Granddaddy's Turn: A Journey to the Ballot Box [Hardcover]

Based on the true story of one family’s struggle for voting rights in the civil rights–era South, this moving tale shines an emotional spotlight on a dark facet of U.S. history.

Life on the farm with Granddaddy is full of hard work, but despite all the chores, Granddaddy always makes time for play, especially fishing trips. Even when there isn’t a bite to catch, he reminds young Michael that it takes patience to get what’s coming to you. One morning, when Granddaddy heads into town in his fancy suit, Michael knows that something very special must be happening—and sure enough, everyone is lined up at the town hall! For the very first time, Granddaddy is allowed to vote, and he couldn’t be more proud. But can Michael be patient when it seems that justice just can’t come soon enough? This powerful and touching true-life story shares one boy’s perspective of growing up in the segregated South, while beautiful illustrations depict the rural setting in tender detail.The accomplished illustrator James E. Ransome renders the story in warm, realistic watercolors...It’s a message so crucial it almost can’t be delivered with too much sentiment, and the authors and illustrator of “Granddaddy’s Turn” spare none.
—The New York Times

This seemingly simple read-aloud to introduce young readers to the 50th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act achieves complexity in its images.
—Kirkus Reviews

A visually detailed tale of patience and delayed triumph that highlights an important aspect of history.
—School Library Journal

The plainspoken text offers a slice-of-life example of the injustices endured by African Americans during the mid-twentieth-century.
—The Horn Book

Bandy and Stein succinctly explore a close family bond, set against historical injustice. Ransome’s emotive watercolors strongly convey the grandfather’s dil32