This Is the Rope: A Story from the Great Migration

Sweet book that tells how a piece of rope has traveled through heritage. A great way to share a family’s history. Not a book about slavery. Just a very sweet book. The Other Side and Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson were two of my 2nd grade classroom favorites. Both of those cover indifference and the power of friendship and lessons learned. All are wonderful classroom books to share.

This is a very nicely done story using a simple rope to tie together multiple generations and gently teach history. The rope is initially found under a tree, which brings up horrific thoughts in the reader's mind, but there is absolutely no recognition of this by the child in the story, or the listening child. The illustrations are beautifully done, making the book worth having for the pictures alone!

Beyond James Ransome's wonderful illustrations, Woodson tells a story of a family as it grows and moves from North Carolina to Brooklyn. The common 'thread' tying the generations together is actually a rope - one grandmother skips with, father ties luggage to the car roof, mother hangs clothes on the line, etc.. It's a title young students can relate to, about things that connect us to our families, and ends appropriately with a family reunion. It also shows the tenor of the times, when African-Americans moved in droves from the South to Northern communities where opportunities were more plentiful. A great read-aloud, and use for teaching concepts and themes about families and generational ties.

This is another one of Woodson's insightful stories with many themes. My 5th grade class will preview it next week. They love all her other books and are excited about the newest book. The storyline and illustrations are beautiful. Woodson is a masterful storyteller with simple, poignant themes about families. You will not be disappointed.

Excellent story! Follows three generations using the rope to weave the story...

I'm caucasian, & I saw myself & my family in those pictures .And I hadn't lived that story.

This book was a wonderful read aloud for my first grade class for reading about the Great Migration in social studies class.

This is a beautiful story of one African -American family's migration from the south to a northern city. The rhythm of the language & the illustrations combine to make poetry out of a history lesson. My 5 year old asked me to read this to him every night for a whole week!

Rxc

Not what I was expecting. A well-meaning but sentimental story that stretches credibility. Aimed at the very young, but there’s so much other good stuff around that I wouldn’t bother.