All Aboard the Schooltrain: A Little Story from the Great Migration

"Schooltrain! Schooltrain! Don't be late! The school bell rings at half past eight!"

This tender family story, inspired by the author's own, illuminates a dynamic chapter in American history known as the Great Migration -- and the many trains people rode toward freedom.

***3 STARRED REVIEWS***

* "A vivid evocation of place and era rolling solidly on a bed of timeless values." -- Kirkus Reviews, starred review

* "A child-friendly picture book introducing the Great Migration." -- Booklist, starred review

* "Lends the meandering feel of family stories to this portrait of a historical moment." -- Publishers Weekly, starred review

Thelma loves to watch the Sunset Limited chug through her little town of Vacherie, Louisiana. And she dreams of one day riding a real train! For now, she has her beloved schooltrain. Every morning, she and her friends walk to school, single file, chanting all the way:

"Schooltrain! Schooltrain! Don't be late! The school bell rings at half past eight!"

Then it's on to great adventures with her teacher's books -- and her own imagination!

But lately, someone named Jim Crow has been making trouble for folks in Vacherie. Aunt Bea and Uncle Ed have already moved away. When Thelma's best friend also has to leave, Thelma wonders, who is Jim Crow and why does he have to be so mean? Will he make trouble for Pop, too?

Author: Glenda Armand
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Published: 01/03/2023
Pages: 48
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.1lbs
Size: 11.20h x 8.50w x 0.50d
ISBN: 9781338766899
Audience: Ages 9-12


Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 11/15/2022
Booklist 12/01/2022 pg. 128
Publishers Weekly 12/19/2022
School Library Journal 01/01/2023 pg. 57

About the Author
Glenda Armand has had a long career as a teacher and a school librarian. She is the author of Love Twelve Miles Long, for which she received Lee & Low's New Voices Award, as well as several other acclaimed books with a focus on African American history, including Song in a Rainstorm and Black Leaders in the Civil Rights Movement. If she's not at her writing desk, you can find her in her rose garden. Learn more about Glenda and her work at glenda-armand.com.
Keisha Morris earned her BFA in illustration at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York and mentored with award-winning illustrators Sean Qualls, Selina Alko, and Dan Santat. She is the illustrator of Hair Story by NoNieqa Ramos, When My Cousins Come to Town by Angela Shanté, and For Beautiful Black Boys Who Believe in a Better World by Michael W. Waters. When she is not drawing, she loves spending time with her wife, daughter, and two crazy cats. Learn more about Keisha and her work at keishamorris.com.