It's easy to see why this won both the Coretta Scott King Award and a Caldecott Honor -- the pictures are spectacular. Bold yet detailed, they show Mrs. Parks as she was -- not an old lady too tired to get up, but a strong young woman tired of oppression.

Realistic people are set against slightly abstract backgrounds, with skewed perspectives and the textures of collage. The pictures radiate heat, light, and power.

The text is less successful. At times it is didactic and verges on hagiography. Though the book is aimed at 4 to 8 year olds, some of the text will go over their heads, and too many things are unexplained. What is the NAACP? What happened to Mrs. Parks after she was arrested? She virtually disappears from the book half way through and, for that matter, her actual arrest is never mentioned.

Various news events, such as the lynching of Emmet Till and freeing of his killers, are mentioned but not explained. An author's note explaining the events mentioned would have been welcome. Though these events can be used as openings for parents to discuss them in more detail with their kids, the book on its own may be confusing.

Still, with followup by an adult, this is a gorgeously illustrated introduction to a watershed event.