Mitchell, M.K. (1993) Uncle Jed’s Barber Shop. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers.

Brief Annotation: Set in the South during the 1920’s, this story is about a man who made a living as the only black barber in the county. Uncle Jed, dreamed of owning his own barbershop but, money kept getting in the way. First, his beloved neice fell sick and he paid for her operation, then the banks failed and he lost all his money again. Finally, at 79 Uncle Jed opens the shop he always dreamed of, but an old man, he died only a few years later.

Genre: Historical Fiction
Grade Level: 2-5
Readers who will like this: Students who are interested in history and in African American history. Students who like realistic, oil paint style pictures.
Response/Rating (1-4): *** I enjoyed this book. I think it had a great message and would be a nice way to introduce students to the history of racial injustice in our nation. I also really liked the pictures.

One question you would ask before a read aloud: What is one of your dreams? What are you doing to achieve it? Have you ever wanted to give up on it?