Across the Alley ~ Richard Michelson

Across the Alley

Written by Richard Michelson
Illustrated by E. B. Lewis

I began reading this book to my kids and after a few pages I stopped. It is about two boys who live across the alley from one another. They are great friends, though they never play with one another, aside from tossing a ball across the alley from their bedroom windows. Willie is a black boy who plays baseball. Abe is a white, Jewish boy who plays the violin.

I stopped reading the book because I didn’t like the stereotypes that were presented in the book, specifically by Abe’s grandfather. However, I silently read further in the book and decided to proceed in reading it to my kids. I was pleased to see that the stereotypes were broken and in fact, Willie turned out to be quite the violin player and Abe turned out to be a quite a baseball pitcher. Read more >>

Buy the Book: Across the Alley

Originally posted on September 17, 2010.