GRANDDADDY'S GIFT

A sensitive effort from Mitchell (Uncle Jed's Barbershop, 1993), about a courageous man in the segregated South who steadfastly pursued a goal (in this case, the right to vote), creating a legacy of pride and hope for the young girl who tells his story. Although the language is simple and straightforward, readers will require some background to understand how Jim Crow laws effectively disenfranchised Southern blacks for nearly a century after the passage of the 15th Amendment. With robust paintings by Johnson, the book will be instructive for those—of every age—without a clear understanding of how dearly won are rights they may take for granted. (Picture book. 7-11)