Ellen's Broom

Tradition and culture come alive in the story Ellen's Broom (2012). Written by Kelly Starling Lyons and illustrated by Daniel Minter, Ellen's Broom gives us a brief glimpse of a moment in time in Ellen's home. The moment of time is quite significant because it was when former married slaves were recognized "as married in the eyes of the law."

Throughout the story, Ellen's mother recounts how slaves had no elaborate wedding ceremonies, nor did they have any way to show that they were married. Instead, couples would say a few words together, take each others' hands and leap over a broom.

When the family goes to the courthouse to obtain legal proof of marriage, Ellen brings the broom as a reminder of old traditions. Once they reach the courthouse, Ellen adds a new twist to the old tradition, making the moment more special for her parents.

The main problem with the story Ellen's Broom was that I never lost sight of myself as a reader reading a text. The story is historically relevant, teaching the reader about past events and how we, as a nation, changed for the better. It provides the reader brief snapshot of time, when African-Americans were allowed to legally wed and be recognized as such.

One thing I did like about Ellen's Broom was how a majority of the story was carried through the characters' speech to each other. While I most likely would not read this to my kindergartners, I may recommend it to higher grades, like second through fourth grades. It could be a good text to use to compare and contrast the past to the present (the book's present), as well as a jump start for a discussion of how things have changed from the time of the story to today.