Pink and Say

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

Brief Annotation: Pink and Say is Patricia Polacco’s retelling of the heroic story of Pinkus Aylee. This book follows the journey of Pink rescuing Say on a battlefield and nurturing him back to health. After a devastating end to Pink and his mother, Say swore to carry on the name of Pink. And so he did, the story was retold through generations until Patricia published it so that everyone could remember the heroic strides of one young boy.

Genre: Historical Fiction; Picture book

Grade Level: 4-8

Readers who will like this: This book would be a great addition to a history lesson about the civil war and slavery. Readers who understand the hardships that our country has been through learning to except people for who they are would enjoy reading this book. The language and story is too advanced for young readers, however the truth and sincerity of the story should be appreciated by everyone.

Response/Rating (1-4): 4! The very last page asks the reader to say Pinkus Aylee’s name out loud to vow to remember him always; I cried, thinking of how many people must have said his name and learned his story. An entire family has blossomed because of Pink’s actions, and yet Pink’s family was lost. The author’s adaptations of these events were told in a way that was heartfelt and captivating. The illustrations added so much to the story with heavy lines and dark colors.

One question you would ask before a read aloud: What do you know about the civil war? Have you read any other stories from this time period?

Reading Strategies Connection: A K-W-L (Yopp, Yopp pg 36) would be a good way to link this book back to a history lesson, to expand on what the students are questioning. It is also a good way to judge what students already know from previous information. It could also be a good opportunity to increase understanding about culture and diversity. Students could make their K-W-L chart and then compare it with others in the class. An new project could even be based on what the students wanted to learn.