Welcome to the landing page for the Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963! This initiative is dedicated to curriculum centered on the Newbery Honor-winning book by Christopher Paul Curtis, and is the second in a National Park Service series called Books-to-Parks. Books-to-Parks connects award-winning children’s fiction to the real geographic and historical settings where they are set. Channel Islands National Park launched the pilot, based on the book Island of the Blue Dolphins. For more, visit: Island of the Blue Dolphins (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)
Voices from the FieldVoices from the Field consists of short essays on many aspects of The Watsons Go to Birmingham–1963. Civil rights foot soldiers and experts from a range of disciplines including history, linguistics, literature, and psychology discuss how their research and lived experiences connect to both the fictional story and historical bombing of 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. About Books to ParksThe 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. |
Last updated: September 20, 2023