Product Description

Sarah Jean's Uncle Jed was the only black barber in the county. He had a kind heart and a warm smile. And he had a dream.

Living in the segregated South of the 1920's, where most people were sharecroppers. Uncle Jed had to travel all over the county to cut his customers' hair. He lived for the day when he could open his very own barbershop. But it was a long time, and many setbacks, from five-year-old Sarah Jean's emergency operation to the bank failures of the Great Depression, before the joyful day when Uncle Jed opened his shiny new shop -- and twirled a now grown-up Sarah Jean around in the barber chair.

With James Ransome's richly colored paintings brimming with life, this is a stirring story of dreams long deferred and finally realized.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #858775 in Books
• Published on: 1993-08-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 40 pages

From Publishers Weekly
First-time author Mitchell crowds several themes--segregation, racism, the Depression, the American Dream--into her enterprising story. Sarah Jean's great uncle Jedediah, "the only black barber in the county," hangs on to his ambition to open a barber shop, despite a lifetime of obstacles that deplete his savings. First, Sarah Jean requires an expensive operation; later, the bank failures of the Depression wipe out his painstakingly replenished account. The author's convivial depictions of family life are enhanced by Ransome's ( Red Dancing Shoes ) spirited oil paintings, which set the affectionate intergenerational cast against brightly patterned walls and crisp, leaf-strewn landscapes. The defining element of the book, however, may well be the narrator's measured descriptions of the racial climate of the 1920s: "In those days, they kept blacks and whites separate. There were separate public rest rooms, separate water fountains, separate schools. It was called segregation." These starkly imposed social studies lessons, presented as interruptions to Uncle Jed's progress, also interrupt the narrative; readers will be impatient to attend his grand opening celebration at age 79 (along with a now-grown-up Sarah Jane). Ages 4-7.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 3-Uncle Jed, a black, itinerant barber in the pre-Depression South, dreams of opening his own shop. He saves for years, but first his niece, who narrates the story, needs an operation, and then the bank in which his money is kept fails. The man's spirit never flags, however, and he finally starts his own business at age 79. Sarah Jean, whose life was saved by her uncle's generosity, is by this time a middle-aged adult, and shares in his pleasure. Mitchell's text is eloquent in its simplicity. Straightforward, declarative sentences explain such concepts as segregation and sharecropping without emotional overtones, while her subdued prose makes readers keenly aware of the injustice of segregation. Through Sarah Jean's eyes, readers see both the poverty and discrimination endured and the sense of community and caring shared by her family and friends. Ransome's richly textured oil paintings, uncluttered and direct, beautifully complement the text. These are strong characters captured with forceful brush strokes, yet the illustrations also include such details as a crocheted saddle blanket. Both touching and inspirational, this book is ideal for story hours featuring favorite relatives, and it could start children saving for their own dreams.
Louise L. Sherman, Anna C. Scott School, Leonia, NJ
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews
Great-uncle Jed, Sarah Jean's ``favorite relative,'' travels from house to house as ``the only black barber in the county.'' When he comes to cut her daddy's hair, he explains that he's saving for a shop. But folks are poor and Jed is generous; his money saves Sarah Jean's life (in a segregated hospital where ``the doctors wouldn't do the operation until they had the money''); later, he loses everything in a Depression bank failure. But on his 79th birthday, when Sarah Jean is grown up, he opens his own shop to such a crowd of well-wishers that ``he cut hair all night...That man was so glad to have that shop, he didn't need any sleep.'' Soon after, he dies happy, having shown Sarah Jean how to dream, too. Ransome's realistic, powerfully constructed paintings depict the characters as self-reliant and unbowed, their warm good feeling flowing from one to another. A fine, unusually engaging debut for Mitchell, celebrating the courage and humanity of men who could survive hard times and injustice without rancor. (Picture book. 4-8) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Customer Reviews

Wonderful book that should be read to children of any age.
This fabulous book stole my heart. I feel so lucky to have a job that allows me to share my love of books with my wonderful students. I do my elementary counseling through children's literature. UNCLE JED'S BARBERSHOP is a book I enjoy reading over and over to kids of all ages. What a marvelous lesson. I think it is important for kids to be reminded of how unfair things were to African Americans many years ago. But the best part of the book reminds us all that if we work hard enough, we can realize our dream. Even after reading this book to six different classes in one day, I still cry my eyes out on the last few pages--the most perfect ending!

True dignity and courage
Sarah Jean's great Uncle Jed has a dream of opening up his own
barbershop. Sarah Jean explains to the reader that Great Uncle Jed is the only black barber in their county during segregation. He goes on horseback from house to home cutting Afro-American people's hair. One of Sarah Jean favourite thing is when Uncle Jed pretends to cut her hair. He would place the clippers next to her neck and then put on some great smelling lotion . One day Sarah Jean becomes very ill and the doctors will only operate if they had the three hundred dollars up front. Uncle Jed saves Sarah Jean's life when he gives her family the three hundred dollars he had been saving for his barbershop. Uncle Jed suffer another setback when the Great Depression hits and the bank holding his three thousand dollars fails. He has to start again from nothing in the middle of the Depression. Now Uncle Jed's customers can only paid him in food and clothing. Uncle Jed's dream is finally realized on his seventy ninth birthday. Uncle Jed attains his dream through unruffled courage and dignity. He does not allow racism or injustice get in the way.The realistic illustrations add to this wonderful book. A wonderful picture book for five to nine year old with the quiet message of following your dream no matter how long it takes.

Great story--it made me cry (2nd-6th graders)
This story is an historical fiction account of an African American family who struggles during the Depression. This is a great book to teach: economics--scarcity of money affects decisions; perseverence; work ethics.