Bessie Smith and the Night Riders [Hardcover]

Sue Stauffacher (Author), John Holyfield (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

Even though she can’t afford a ticket to see the great blues singer Bessie Smith perform, Emmarene listens outside Bessie’s tent—that is, until she bursts into the show to warn the crowd:The Night Riders have come!

Bessie marches right outside and confronts the Night Riders by giving one of her famous low moans that says, "I may be down and out, but I ain’t gonna take it no more." But will that be enough to scare them off ?

Based on a true incident, Bessie Smith and the Night Riders is a powerful story of facing down danger and standing up for what’s right. With John Holyfield’s luminous paintings setting the stage, readers will be cheering for Bessie and Emmarene all the way to their final bow.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 2-5–On a hot July day in 1927, the townsfolk of Concord, NC, gather to greet the most famous blues singer in all the South as she disembarks from her touring train. Emmarene Johnson, a youngster who longs to attend the evening's tent show by Bessie Smith and her Harlem Frolics, can't afford a ticket and must be content with peeking through the tent flaps for a look at her idol. From this vantage point, she notices Ku Klux Klan members removing the tent stakes and alerts the singer to the danger. She marches outside, draws herself up to her full six feet, sends the Night Riders packing, and then continues her performance. While Smith's hard-drinking and often-violent lifestyle are not mentioned here, Holyfield's brilliantly colored acrylic spreads aptly depict a larger-than-life individual. Clad in red with feather boa flying, she takes center stage whenever she appears. The horizontal shape of the book affords a wonderful view of Bessie's decorative red train; seen atop a hill, the train and the Blues Queen seem to dominate the town. Klan riders, torches blazing, extend across a subsequent spread. The book is based on a true event, dressed up a little for dramatic effect; Stauffacher replaces the musician who actually sounded the alarm with Emmarene and tells the story from her point of view. This tale of courage would make a fine addition to units on the Civil Rights movement.–Marianne Saccardi, Norwalk Community College, CT
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 2-4. Like Pam Munz Ryan's Amelia and Eleanor Go for a Ride (1999), this is one of those books that seem to be history; then the author's note describes how (in this case) the incident was "dressed up for dramatic effect." Stauffacher bases her story on an event that took place in 1927. Bessie Smith, a blues singer, was performing in North Carolina when several Ku Klux Klan members tried to collapse the tent where she was performing. Bessie learned what was happening, confronted the men, and told them off, finishing up with, "You ain't nothin' but a bunch of sissies!" The story unfolds through the eyes of young Emmarene, a Smith fan, who can't afford a ticket to the show. Emmarene spots the Klansmen--or Night Riders--who, in this version, are on horseback, with torches, ready to burn the tent. This embellishment allows for a striking illustration in which Smith stares down rows of hooded riders, cussing at them and scaring them off. Yes, this is catalogued as fiction, but had there actually been a dozen torch-wielding riders as portrayed in the picture (rather than six on their feet in the real incident), this event might have had a different ending. Moreover, should kids want to find additional information on Smith, they will probably get more than they bargained for--including the suggestive lyrics of her songs and descriptions of her wanton ways. On its own, however, this book is dramatic fare, and kids will enjoy the story of a strong woman scaring off bad guys. Holyfield's thickly painted pictures are full of snap and sizzle, with gamine Emmarene making a good counterpoint to sassy, high-stepping Smith. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Putnam Juvenile; First. edition (January 5, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399242376
• ISBN-13: 978-0399242373
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 10.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,167,417 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

F. Scott Fitzgerald said, "Growing up is a terribly hard thing to do. It is much better to skip it and go from one childhood to another." So, I tried growing up and it didn't suit me as well as going from one childhood to another. Which is to say, that to write children's books is to stay in touch with childhood. Which is to say, it's not a bad thing to stay in touch with the child-like senses of wonder and delight.

So I think I will. My recently redone website will introduce young readers to my books and to my weblog about developing your own creative spirit and rekindling or nourishing your sense of wonder and delight.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A TRUE STORY OF COURAGE, January 12, 2006

By 

Gail Cooke (TX, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Bessie Smith and the Night Riders (Hardcover)

Bessie Smith was called the Empress of the Blues. She had an amazing voice, so remarkable that her first recording, which was made in 1925, sold over a million copies. Quite a number for that day and time. Considering all of this, it's no wonder that a little girl would idolize her.

Emmarene Johnson was just such a little girl, and when Bessie came to her hometown of Concord this particular girl simply had to see her. Emmarene had no money so she sneaked out to the edge of town where Bessie was performing, pulled back a tent flap, and couldn't believe her eyes. There was Bessie in a pink dress, waving her feather boa and singing, "Whoa, Tillie, Take Your Time."

As it turned out, many were fortunate that Emmarene was outside the tent that night because she saw the Night Riders approaching on horseback. It was 1927 and the Ku Klux Klan was terrorizing Southern blacks and white sympathizers. Since the Klan committed most of their despicable deeds at night, their nickname was Night Riders.

Nonetheless, Emmarene was terrified knowing that the Klan had come to harm Bessie. She crept inside the tent and told Bessie the Night Riders were there. Then, as Emmarene says, "Some folks run from trouble. Not Bessie. She headed right past me and toward the opening of the tent."

This lone woman marched right up to the men on horseback to hear one shout, "Y'all best get ready to meet your maker."

That didn't stop Bessie. First she swore, and then she told them to pick up their sheets and run. With that she started flapping her arms about, uttered one of her famous low moans, and spooked the horses. Torches started falling on the ground and the men took off.

While the story is based on a true incident, author Stauffacher has dramatized it for young readers, providing a valuable lesson in courage and the ability to stand up for what is right.

Highly recommended.

- Gail Cooke