I liked this book for a couple reasons. First, I liked that the book pushes reader to think about how some people aren’t as fortunate as others. In the story, a young girl named Ernestine wants to ride the train to visit her extended family one summer. She spends every Sunday going to the train station with her Aunt. Her parents tell her that they can’t afford to buy the train ticket for her so Ernestine tells her parents “I don’t need new school clothes, Mama,” so they can save money. This book pushes readers to think about how some people can’t afford things that they really want so they have to make sacrifices. I also like this book because the illustrations enhance the story. The illustrations accurately depict the time period which is not explicitly stated in the text. For example, the characters are wearing old fashioned clothes and houses and buildings resemble an older style. Having these illustrations with the story allow the readers to understand the time period and overall setting of the story. The overall message of the story is that some people are not as fortunate as others and have to make sacrifices in order to get what they want. This is evident when Ernestine’s parents tell her that they can’t afford to send her on the train. Ernestine sacrifices getting new clothes and her mother says, “we can give up somethings too. I have a little saved for the down payment of that electric sewing machine.” Also, her father says that he will give up buying new tools to save money. The whole family sacrificed something so that Ernestine could ride the train and she her extended family. ( )

I had mixed feelings about this book. While there were many things I did enjoy about this book, I had trouble reading it because I was just not entirely interested in the book and the pictures did not really speak to me. Since I am very big on visuals, I think not liking the illustrations had a lot to do with why I did not really like the book. However, here are a few of the things I did enjoy about this book. I did enjoy that the author used a great amount of dialogue throughout her story. I feel like this does draw the reader into the story more because I was able to hear the individual voices and personalities through the dialogue. The big idea regarding this book was for Ernestine to have the courage to visit her extended family on the farm. ( )

Summary: The Sunday Outing is about a young girl name Ernestine who loved to go to the railroad and watch the trains with her Aunt Odessa. Her dream was to one day take a train trip, however, her parents did not have the money to purchase her a ticket. After hearing this, Aunt Odessa gave Ernestine the idea of thinking of something that will save her parents money so they could use the money for a ticket. The idea worked when Ernestine asked for a ticket instead of school clothes, which allowed her to fulfill her dream take a train trip to visit her mother's family in Lumberton.

Review: The central message of the book, "The Sunday Outing" is to follow your dreams and to not let anything or anyone stop you. In the book, Ernestine was teased by her friends for always going to the railroad and they tried to discourage her by saying "What's the point in going to watch those ole trains? You're never going to ride one." Ernestine was not affected by their ridicule. However, when she was told she could not go on a train trip because of money, Ernestine found a way around that by offering to not receive new school clothes in order for her parents to buy her a train ticket. Ernestine was able to follow her dream of going on a train trip by overcoming the obstacles that hindered her. Overall, " The Sunday Outing was a good book, and the illustrations were a great addition that helped the reader visualize the story. For example, when Ernestine brought up the idea of buying a ticket instead of clothes, the illustrations showed her expressions and helped me understand how much Ernestine wanted to go. ( )

The Sunday Outing, takes place in the 1960s and takes the reader into the daily life of Ernestine. Ernestine, a young inner city black girl, dreams of taking a trip on the train. This was a great story as it brings the time period of the 1960s into light. Simple activities and how life without many financial resources was lived during the time period are brought to life. The descriptive language used really allows the reader to get a feel of how badly Ernestine wants her dream of riding the train to come true. For example, “Ernestine loved going to North Philadelphia Station with her great-aunt Odessa Powell on warm summer Sundays and listening to stories about great-uncle Ariah who had worked for the railroad. Best of all Ernestine could see the trains going south and imagine herself riding one to Lumberton, the town in North Carolina where she was born.” Next, I liked the lesson that this book teaches. It teaches young readers that you have to work for things that you want and dream for. In this story, Ernestine gives up many things she has in order to be able to afford a train ride to visit her family’s farm in North Carolina. I’m sure many children can relate to finally being allowed to do something on their own. Overall, the main idea of this story is the importance of family and that dreams can come true if you work for them. ( )

The Sunday Outing is about a young girl who loves watching the Pennsylvania trains with her Aunt. She finally convinces her parents that she can give some things up and they agree to let her go to their family farm in North Carolina and she gets to ride on one of the trains.