Jerry Pinkney is a talented illustrator and author most well known for his work in illustrating Aesop's Fables, The Ugly Duckling by Hans Christian Andersen, The Patchwork Quilt by Valerie Flournoy, and John Henry by Julius Lester. Through the use of watercolor, pencil and colored pencil drawings, Pinkney brings to life characters that are bright and invigorating, complementing the reality of the text, particularly in Goin' Someplace Special. In this story, Tricia Ann is heading to a special place, though it is unknown to the audience through the entire duration of the text as to where she is heading. The audience is able to pick up on textual and contextual clues (such as the dialect of the speakers, the clothing of the characters and the setting as is portrayed by Pinkney) as to where she is heading and why it is so monumental to her. This is a particularly heart-warming story because through the use of detailed illustrations and well crafted text, the audience is made aware of the grave injustice that occurred on a daily basis in the deep south during the time of segregation. This would be a wonderful addition to any library collection for its strong message, power to teach about our nation's history through narrative text, and also to teach about inference, prediction, and questioning.
I am particularly drawn to this text because it saddens me to hear of such a sad time in our nation's past and I have learned a great deal about it (having never lived in this era) through picture books (Ruby Bridges is another text that could be used in a narrative study of the Civil Rights Movement). Pinkney does a wonderful job of giving just enough clues to keep the audience wondering where she is heading, while also portraying an accurate southern mindset during this time period. His illustrations complement her text beautifully and it is quite evident why he was the recipient of such a high honor. It is especially fitting that this African American author, who illustrates for many African American writers (such as Patricia McKissack) would receive such an award named after Coretta Scott King, a founding advocate for the Civil Rights Movement.
