The Pullman Porter by Vanita Oelschlager

The Pullman Porter Vanita Oelschlager Mike Blanc African American History children's books non fiction

Title: The Pullman Porter
Author: Vanita Oelschlager
Illustrator: Mike Blanc
Genre: African American History, Non Fiction, Picture Book, Children's Book
Publisher: Vanita Books
Date: February 2014
Length: 44 pages

This book was free through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Children and adults under the age of 40 are forgetting about the Pullman Porter. They were very important figures in the history of American. This book will teach children and adults, who the porters were and why they were so important in our history. Porters worked in early train cars, they would look, listen and learn from their predominantly white passengers. They would read the newspapers passengers left behind, listen to conversations and begin to talk to one another. The porter learned how important education was for children and how important it was to take this message home to his children. He eventually landed at the forefront of the civil rights movement.

Description from Goodreads

I was so excited about THE PULLMAN PORTER, an important history lesson plus the always popular topic of trains! This sounded like a perfect pick for an elementary library. Unfortunately the book didn't reach it's full potential.

What I liked

Important subject matter: George Pullman hired ex-slaves to work in his train cars. This was a chance for these men to earn a salary, travel the country, and gain some education to better serve their passengers. Pullman Porters became respected members of their community and were the beginning of the African American middle class. While some might have seen their jobs as a type of adventure, "in reality (they) were degrading and difficult." Over the years these men formed a union, lobbied for better wages and treatment, worked with President Roosevelt, and fostering the Civil Rights movement. The Pullman Porters were so influential in their communities and in US history, but typically overlooked in the school curriculum. In fact this is the only book on the topic that I could find for elementary students.

The extras: Oelschlager included quotes from other books and resources for further reading at the end of the book.

What I'm on the fence about

The book is confused about its audience: I am left with the strong impression that this book doesn't know who its audience is supposed to be. Generally the book's softened tone seems more appropriate for 6-8 year olds, but would sometimes use details and quotes from other books better suited to 8-10 year olds. Of course any parent or teacher reading this book to younger children can alter the text to be more appropriate for younger kids or add details for older ones. I feel with some more detail and a firm idea on who the audience was, this could have been an excellent nonfiction picture book.

Illustrations: Looking at the cover of The Pullman Porter I expected lovely, detailed, and colorful illustrations, and sometimes I got them. I assume Blanc was leaving the backgrounds (extremely) simple so that the focus would be on the more detailed people and action in the foreground. But sometimes even the people were a bit blurry and lacking. Some pages were wonderful and others felt rushed. The book is very colorful and the warmer yellow tones kind of give the illustrations a golden edge of nostalgia.

Rating: 2.5

My recommendation might seem as confused as this book. I'm rating it 2.5 as it had a several weaknesses. HOWEVER, it is a good introduction to the topic of the Pullman Porters, it would make a refreshing addition to Black History month, or American history in general (I really hate the implication that it can only be used once a year). If I were still working in an elementary school library I would include this in my nonfiction / history train unit for 2nd graders. And there's the rub, normally I would not order a 2.5 book for my library. BUT this is a good conversation starter, and used the right way THE PULLMAN PORTERS could be a great tool for parents and teachers.