Christmas in the Big House, Christmas in the Quarters is written by and illustrated by Patricia McKissack.
This book was published by Frontline books in 1994. It is a book for upper elementary students or young middle school students.
On a Virginia plantation in 1859, the slaves work hard to get the Big House ready for Christmas.. As they describe the "goings-on" during the weeks before Christmas as well as the actual rituals of the day, the McKissacks carefully and convincingly delineate the discrepancies between the two milieux-from the physical settings to the people's differing appreciations of the holiday's riches. The contrast is startling and stirring. (Summary adapted from www.amazon.com).
This book would tie nicely into a unit on slavery. The contrast between the black and whites Christmas is startling. It brings slavery to life for the students.
This book gave me a better understanding of slavery and the separate culture they were able to keep to themselves.
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