A Taste of Colored Water

Faulkner, Matt. (2008). A Taste of Colored Water. New York: Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division.

 

Have you ever wondered what it would have been like being a bystander during the Civil Rights March and witnessing all the brutality?  Well, this picture book set in the 1960’s tells the story of segregation from a youthful white kid’s perspective that loses her purity when she comes face to face with bigotry and cruelty towards African Americans. It starts off with a little girl named Abbey going into town on a shopping trip with her mom.  She saw a water fountain that said “Colored Water” hanging above it.  So when she met up with her friends Julius and Lucresia, she couldn’t wait to tell them about it.  It was hard for them to believe because they had never seen “colored” water before.  They rode into the city with their Uncle Jack to check out this colored water and once they found the bubbler they were so excited.  However, when they turned the handle they found something they had never saw before and that was a large crowd holding signs, singing, marching, policemen, and firemen. What would happen next took away their innocence!  They were yanked away from the fountain by an angry policeman and his ferocious dog and observed so much malice that left them very confused. 

The author/illustrator also showed the loss of innocence with a quote in the book and through the illustrations. The quote states, “Daddy, what color does a person have to be to get a taste of colored water?” Wow, what a way to pull the audience into the moment!

I really loved this book, and I feel that it would be a great resource to lead into the Civil Rights Movement during Social Studies. However, I would also use this book to discuss the different viewpoints by comparing the book to an interview in a Junior Scholastic Magazine of Carolyn McKinstry, which was one of the children who was involved in the march during Reading Class.