- Teacher Store
-
Tar Beach
The Teacher Store 
Tar Beach
by Faith RinggoldPart autobiographical, part fictional, this tale sparkles with symbolic and historical references central to African-American culture. Provides an excellent example of urban family life.
Big Books feature exceptional illustrations or photographs supporting the text. Includes an activity-packed Teacher?s Guide to aid in exploring learning opportunities.
Set Includes:- 1 Big Book
- 1 Teaching Guide
Big Book | Grades 1-2
Grades 1-2 $24.95
- Teacher Store
-
Tar Beach
The Teacher Store 
Tar Beach
by Faith RinggoldPart autobiographical, part fictional, this tale sparkles with symbolic and historical references central to African-American culture. Provides an excellent example of urban family life.
All of our Big Books feature exceptional illustrations or photographs supporting the text, and are instrumental in developing core literacy skills.
Set includes:- 1 Big Book
- 6 Standard-size Paperbacks of the Big Book Title
- 1 Teaching Guide
- 1 Storage Bag
Big Book | Grades 1-2
Grades 1-2 $43.00
Interest Level:
2-3
Lexile Framework:
790L
Grade Level Equivalent:
2.9
Guided Reading Level:
P
Age:
6-8
Genre:
Fantasy
Subject:
African Americans, Families and Social Structures, Prejudice and Tolerance
As eight-year-old Cassie Louise Lightfoot rests on a mattress on the roof — the "tar beach" of her apartment building — her parents and their friends play cards. Cassie fantasizes that she can fly high over the buildings, and wear the lit and sparkling George Washington Bridge as a giant diamond necklace. She imagines a better life for her family, one in which her father no longer has to do dangerous construction, or her mother has to cry when her father is out of work, and the family can eat ice cream every night for dessert. In this part autobiographical and part allegorical tale, there are many symbolic and historical references to African-American culture. Harlem of 1939 is lovingly depicted, and even a poor family's roof takes on a magical quality on a warm summer night.
Faith Ringgold was born in 1930, in Harlem, a neighborhood in New York City. She went to City College in New York to study art and earned her degree from the School of Education. She followed the family tradition of teaching, but never stopped creating her own art or telling stories. Today she is Professor Emeritus at the University of California at San Diego and lives in Englewood, New Jersey. She also has art studios in New York. She is married and has two daughters and three granddaughters.
