Prudence Crandall

This is an addendum to the previous post. I wanted to post a couple of reviews of the poetry book suggested in the connections section of The Forbidden Schoolhouse by Suzaanne Jurman. These reviews can be found in the database: Children's Literature Reviews.
Kirkus

Two years after Suzanne Jurmain's nonfiction chronicle, Forbidden Schoolhouse (2005), comes a glorious poetic celebration of the teacher and students at a Connecticut school that defied mid-19th-century convention to educate African-American girls. Divided into six sections, four sonnets in each, the voices of the 24 girls tell, one by one, the tale, from hope and excitement at the beginning of the enterprise to fear and defiance as forces both institutional and vigilante conspire to destroy Miss Crandall's School. Nelson's sonnets adhere to a strict form while Alexander's explore the boundaries of the form; each distills the powerful emotions inspired by the story. For example, "Fire from the Gods": "I didn't know how much I didn't know, / Like Brer Mosquito on Brer Elephant, / now I know my capacity for awe / is infinite. . . . " Cooper's soft pastel illustrations provide a muted counterpoint to the text, mixing depictions of school and students with images of the natural world in a lovely rhythm. A foreword provides a brief prose history of the school; a concluding authors' note explains their collaborative process.

Library Media Connection
In 1833, Prudence Crandall opened her boarding school in Canterbury, Connecticut to "young ladies and little misses of color" because the white families refused to permit their daughters to be educated along with African Americans. The townspeople tried to close the school by passing restrictive laws. When that did not work, there were ever-increasing attacks upon the property. When it was no longer possible to protect the students, Prudence closed the school. Prudence and her new husband left Canterbury and eventually settled in Kansas. The story is told through a series of sonnets. The words are powerful as they celebrate the importance of education and hardships that the students endured to achieve it. The reader appreciates the courage of these women, facing the hostilities of the townsfolk. Floyd Cooper's illustrations capture the moods of the poems and help tell the story of persecution and adversity that eventually forced the school's closure. This book celebrates the women who risked everything to improve their lives. It can serve as an example for today's youth for appreciating the opportunities for education that they have today regardless of race.