On Our Way to Oyster Bay: Mother Jones and Her March for Children's Rights (CitizenKid)
by Monica Kulling (Author) Felicita Sala (Illustrator)
Though eight-year-old Aidan and his friend Gussie want to go to school, like many other children in 1903, they work twelve hours, six days a week, at a cotton mill in Pennsylvania instead. So when the millworkers decide to go on strike, the two friends join the picket line. Maybe now life will change for them. But when a famous labor reformer named Mother Jones comes to hear of the millworkers' demands, she tells them they need to do more than just strike.
"Troubled by all she had seen, Mother Jones wanted to end child labor. But what could she do? Why, organize a children's march and bring the message right to President Theodore Roosevelt at his summer home in Oyster Bay, of course!"
Written by Monica Kulling, with vibrant illustrations by Felicita Sala, this nonfiction picture book uses an entertaining story about fictitious characters to bring a real event in history to vivid life. The actual march raised awareness across North America and contributed to the passage of the first child labor laws. It offers an excellent model for how ordinary people, including children, can make a difference by standing up for what's right.
For lesson planning, there's more about Mother Jones, the march and child labor laws at the end of the book. There's also information about child labor today and concrete suggestions for getting involved and helping, making this book perfect for discussions about social justice, activism and citizenship.
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School Library Journal
Gr 1-3--Mary Harris "Mother" Jones worked relentlessly as an advocate and organizer for workers' rights. Mother Jones sought to highlight the plight of working children by organizing a march from Philadelphia to New York City and then to President Theodore Roosevelt's summer home in Oyster Bay, Long Island. This work recounts the experiences of two young fictional child workers, Aidan and Gussie, during that march. Camping out in the woods, riding a train, and visiting Coney Island, Aidan and Gussie learn lessons in generosity and activism as they meet thousands of supportive people along the way. Finally arriving at Oyster Bay, with her few ragtag crusaders, Mother Jones was turned away and never met with the president. However, the march raised national awareness, and within a few years the first child labor laws were passed. As an introduction to the idea of activism and the concept of the individual's ability to make a difference, this is a suitable work for students. Color illustrations highlight the march from Aiden and Gussie's viewpoint but show almost exclusively white children and adults. Information is included about Mother Jones and her crusade as well as facts about current problems of child labor throughout the world, with a few suggestions for possible actions that may be undertaken by readers. VERDICT As a classroom read-aloud, combined with discussion, this can be used as an overview of social justice and activism.--Eva Elisabeth VonAncken, formerly at Trinity-Pawling School, Pawling, NY
Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.Review quotes
JNF025140 - Juvenile Nonfiction | History | Modern
