Uncle Jed's Barbershop (Historical Fiction)

 

Uncle Jed's Barbershop was written by Margaree King Mitchell and illustrated by James Ransome. It was published by Scholastic Inc. in 1993 and is recommended for fourth grade.

A young African- American girl named Sarah Jean narrated the story of her favorite uncle, Jed. Her Uncle Jed was one of the only black barbers in their area and he dreamed of owning his own barbershop one day. Instead of buying one right away, Jed faced the hard times of the Great Depression and a few other obstacles.

Uncle Jed's Barbershop is a good source of literature because it's an inspiring story of a man that had to overcome many obstacles before reaching his dreams. It also teaches children about historical events like segregation and the Great Depression. Mitchell portrayed this time period well and avoided all contradictions with real history. After reading this book, young readers will better understand this era in history.

Ransome's watercolor illustrations also contributed by giving readers a visual of these characters' story. The pictures fit the time period and reflect the changing tones of the book.

Uncle Jed's Barbershop takes place during the Great Depression. There are many clues included in this story that reference to this time period including sharecropping, bank failures, and payments in food as opposed to money. Read this book to the class first, then as a group, make a list of things in this story that happened because of the Great Depression.

After this activity, have them get creative. Have them write a story about their life during the Great Depression if they had lived back then. They should use concepts from this story and any other information they've learned on this subject. Multiple events and descriptive details should be included as well.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.4.3
Explain events, procedures, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text, including what happened and why, based on specific information in the text.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.4.3
Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.