The Watsons Go to Birmingham–1963

The Watsons Go to Birmingham–1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis (1995) is an excellent book that gets the reader
laughing with the hilarious adventures of “The Weird Watsons” but also teaches about an important event in American
history.
The Watsons Go to Birmingham–1963 is about an African American family that lives in Flint, Michigan, in the early
60s. They are not a well-off family, but they are happy. The family consists of Daniel and Wilona Watson and their
three children Byron, Kenny, and Joetta (Joey). Daniel is a fun-loving man who is always prepared to tell a story and
make his children laugh. Wilona is a tough but loving mom who shows her good character when she smiles and puts her
hand over her mouth so the gap in her teeth doesn’t show. Byron is a thirteen-year-old who his parents describe as a
“teenage juvenile delinquent.” Kenny is an outsider with a good heart and a sense of what is right. Joey is the youngest
and is known for always telling the truth and being a bit of a tattletale.