Pink and Say

Looking for a way to educate your students about the Civil War that relates to them as young people? Pink and Say is a picture book that takes place during the Civil War. One of the lead characters, Sheldon Curtis, is a 15 year old boy who starts out the story laying wounded in a Georgia field from fighting in the war. He is found by an African American boy, Pinkus Aylee, a Union soldier who carries Sheldon, also known as Say, back to his home where he and his mother, Moe Moe Bay, nurse him back to health. While the boys live together they learn many things about one another. They learn that they are very different but very much the same and this is what brings them together as friends. Later on in the story as the war continues, Pink’s mother is killed and Pink is hung, but Say lives on to tell the story of their friendship and the War. This is a true story of an interracial friend ship that takes place during the Civil War. This is a great way to discuss the time, culture, friendships, the Civil War and more. If we as educators want our students to learn and retain what we teach them about our history, then we need to make it relevant. By using this story we are able to put this time period into their perspective. Much better than reading to them about the Civil War from a text book.