The Books to Parks project links widely-recognized works of children’s and young adult literature to the natural, cultural, and historical resources protected by the US government. By connecting young people to parks via literature, Books to Parks encourages youth to develop appreciation for and stewardship of NPS sites. Simultaneously, the project encourages critical engagement with literature, providing readers with carefully curated resources that facilitate deep contextualization of texts.
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Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument
Article 1: Chapter 1: And You Wonder Why We Get Called the Weird Watsons
It’s the winter of 1963, and a terrible cold front has brought frigid temperatures to Flint, Michigan. Read more
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Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument
Article 2: Chapter 2: Give My Regards to Clark, Poindexter
Kenny is in fourth grade at Clark Elementary, the same grade as Larry Dunn, aka the king of kindergarten through fourth grade. Normally Larry Dunn teases Kenny for having a lazy eye and always reading, but when Byron is around, Larry and the others go easy on him. Everything changes on the way to school one morning, when two new boys get on the school bus. Read more
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Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument
Article 3: Chapter 3: The World’s Greatest Dinosaur War Ever
The new kid in Kenny’s class is named Rufus Fry. Despite Kenny's efforts to keep his distance, Rufus sits next to him in class and on the bus, chews his ear off, and is soon following him onto the playground for lunch every day. Kenny shares his extra sandwich and apple with Rufus, who in turn splits it with his younger brother, Cody. Rufus explains that his family moved to Flint from Arkansas, where the boys supposedly shot and ate big, fat squirrels. Read more
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Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument
Article 4: Chapter 4: Froze-Up Southern Folks
Even after fifteen years in Michigan, Mrs. Watson is still afraid of Flint’s freezing cold winters. She dresses Kenny and Joey in so many extra layers of clothing that the neighborhood kids call them “the Weird Watsons doing their Mummy imitations!” Read more
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Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument
Article 5: Chapter 5: Nazi Parachutes Attack America and Get Shot Down over the Flint River by Captain Byron Watson and His Flamethrower of Death
Momma catches Byron lighting matches for fun. She tells a sad story about how her house caught on fire when she was a little girl and warns Byron that if he plays with matches again, she will burn him! Not even a week later, Byron is in the bathroom lighting matches for his pretend movie called “Nazi Parachutes Attack America and Get Shot Down over the Flint River by Captain Byron Watson and his Flamethrower of Death.” Read more
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Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument
Article 6: Chapter 6: Swedish Cremes and Welfare Cheese
Momma sends Kenny and Byron to the corner store for milk, bread, and tomato paste for dinner. Instead of giving the kids money, she instructs them to "sign" for the food. Byron is convinced this means they are on welfare, which makes him very upset. Momma says they aren't now, but the family has been on welfare in the past, and anyway, "food is food." Read more
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Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument
Article 7: Chapter 7: Every Chihuahua in America Lines Up to Take a Bite out of Byron
Byron wears a hat as he tries to slip in the back door. When he notices Momma and Kenny, he quickly turns around. Suspicious, Momma tells Byron he knows better than to wear a hat in the house and orders him to come inside. Before entering, Byron reluctantly removes his hat and handkerchief, revealing a new hairdo. Byron went behind his parents' back and got a conk, which means someone used chemicals to straighten his hair. Read more
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Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument
Article 8: Chapter 8: The Ultra-Glide!
Ever since the phone call to Grandma Sands, Momma and Dad have been acting strange. Momma is adding and subtracting figures in a notebook and Dad is driving all over town looking for parts to fix up the Brown Bomber (Kenny, Joey, and Rufus tag along). Read more
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Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument
Article 9: Chapter 9: The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963
Kenny and Dad wake up before anyone else, listening to records in the car. When Kenny asks if they really have to send Byron to Birmingham, Dad explains that there are things Byron needs to learn that he is not learning in Flint. He then asks Kenny if he has seen the news of what is happening in some parts of the South. Read more
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Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument
Article 10: Chapter 10: Tangled Up in God's Beard
The Watsons stop at a rest area just outside of Toledo, Ohio, for a bathroom break and sandwiches with grape Kool-Aid. The place looks like a log cabin, which Kenny thinks is really cool, until he discovers that the bathroom is just an outhouse. There are no flush toilets! Read more
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Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument
Article 11: Chapter 11: Bobo Brazil Meets the Sheik
Soon enough, the Watsons arrive at Grandma Sands’ house in Birmingham, Alabama. Kenny is surprised to discover that the neighborhood looks a lot like Flint, only with Alabama's famous sun and heat. Grandma Sands isn’t the big, mean-looking troll Kenny had imagined; instead, she is teeny-tiny and looks like an older, shrunken version of Momma. Smiling and crying, Grandma Sands hugs each of the Watson children, saying "my family, my beautiful, beautiful family." Read more
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Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument
Article 12: Chapter 12: That Dog Won't Hunt No More
Momma is upset by all the changes she sees in Birmingham and in Grandma Sands' home. While Kenny eats his breakfast, the women gossip about old friends and discuss race relations between the Black and white residents of Birmingham. Later, Mr. Robert brings Dad, Byron, Joey, and Kenny to the best local fishing spot, and Byron appears to be enjoying the company of the grownups. Read more
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Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument
Article 13: Chapter 13: I Meet Winnie's Evil Twin Brother, the Wool Pooh
Kenny, Byron, and Joey are going for a swim, and before they leave, Grandma Sands warns them about Collier's Landing. That's where a whirlpool caused a neighborhood boy to drown a couple of years earlier. Read more
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Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument
Article 14: Chapter 14: Every Bird and Bug in Birmingham Stops and Wonders
Kenny wakes up to see Joey getting ready for Sunday school. She is wearing a fluffy white skirt and her shiny black shoes. As Joey leaves, Kenny tells her she looks real pretty. Kenny falls asleep under Grandma Sands' magnolia free and wakes to a thunderous sound and shake. Then, for a brief moment, the world around Kenny seems to stop. Neighbors come outside to investigate the strange sound. Read more
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Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument
Article 15: Chapter 15: The World-Famous Watson Pet Hospital
A couple of weeks after the church bombing, the Watsons are back home in Flint. Kenny overhears that the bomb killed four girls, injured many others, and was intentionally set by white men. Kenny feels safe in a special hiding spot in a small, dark area behind the sofa that Byron nicknamed the “World-Famous Watson Pet Hospital.” Read more
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Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument
Article 16: Glossary for The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963
A glossary for the reading guides to The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963. Read more
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Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument
Article 17: Acknowledgements for The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963
Acknowledgements for this article series. Christopher Paul Curtis’ novel, The Watsons Go to Birmingham–1963 is part of the NPS Books to Parks project. Books to Parks links widely-recognized works of children’s and young adult literature to lands of natural, cultural, and historical significance that are protected by the United States government. Read more