Book Summary: Pink and Say is the story of a very young Union flag bearer, Say, injured and left for dead after battle, who is found and rescued by a Black teen, Pink, who had also been separated from his unit. They recuperate at Pink’s mothers hut, on the partially burned out remains of the plantation where they were held as slaves. Eventually marauders kill Pink’s mother, and the pair is captured trying to get back to the Union army. Say survives the prison camp and lives a long full live, while Pink is executed almost immediately on arrival at the camp because he is Black. The last bit of the book talks about how the story is true, as Say is the authors ancestor.
Impressions: This is one of the most powerful tales of the Civil War I have read in many a year. As simple and uncomplicated as the language and story are it is very profound and moving. That the protagonists themselves were quite young only adds to the tragedy and heroism of their actions.
Professional Review: From Kirkus Reviews (2017)
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)
Library Uses: A older storytime about the civil war would be a good use of this book, or during Black History Month. Honestly, despite being a picture book this book would be just as useful for a teen program, read aloud with the art up on a projector or big screen tv. The simple and direct narrative would make it even more powerful for teens.
Readalikes: Any number of books on the civil war could be recommended here, along with some other fine picture books about events in roughly the same time period, such Papa’s Mechanical Fish about an attempt at making a submarine in 1851, or Paper Son, Lee’s Journey to America, which talks about a twelve year old orphan emigrating from China to San Francisco.
References
Polacco, P. (1994). Pink and Say. New York, NY: Penguin Young Readers Group.
Kirkus Reviews. (2017). Pink and Say. [Review of the book Pink and Say]. Kirkus Media Reviews, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/patricia-polacco/pink-and-say/
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