The Watsons Go to Birmingham – 1963 a collection of terms and images related to Christopher Paul Curtis’s 1995 novel

the “brown bomber” (p. 6) “That was what we called our car. It was a 1948 Plymouth that was dull brown and real big, Byron said it was turd brown.” From Mike’s 1940’s Automobile Page @ http://free.prohosting.com/~plymouth/alexp15.jpg

conk (p. 87) “Byron had gotten a conk! A process! A do! A butter! A ton of trouble! His hair was reddish brown, straight, stiff and slick-looking. Parts of it stuck up like porcupine stickers because Momma hadn’t been too gentle when she snatched the handkerchief off.”

“conk” a lye-straightened hairdo popularized in the 1920s by Cab Calloway image: the KINGS of SWING @ http://www2.kenyon.edu/Depts/IPHS/Projects/swing1/music/kings.htm Cab Calloway

“Yakkety Yak” the coasters Kenny’s favorite song  Written by The Coasters Trivia! The group began in Los Angeles as The Robins. Later part of the group split off and formed a new group in New York. They called themselves The Coasters because of their coast-to-coast roots. the coasters Info: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame @ http://www.rockhall.com/hof/inductee.asp?id=81 Image: http://www.clarksvilleriverfest.com/images/Coasters.jpg

“Yakkety Yak” Imagine Kenny and his family listening to this song while sitting in the Brown Bomber!

“Yakkety Yak” (p. 117) “Each of us kids got to play four songs each (I played “Yakety Yak” all four times)…”

The Brown Bomber’s TT AB-700, Ultraglide probably looked like this. PHILIPS Car Record-Player 45 rpm Image: http://home.swipnet.se/~w-49476/100.htm

Buster Brown shoes (p. 142) “I took her shoes off for her, and inside one of her shoes was a kind of worn-down picture of a little white boy with a girl’s hairdo and a smiling dog. In a circle around both of them it said, “Buster Brown.” Image: http://www.famousfootwear.com/shop.asp?shopid=bustr

Buster Brown shoes (p. 142) “As I drifted back to sleep I wondered what a little white boy would think if he knew he was getting stepped on every day by my sister.” image: http://www.yesterdayland.com/popopedia/shows/fashion/fa1152.php

Outhouses Open, black hole Flies Gagged Sears Catalogs

Flint Skyline

Southern Sky

“Redneck & Hillbillies”

The Wool Poo

Whirlpool

Buster Brown shoes: journal Do you remember the next time Kenny notices the inside of Joey’s shoes? Re-read chapter 14, especially p. 187 if you need to review. How does Kenny finding the shoe make you feel? Take two or three minutes and write down your thoughts.

Homework: imagery Think of images from the story that stand out in your mind (not from this PowerPoint). Find a picture on the internet or in clip art, in a magazine, or draw a picture of your own and bring it to class tomorrow. Be prepared to describe where the image is in the book (with page numbers!) and why you think it’s important to the story.