Sarah Rising

by Ty Chapman, Deann Wiley (Illustrations)

Sarah starts her day like any other she eats her toast and feeds her bugs. But today isn't a day like any other day. Today, her dad brings her to a protest to speak out against police violence against Black people. The protesters are loud, and Sarah gets scared. When Sarah spots a beautiful monarch butterfly and follows it through the crowd, she finds herself inside the no-man's land between the line of police and protesters. In the moments that follow, Sarah is confronted with the cruelty of those who are supposed to protect her and learns what it feels like to protect and be protected.

Inspired by the protests that happened during the Minneapolis Uprising after the police killing of George Floyd, Sarah Rising provides a child's-eye view of a protest and offers an opportunity for children to talk about why people take to the streets to protest racial injustice. Readers will gain a new appreciation for how important it is to be part of a community of people who protect each other.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Social Justice, Family, African American, Social Issues, Race

44 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 24, 2022

About the author

Ty Chapman is an author and poet based in Minnesota. He is the author of SARAH RISING (Beaming 2022); LOOKING FOR HAPPY (Beaming 2023); STOKES, written with John Coy (Lerner 2024); JAMES FINDS THE BEAT (Free Spirit 2024); and TARTARUS (Button Poetry 2024). Ty was a 2022 Center for Arts + Social Justice Fellow; an award used to support a speculative work in progress with social justice themes. He was also a Mirrors & Windows fellow, as well as a Mentor Series fellow.

Reviews

[Jessica Tamaccio · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had the pleasure of reading a copy of Sarah Rising by Ty Chapman for Multicultural Children's Book Day, which will be celebrated 1/26/23. The book begins with a young girl getting ready for school and is surprised when her father tells her that instead of going to school, she will be going to a Black Lives Matter protest.

This is a beautifully illustrated book about an extremely relevant topic, racial injustice. The illustrations depicting murals of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor and protestor signs with HMONG 4 BLM were beautiful.
As a teacher, I felt the discussion points at the end of the story were a great resource and I appreciated the author's note sharing why he wrote this story. I only wish the story wasn't so one sided. While I understand that
there are many police officers who do not uphold justice or keep people in their communities safe, there are just as many who do. It is unfair to send the message that all police offers are like the ones depicted in the story. Overall it was a relevant social justice book about an important topic. #readyourworld #gifted

[Aneesa]

Many scary moments in this one

[K.L. Bernard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sarah had a regular routine. Every morning she would eat toast and feed her ants and beetles. But one morning her dad explained that they would go to a protest because a Black man had been killed. At the protest people were shouting and holding up signs. Sarah was holding her dad’s hand and then was distracted by a butterfly and her dad was no longer in sight. She was lost. Do you think anyone from the protest could help her?

Author Ty Chapman has written a story just for kids to get the conversation about policing, protesting, and standing up for your rights. Deann Wiley has added beautiful illustrations for a great visual representation of protesting. The back pages have a authors note, a discussion guide for parents and educators and how kids can help.

[Crystal]

As the story opens, we see a caring young girl who is very interested in her bugs. She's getting ready for school, but Sarah and the reader learn that there is a protest happening. There are starting to be more books for young readers about protests and police violence, but this is definitely an area that could use more representation. A book like this would be helpful to start discussions in a school or home before or after a protest in a community whether or not the children attend. The story explains exactly why the protest is happening and puts a lot of focus on community members being there for each other and how they can support those around them.

As someone who recently lived in the midwest, I know this will be great for those in MN especially, but also for neighboring states. I appreciated seeing the Hmong 4 BLM sign in one of the illustrations. There are many Hmong Americans in the midwest but they aren't often having representation in children's literature. The author's note at the end also made a point that too many adults in the midwest still need to see. He shared that in living in Minnesota, he "also grew to see that cruelty toward Black people was not just a southern issue." In the note, there are facts that support some of the statements of Sarah's father in the text. And again in the note, he emphasized the point that people came together and were working to keep each other safe. There are harsh realities within the text, but the amount of caring present balances that out a bit.

I would recommend this for any public or school library. I would also recommend it to parents who would like to have a way to guide discussions regarding police violence and protests. There is a list of ways for young people to do something to help and a discussion guide so readers and their caregivers have support after reading and possibilities of actions to take. I can see this being useful for a lot of young people.

[Pine Reads Review]

“We have to keep each other safe and stand up for what’s right.”

Sarah Rising follows a young girl named Sarah. One morning, she wakes up, and it seems like it’s going to be a completely normal day. She ate toast for breakfast and fed her pet insects. Then, she began to get ready for school. But her dad came into her room and told her that instead of taking her to school, he was going to take her to a protest against police brutality toward Black people. The rest of the picture book focuses on Sarah’s experience at the protest, where she witnessed firsthand the cruelty of the officers who are supposed to protect her.

Ty Chapman’s storytelling is compelling. He does a superb job at fleshing out Sarah as a character and young activist by giving her distinct interests such as... To read the rest of this review, head over to our website: Sarah Rising | Ty Chapman

(Pine Reads Review would like to thank Beaming Books for providing us with a copy in exchange for an honest review.)

