Illustration by: Jerome Lagarrigue
Genre: Children's picture book
Subgenre: Children's realistic fiction
Theme: Friendship and segregation
Primary characters: Joe and John Henry
Awards: N/A
Date of Publication: 2002
Publishing Company: Simon & Schuster
Summary: Set in Mississippi around 1964 with two friends. John Henry is black and Joe is white. They are inseparable until their town separates them. Joe does not understand why him and his best friend cannot do somethings together. This is the time during desegregation. Joe and John Henry love swimming together in the town creek and walking everywhere together. One day a public pool opens up and they are both excited to go swimming. Joe then realizes they can swim together in a pool that once was for whites only. They arrive at the pool and it is closed down. Whites would rather not have a pool then share one with blacks. This was a sad day for the two best friends. Joe doesn't understand why they have to be different. This is a great story that would be good to read aloud in a classroom. This brings desegregation down on a child's level. Every child has a dear friend that they would hate if they couldn't do fun things with.
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