eggs in them and worms to use for fishing.
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is a story that is both relatable to children through use of themes such as family, while also specifically addressing
African American culture. An aspect of the book that has been highlighted is that the children are shown experiencing unsupervised adventure and exploration but still near the loving
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the story takes place in. It is Crews’ way of addressing this without making it a central plot point. The book’s subtle details allow space for teachers and parents to address historical social issues with young children, such as segregation, but it is not necessary to do so in order to use the book,
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is more realistic than some of Crews’ other notable works and his attention to detail specific to the context and setting of his story, illustrating specifics of
African American family life during this time period, serve to set it apart from other children's books about visiting grandparents or farm
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They explore the barn and the stables to look for more eggs and to see the horses. Continuing on the children go to the pond where they can fish and swim. Then came dinner time and the whole family comes together and talk and talk. At night they would go outside and look up at the millions of stars
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The book opens with the children arriving on the train to
Cottondale where they visit their grandparents each summer. Their uncle – uncle Slank – picks the family up from the train and takes them to the house where "Bigmama" and "Bigpapa" are already on the porch awaiting their arrival. They called
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in 1991. It is a story inspired by his own life, capturing what the summers of his childhood were like visiting his grandparents in the south. Through the illustrations, Crews shows the characters existing as children, happy and care-free enjoying summer, while including subtle details of the time
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underscores the themes of family, adventure, and curiosity that the book portrays, as well as the appreciation for the simple things in life. The review also addresses how important this book is both for children who can relate to the experience of visiting family in the countryside, like the
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came from Crews reminiscing with his family and telling stories to his nieces and nephews. The idea to begin illustrating some of these memories was a way to clarify details of the stories the younger family members were curious about – to show unfamiliar things such as the
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is an autobiographical story of Donald Crews' experiences visiting his family in the summers in
Cottondale, Florida. It is a work of realistic fiction depicting situations many children can relate to, focusing on play and the importance of family. The style of
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in the sky. At the end, there is an image of a grown man looking out at a city skyline and stars at night reflecting on how he sometimes wishes he would wake up at
Bigmama’s again and have all the fun and excitement of summer ahead of him.
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on their list of recommended "Black
History Month Books for Kids," and references the context of segregation in the book's time period not taking away from the celebratory and "carefree" nature of the story. It was also included on the
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as a way to share stories with his own family, Crews felt some responsibility to contribute this type of book to the field of children's literature. The completed book was published by
Greenwillow Books in 1991.
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has been featured on recommended book lists and websites for teachers that include resources such as suggested lesson plans for how to guide discussion and activities in the classroom using this story.
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characters in the book did, as well as bringing in a perspective of a different kind of life for those children who maybe haven't had the chance to spend time outside of a big city.
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highlighted the love and nostalgia of Crews' childhood represented in the book and the depiction of the "joyous time" where family comes together.
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Crucial to this book are the concepts of family and family values, togetherness, and the importance of connection with culture and "ancestry".
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website on reading lists as well as alongside resources for teachers to create lesson plans and bring this book into classroom discussions.
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Meacham, Sohyun; Meacham, Shuaib; Kirkland-Holmes, Gloria; Han, Myae (May 2017). "Preschoolers' Author-Illustrator Study of Donald Crews".
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Jans-Thomas, Susie (2014). "A Picture Is Worth One
Thousand Words: Representations of African American Women in Children's Picture Books".
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is no different. Toward the beginning of the book when the family is on the train arriving to
Cottondale, there is a sign that says “
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or the barn – to give them an idea of what summers were like back then. Also, at the time Crews wrote
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life that typically have focused on White families and characters.
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Close attention to detail is important in Crews’ books, and
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Watson, Elizabeth S. (September 1991). "Bigmama's".
54:and spent his summers visiting his grandparents in
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430:Children's books about African-American history
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407:(7): 21. Nov 20, 1991 – via ProQuest.
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440:Children's books set in the United States
399:"`Bigmama's' Arouses Kids' Imagination".
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369:(6): 741–46 – via EBSCOhost.
200:(1st ed.). Greenwillow Books.
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347:(18). 1991 – via ProQuest.
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388:(5): 581 – via EBSCOhost.
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50:Donald Crews was born in
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278:Bodmer, George (1998).
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196:Crews, Donald (1991).
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178:References
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198:Bigmama’s
160:Bigmama's
148:Bigmama's
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110:Analysis
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