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[Debra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sarah began her day like usual, but was surprised by her Dad that she would go with him today, not to school. Sarah is obviously nervous by the crowds, the chanting, and the police presence. Her Dad's hand was tightly held until she saw a man knock down a butterfly that was in her way. As a lover of all animals, Sarah's instincts take her to help the butterfly and she finds herself lost. It is the help of strangers in the protest that guides her to find her father. There is backmatter to talk about race relations in the Twin Cities, specifically, and police violence that has resulted in many black people imprisoned or dead.

Though it is several years later, this book is likely to trigger some folks, yet it is needed as students will ask questions about the Black Lives Matter movement and what protesting can do to change our world. This book is important. I will share it with a middle school teacher to see if any specific time in our social studies units this topic may be needed.

[Danni Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this story depicting a child and parent attending a protest together. It depicts the stark realities of police violence and attending a protest without sugarcoating but still in such a way that a child could appreciate. I loved that we were introduced first to the protagonist as a child who loves animals and the ongoing thread of her instinct to care for small vulnerable creatures that was a constant throughout the story. I was a little unclear from the narrative what happened to the butterfly, which seemed to be shown in the illustrations but not in the text, I wish it had been clearer how she was able to rescue the butterfly since it seemed a little confusing based on the other events that were going on.

[Christie Kaaland · Rating 4 out of 5]

The tone of this getting-ready-for-school picture book quickly takes a turn for the serious when Sarah's dad informs her she will not be going to school but will be attending a protest, "Police killed another Black person." At the protest Sarah gets separated from her father and, when she sees a butterfly and reaches for it, a policeman swats the butterfly to the ground. Sarah, a naturalist, carefully picks up the butterfly but by now is truly separated from her father and is scared. A protester volunteers to put her in their shoulder and Sarah is reunited with her dad. A day of much more learning than the day at school may have been?

[Patricia N. McLaughlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit preachy, this father-daughter story chronicles a girl’s introduction to the practice of non-violence through peaceful protest, which is a noble aim. However, her getting lost in the crowd seems to contradict the notion that “we must keep each other safe,” suggesting that the principle is more important than the practice when Dad lets go of his daughter’s hand to hold a protest sign, training his focus on the cops’ failure to protect and serve instead of attending to his daughter’s safety. (Ironically, a man in the crowd is holding a sign that reads “PROTECT OUR Daughters”.) Endnotes include helpful information about how to engage in non-violent community activism.

[Clementine · Rating 5 out of 5]

important, timely, and accessible. there's additional info in the backmatter, including concrete steps on how to be an ally, a guide for parents talking to kids about race, racism, and violence in policing. i do think the writing could have been a little bit stronger, but the overall message is incredibly powerful.

minneapolis-st. paul focused, which makes it an excellent resource for our library systems.

[Nina · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Sarah and her Dad go to a community protest after the murder of George Floyd, she protects and cares for an injured butterfly. This gentle yet powerful book gives readers the opportunity to see the realities of racial injustice as well as the bonds of community through the eyes of a child.

[Kitty · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book to add to the growing stack of Black Lives Matter picture books. The plot of the butterfly was really nice. I felt such terror as a parent reading about her getting lost. I'm so glad this book had a happy resolution.

[AnnieM · Rating 4 out of 5]

I hope many people read this book. It’s a good look into the lives of people. Safety in scary times is something we all look for. Sometimes we have to do something scary and speak out so things can get better. I loved the illustrations. We can learn a lot from Sarah and her butterfly

[Stefanie Foard · Rating 4 out of 5]

*I read a digital ARC of this title from the publisher via Edelweiss.

Great title to share with children about racial injustice

[Andréa]

Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.

[Alisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

An attempt to tell the story of a young African American girl who attends a BLM protest with her dad. Not sure there's a children's story in this - just a retelling of events.

[Sarah Threlkeld · Rating 3 out of 5]

Important message, but the writing could’ve been stronger.

[Suzann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully written and illustrated, this is a book that will teach everyone who reads it.

[Viviane Elbee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book cover important topics like racial inequality, police brutality and protests - from the perspective of a young girl who goes to a protest.

[LaDrena Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a tear jerk for me. Really good book about the lives of black people in this country and why protesting can be peaceful.

[Sandy Brehl · Rating 5 out of 5]

SARAH RISING deserves a close look and sharing. In this case the tentative young voice is that of Sarah, who loves nature and her little "pets", a living collection that we later learn are lovingly cared for. observed, and then released back into nature. Sarah, too, is lovingly cared for and will one day be released into her own future, but for now she is learning first hand from her dad that every voice should be raised to speak out for those being treated unjustly. The situation of a protest has a somber, worrisome tone, but Sarah's impulse to save an injured monarch butterfly outweighs her fear of the "BIG" people surrounding her. Her kindness separates her from her father, but results in care and kindness from other BIG people who lift her up to locate her dad inn the crowd. The sense of Sarah rising to a need, rising above her fear, naming her emotions, and being raised to see herself as able and with agency are all worth considering and discussing openly. Author Ty Chapman achieves an authentic young girl's first person voice and perspective, while illustrator DeAnn Wiley achieves an appealing balance of dark-skinned characters within joyful, safe, and happy scenes/relationships as well portraying widely diverse individuals involved in the protests and police groups, in which the overall tone and perspectives convey the shifting moods within the story arc. The recovered monarch being freed at the end offers a just-right dose of introductory lessons on symbolism.

[SamSamSam · Rating 4 out of 5]

The butterfly was a strange metaphor, I liked the story but it could have had a clearer message.