Sarah Rising
Written by Ty Chapman and
illustrated by DeAnn Wiley
Beaming Books, 2022
Sarah is a young girl who keeps
beetles and ants as pets. One morning her father tells her she won’t go to
school today. Instead, she will go with him to a protest.
Dad explains that the police killed a black person. Police are supposed to serve and protect us, he says, but they hurt us instead. That’s why it is important to stand up for what is right and keep each other safe.
Sarah and her dad join a crowd of
people carrying signs and shouting for justice. It is loud and scary, but Sarah
holds her father’s hand and feels safe.
Then Sarah sees a monarch butterfly and follows it. The butterfly flies right into a police officer’s face. He jumps back and smacks at the butterfly. It falls to the ground and remains there.
Sarah runs to the butterfly. The
police officer shouts, “Get back!”
Sarah picks up the butterfly and runs back into the crowd. She doesn’t know where her father is. She shouts for him a long time, but can’t find him. Finally, a woman protester kneels down to help her.
The protester lets her sit on her shoulders so she can see over the crowd. They search and shout. Finally, Sarah spots her dad. She jumps down and runs to him.
She and her dad stay at the protest for a while. Sarah holds her dad’s hand and yells with the crowd, “No justice, no peace!”
Sarah puts the butterfly in a jar
with leaves. At night, Dad sits at Sarah’s bedside. He tells her, “It’ll be
okay. I’ll keep you safe, just like you kept your butterfly safe.”
After a few days, the monarch is
better. Sarah sets it free outdoors and watches it fly away.
The colorful, bold illustrations by DeAnn Wiley help to tell the story and make it attractive and engaging to young people.
Although police brutality is a
scary topic for children, Chapman is careful to emphasize how Sarah’s father
keeps her safe and the community is supporting one another.
The author Chapman was inspired
by the protests in Minneapolis after the police killing of George Floyd. He
wanted to write a children’s book that gave children an opportunity to think
about racial injustice, protest, and being part of a community that protects
one another.
In an author’s note, Chapman
writes about his experience growing up black in the Twin Cities. He also tells
about racial inequities there and the problem of police killing black people in
the Twin Cities. He says black people came together to keep one another safe
during the Minneapolis Uprising.
The backmatter includes a list of
things children can do to address racism and a discussion guide for parents and
educators.
About the Author
Ty Chapman is a Minneapolis Twin Cities-based author, poet, puppeteer, and playwright of Nigerian and European descent. He is passionate about art that speaks to the black experience in America. His recent accomplishments include being named a Loft Literary Center Mirrors and Window fellow and publishing poetry through multiple journals.
About the Illustrator
DeAnn Wiley is a Detroit-based artist who has been painting traditionally for over five years. She recently broke into the digital art world and shares her artwork with a large online audience. She is an advocate for social justice and is dedicated to making art that is authentic and intentional in empowering black, queer, overweight, and disabled people.
