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Like Evelyn Coleman’s middle-grade novel Freedom Train, this picture book, set in the early 1960s, tells the segregation story from the viewpoint of a naive white kid, Lulu, who loses her innocence when she confronts the racism and cruelty toward blacks. Lulu and her cousin Jelly grab the chance to make their first trip to the big city because they want to taste the “colored water” people have there. Lulu certainly don’t understand the scary street demonstrations they see—until they use a drinking fountain and are driven off by a yelling policeman and his vicious dog. Watercolors decorated with ink crosshatching ably contrast the sweet pastoral fun the children experience with their sudden, terrifying wake up. Faulkner’s personal note about his growing up in the north, where segregation was not official but prejudice was always there, will spark discussion. Grades 1-3. --Hazel Rochman
About the Author
Matt Faulkner is a talented and clever picture-book maker whose dazzling ink and watercolor illustrations have graced dozens of well-loved picture books. On his inspiration for A Taste of Colored Water, he says, "When I was a boy it would've surprised me to learn that the word COLORED hung over a water fountain didn't mean that this was a magical place where fruit-flavored water flowed on demand." This story has grown out of his lifelong exploration of race and societal intolerance and the questions these institutions raise. His more recent work features several titles that focus on United States history, including Thank You, Sarah by Laurie Halse Anderson and You're on Your Way, Teddy Roosevelt by Judith St. George. He lives in Oakland, California, with his son.
Product Details
Age Range: 6 and up
Hardcover: 48 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (January 8, 2008)
Award winning children's book author and illustrator Matt Faulkner grew up in a small town just outside of Boston, Ma. Upon graduating from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1983, Matt took a job setting typography in NYC at an ad agency. Boy, was that the wrong job for Matt! Just as the studio manager was about to let him go, the owner of the agency saw the drawings Matt had done on his work table during lunch and hired him to draw storyboards for t.v. commercials! He got his own office and a pay raise! Woohoo! Not long after, Matt created his first author/illustrated picture book- "The Amazing Voyage of Jackie Grace" with Scholastic. Since then he has created over 30 books for children. He delights in illuminating both historic stories and more fanciful tales and he works very hard not to get the two mixed up. Recently his author/illustrated book "A Taste of Colored Water" received the Comstock Honor award by the Minnesota State University, was chosen as a finalist by the California Commonwealth Club for it's 2009 Book award and was chosen as a winner in the pre-adolescent category by the National Storytelling Network. The NSNetwork also chose "Independent Dames: What You Never Knew About the Women and Girls of the American" (written by Laure Halse Anderson) as the winner of it's adolescent category in 2009. Matt and is engaged to author, Kris Remenar and currently lives with his son, Gabe, and two cat's on a little island in San Francisco Bay.
Did you or your parents or grandparents? grow up where there were public drinking fountains designated "for coloreds only"?
When pre-schoolers study these lively, sometimes humorous - and so clued-in to the 60's - watercolor-&-ink illustrations by author Matt Faulkner, I wonder what they will conclude after the story is 'explained' to them? It may tell of a totally unfamiliar time.
The author concludes in his thoughtful & thought-provoking AFTERWORD that "asking scary questions about unfair rules could be the best thing a young person can do for grown-ups". There are those (of us?) still refusing to recognize strengths in Trees, & choose to be part of the forest of those who pull others into the quicksand of half-truths, innuendo and just plain old turning one's back on humankind. The children in Matt Faulkner's story are no different from others in their need of a loving community.
To prepare yourself for sharing this book with a child, read FIRST the Afterword. Read it again later; be open and hope that there will be questions asked - - Ponder them.
Can we confront fear with courageous questions, instead of reacting like vicious dogs? Did the illustrations bring back your vivid memories of television news coverage & the shame felt? Forty-five years after *THE MARCH* this book will help adults prepare for the significant anniversary (in the summer of 2008).
As cousins Lulu and Jelly learned, we as parents can choose the fountain of Liberty and Justice. I am so grateful to Matt Faulkner for his excellent book for all ages!
This book had every student in my third grade class engaged in listening to the amazing story unwinding about colored water. It is a great way to share a very sensitive topic with innocent minds. The questions that poured out of them after the book sparked rich conversations and discussions for a while.
Finding age-appropriate material for teaching Civil Rights to upper-elementary students is not easy! This book is colorful and easy to understand and yet subtly includes many details that lend themselves to further class discussion. We read this book after we had nearly completed our Civil Rights unit and the students were familar with many of the issues addressed in this title.
First off I have to say I'm always disheartened to find that some parents don't read stories before reading them to their children.
Second, this is by far one of the very best children's books I've ever read. I've bought three copies already and plan on buying more. Moving forward comes from understanding where we've come from. I live in a small town in Michigan and I'm sad to say that one of these bubblers was in our town. People are taught intolerance. It's not genetic, it's not instinctual. It's learned.
Thank you Matt Faulkner for such a wonderful book.
Ok, First off I would like to say if you are purchasing this book because you think, "magic rainbow water comes out of a cool fountain", then you are so wrong. About half way reading this book to my 5 year old sister I realized what it really was about. And had to make up my own ending so I could avoid having to explain to her why the "colored water" sign on the fountain is only ment for black people. I think this book would be a great book for older children maybe about 4 grade and up? Great way to get childrens attention and discuss black history. But any children under that who want a fantasy book i would pick something else.
Without first previewing a christian children's book about colored water, I foolishly read this book to my son. I never would have imagined a book would be would be written in order to scare kids into seeing people's skin color. These children were previously oblivious to racism and tramatised with the chaotic mobs and police telling them to get away from the "coloreds" area. Being innocent is a treasure to be kept as long as possible and reading this book took a piece of that away. I understand the author's point to view, creating a teaching tool for elementary age students to understand the civil rights movement. I don't see how this book is a fun read outside of the classroom or for educational experiences. I have since donated this book to the library, because I didn't want it in my house.
