This story
is a recounting of two young Union soldiers and their time together. Sheldon Russell Curtis (Say) is found injured
in a field by Pinkus Aylee (Pink). Pink
carries Say back to his house where Pink’s mama nurses both the boys back to
health. During their recovery time, the boys’ friendship blossoms even though
Say is white and Pink is black. When trying to return to their Union outfits,
Confederate soldiers capture the boys.
The boys are sent to Andersonville prisoners camp.
APA Reference of the Book:
Polacco, P. (1994). Pink and Say. New York, NY: Philomel Books.
Impressions:
I
loved this story. I love that Patricia
Polacco shares this story as it was told to her by her father who is the great
grandson of Sheldon Russell Curtis. I
think this story has a lot of warmth to it even though it is about the Civil
War. I enjoyed that Pinkus knew how to read while Sheldon did not know how to
read. In the story, Pink is eager to
return to the war for two reasons. One he is trying to protect his mom from
marauders. Two, he wants to fight for a cause he believes in – ending
slavery. Say is scared to fight in the
war. He confesses to Moe Moe Bay that he was shot trying to run away from the
war. I think this book offers different
perspectives to Civil War. The story humanizes the Civil War. Readers get a perspective of how young
soldiers were and how frightened they were to fight and be in adult
situations.
Reviews:
From Kirkus Review-
A white youth from Ohio, Sheldon Russell
Curtis (Say), and a black youth from Georgia, Pinkus Aylee (Pink), meet as
young soldiers with the Union army. Pink finds Say wounded in the leg after a
battle and brings him home with him. Pink's mother, Moe Moe Bay, cares for the
boys while Say recuperates, feeding and comforting them and banishing the war
for a time. Whereas Pink is eager to go back and fight against "the sickness"
that is slavery, Say is afraid to return to his unit. But when he sees Moe Moe
Bay die at the hands of marauders, he understands the need to return. Pink and
Say are captured by Confederate soldiers and brought to the notorious
Andersonville prison camp. Say is released months later, ill and
undernourished, but Pink is never released, and Polacco reports that he was
hanged that very first day because he was black. Polacco (Babushka Baba Yaga, 1993, etc; My
Rotten Redheaded Older Brother, above) tells this story, which was passed down
for generations in her family (Say was her great-great-grandfather), carefully
and without melodrama so that it speaks for itself. The stunning illustrations
-- reminiscent of the German expressionist Egon Shiele in their use of color
and form -- are completely heartbreaking. A spectacular achievement. (Nonfiction/Picture
book. 4- 8)
Kirkus Review. (2010, May 20). [Review of Pink
and Say by Patricia Polacco.] Kirkus
Review. Retrieved from https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/patricia-polacco/pink-and-say/
In the Library:
I would use this book to introduce the Civil War to students. As
the students learned more factual details about the Civil War, we could revisit
this book to talk about the soldiers’ side of the story. Students would blog about how they might feel
to be a young soldier or nurse during the Civil War.
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