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Summary
Summary
Reenie and her mama love to go fishing down by the river. But the peace of their idyllic fishing spot is often marred by the appearance of Peter Troop and his daddy. Peter is up-jumpy and loud, scaring the fish away. And the Troops harbor some resentment toward them, too. Peter and his daddy are fishing for food; Reenie and Mama fish for fun. The Troops are white; Reenie and Mama are black. And in the Jim Crow South, it is this last difference that is most significant. One day, when the Troops' fishing reel breaks, Reenie overcomes their mutual fear and mistrust to help Peter-an act that holds the promise of friendship and understanding. This is a moving story about two children crossing boundaries of race, class, and gender, and about small acts that make a big difference.
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 4-A story of differences and similarities, compassion and generosity. Reenie and her mom, who are black, love to fish from the banks of the aptly nicknamed Jim Crow River. Peter and his dad, who are white, fish at the same river. However, the two families never speak to one another because, as the girl's mother reminds her, "We and white folks have kept our distance here, for as long as memory serves." While the females catch fish, the males are frustrated in their attempts. They need help, and Reenie decides to take the initiative and offer the boy some assistance and advice when he is alone. Evans takes Pinkney's words and transforms them into powerfully expressive images. Readers will easily identify with the emotions of the characters, and gain a sense of time and place. The illustrations spill across double pages in Evans's characteristic warm shades of blue, brown, green, and gold. The river flows across most of the spreads, sometimes at the top, other times at the center or bottom of the page. This heartwarming story has broad appeal and ends on a hopeful note; the children are no longer the strangers that they once were. In an author's note, Pinkney explains the term "Jim Crow" and how she came to write this book.-Mary N. Oluonye, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Pinkney (Solo Girl; Duke Ellington) offers a quiet, message-driven story set in the pre-civil rights South, as two parent-and-child pairs fish alongside one another in a "wide muddy stream folks around here call Jim Crow River." Narrator Reenie and her mother are African-American and fish for fun; Pigeon Troop and his father are white and fish for food. The two families never speak. Reenie's mother explains: "Jim Crow is the law of the land.... The law that says black people have a place, white people have a place, and the two should steer clear of each other." The girl wisely replies, "But Mama... rivers are for everybody." When Mr. Troop briefly leaves, Pigeon begins chucking stones at Reenie and her mother, who observes sagely that the boy is hurting and "can't help but spread his hurt around." Reenie, having caught two large carp while the Troops have caught nothing, approaches Pigeon and generously shares her bait and sound advice. Featuring revealing portraits of the characters, Evans's (Osceola: Memories of a Sharecropper's Daughter) spare paintings effectively mirror the emotional tenor of this simultaneously sad and hopeful tale. His compositions emphasize the issues of boundaries: as the Troops approach, large-scale depictions of Reenie and her mother give way to tightly, explicitly framed close-ups that literally box in the characters. And when Reenie makes her overture, she stands on the spread free of any frame, extending a hand into a framed image of Pigeon-visually demonstrating that friendship dissolves borders. Ages 5-9. (Nov.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
Reenie and Mama enjoy fishing along the bank of Jim Crow River, but Peter and his father fish out of necessity. Mama explains why they ignore one another: We and white folks have kept our distance here, for as long as memory serves. But Reenie is kind to Peter, and this small act helps him shed some of his prejudices. Evans's standout illustrations add poignancy to the story. From HORN BOOK Spring 2004, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Reenie and her mom are having fun and great success while fishing in Jim Crow River, while Peter and his father are fishing for food and have nothing to show for it. Distanced by race and by fear of change, Reenie and Peter watch each other surreptitiously, but are firmly kept from interacting by their parents. When Peter is left alone for a few moments, Reenie takes the opportunity to help him. The next time they see each other, they manage a small wave. Told in the present tense, the style will enable the modern-day reader to feel the constrictions of segregation's rules of conduct. In an afterword, Pinkney explains the role of prejudice in her own life and the wish to reach beyond boundaries. Evans's illustrations get to the core of the story. As a stylized river runs through the pages, he clearly depicts the events as well as the characters' feelings. A gentle tale with a big punch. (Picture book. 7-10) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
PreS-Gr. 2. Likeacqueline Woodson's The Other Side (2001), this picture book tells a moving story about children who make friends across the barriers of segregation. Reenie loves to fish in a stream that folks callim Crow River, and she learns from Mama how to catch carp by baiting her hooks with kernels of corn. When a white boy, Peter, and his dad come to fish, their noise frightens the fish away. The adults, especially the white man, try to keep the kids separate, but Reenie (with Mama's support) reaches out to the needy white boy and shows him how to catch fish. Evans' poignant pictures, many of them portraits, show the kids apart, and then, in a beautiful close-up, picture Reenie helping Peter bait his hook with corn. In the final double-page spread Peter waves to Reenie from the flatbed of his dad's pickup, and Reenie waves back. Pinkney's personal afterword talks about her childhood memories of prejudice and segregation, and the historic fact helps document the friendship story. --Hazel Rochman Copyright 2003 Booklist
