Tar Beach

About the Book

“I will always remember when the stars fell down around me and lifted me up above the George Washington Bridge,” opens this glorious book. Narrator Cassie Lightfoot, age 8, looks down from the sky to see her parents, her little brother, and two neighbors on Tar Beach, the rooftop of their Harlem apartment building. She reflects on her family’s hardships, knowing her father worked on the bridge but can’t join the union because of racial bias. The stunning pictures, bordered with quilt squares, celebrate New York City and the better life she hopes to create for her family there (including more ice cream).

Why this Book?

What child hasn’t dreamed of flying? In this superb combination of artwork, history, and an appealing story, Ringgold introduces Harlem in the 1930s, magical and sad at the same time. So many historical fiction picture books focus on white families on bucolic farms so it’s good to have this urban story with its realistic problems. Cassie explains that her father can’t join the union “whether because he’s colored or a half-breed Indian, like they say,” a sentence may require some explaining about unions and discussion about the phrase “half-breed” that she has heard. A page at the back lays out more about Ringgold, racism, and African-American folklore. A final page shows the quilt that inspired the book, owned by New York’s Guggenheim Museum.