Module 6: Pink and Say

Book Summary: This children's historical fiction book is based on a real person whose name was Pinkus Aylee who was an African American union soldier in the Civil War.  He finds Sheldon Curtis who goes by Say and rescues him from the attack of the Confederate soldiers.  They go to Pink's mothers house and hideout until Say, who is also injured, gets well for them to leave.  Pink does not want his mother to be in any danger because she is fostering union soldiers on Confederate territory.  Before they can go, the house is raided by marauders and Pink's mother was killed.  Pink and Say were hiding in the underground shed and when they came out to look for his mother, they realized she was dead. They leave the house and return back to their grounds.  They were then captured and separated from each other.  Pink was killed within hours of being captured and Sheldon was kept alive to tell the story to his children.  

Reference: Polacco, P. (1994). Pink and say. New York, NY: Philomel Books.

Impression: I truly enjoyed this book and will definitely be using it during Black History Month and referring it to my teachers to use in their social studies lessons.  Polacco does a phenomenal job of making a serious subject, child friendly and interesting.  She uses words and phrases that are true to the dialect during the Civil War time, such as "No child, Pinkus brung you home to me-don't you remember?".  She brings the situation of this real character to light as a hero with the storyline of him saving Say.  

There are is a time in the story where there is just a page with a picture of Pink and Say walking and trying to make it to Pink's mothers house.  It spoke volume because it gave you a time to process what was going on.  Having the think time in a story adds and builds to the plot.  The oil painting with the mixtures of gray, white, brown, and accents of red gives the illustrations the solemn feel during the Civil War.   Polacco sets a somber mood with the colors as well and gives the characters facial expression of hope and sorrow.  The way the characters are drawn on the page to portray movement helps the reader to be in the moment and imagine the intensity of the struggle of carrying someone up a hill.

I am a fan of Polacco and this book definitely did not let me down.  The meaning behind the story warmed my heart and I cannot wait to share with my students.  I would recommend this story to ages 4 and up, because of the history and illustrations given.

Professional Review:

From Booklist
Ages 5-9. Hands and gestures have always been important in Polacco's work. Here they are at the center of a picture book based on a true incident in the author's own family history. It's a story of interracial friendship during the Civil War between two 15-year-old Union soldiers. Say, who is white and poor, tells how he is rescued by Pinkus (Pink), who carries the wounded Say back to the Georgia home where Pink's black family were slaves. In a kind of idyllic interlude, Pink and his mother nurse Say back to health, and Pink teaches his friend to read; but before they can leave, marauders kill Pink's mother and drag the boys to Andersonville prison. Pink is hanged, but Say survives to tell the story and pass it on across generations. The figure of Pink's mother borders on the sentimental, but the boys' relationship is beautifully drawn. Throughout the story there are heartbreaking images of people torn from a loving embrace. Pictures on the title and copyright pages show the parallel partings as each boy leaves his family to go to war. At the end, when the friends are wrenched apart in prison, the widening space between their outstretched hands expresses all the sorrow of the war. Then, in a powerful double-page spread, they are able to clasp hands for a moment, and their union is like a rope. Say once shook Lincoln's hand, just as Say held Pink's hand, and Say tells his children, who tell theirs, that they have touched the hand that touched the hand . . . Hazel Rochman

From Kirkus Review
A white youth from Ohio, Sheldon Russell Curtis (Say), and a black youth from Georgia, Pinkus Aylee (Pink), meet as young soldiers with the Union army. Pink finds Say wounded in the leg after a battle and brings him home with him. Pink's mother, Moe Moe Bay, cares for the boys while Say recuperates, feeding and comforting them and banishing the war for a time. Whereas Pink is eager to go back and fight against "the sickness" that is slavery, Say is afraid to return to his unit. But when he sees Moe Moe Bay die at the hands of marauders, he understands the need to return. Pink and Say are captured by Confederate soldiers and brought to the notorious Andersonville prison camp. Say is released months later, ill and undernourished, but Pink is never released, and Polacco reports that he was hanged that very first day because he was black. Polacco (Babushka Baba Yaga, 1993, etc; My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother, above) tells this story, which was passed down for generations in her family (Say was her great-great-grandfather), carefully and without melodrama so that it speaks for itself. The stunning illustrations -- reminiscent of the German expressionist Egon Shiele in their use of color and form -- are completely heartbreaking. A spectacular achievement. (Nonfiction/Picture book. 4- 8)

References:

Kirkus Review. (1994). [Review of the book Pink and say, by P, Polacco]. Retrieved from https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/patricia-polacco/pink-and-say/

Rochman, H. (n.d.). [Review of the book Pink and say, by P. Polacco]. Booklist. Retrieved from http://www.booklistonline.com/Pink-and-Say-Patricia-Polacco/pid=980777

Library uses:
This book would be great during Black History Month and as a informational tool during a social studies lesson of the Civil War in the library.