The First Strawberries: A Cherokee Story

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bruchac, Joseph. 1993. THE FIRST STRAWBERRIES: A CHEROKEE STORY. Illustrated by Anna Vojtech. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers. ISBN 0803713320.

PLOT SUMMARY-In this simple, creation tale it is explained of how the first strawberries came into existence. It was “long ago when the creator made a man and a woman” they lived for many years in happiness until one day the man grew angry at his wife for picking flowers in the field instead of preparing his dinner. In response to his words, she too became angry and fled out into the fields. No matter how fast he tried to catch up to his wife, he could not. The Sun understood how sorry the man was and tried to use his energy to create different berries to stop his wife. After the first few unsuccessful attempts, the sun’s energy created strawberries. “They glowed like fire in the grass” and she stopped when she saw them. This allowed her husband to catch up and together they shared in the sweetness of the strawberries and to this day Cherokee people are reminded to be kind to one another when they eat strawberries.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Joseph Bruchac created a beautiful retelling of this Cherokee traditional folktale. With words alone there are not many cultural markers, except for it being a creation story which is presented by the Sun playing a prominent role. The last line "To this day, when the Cherokee poeple eat strawberries, they are reminded to always be kind to each other" is when without seeing pictures the reader becomes aware of the being a Cherokee tale.

Anna Vojtech helps bring to life this cultural tale with vivid watercolor pictures. The skintones are authentic, as well as, the setting in the hills of wildflowers that are blooming. It was these wildflowers that sparked the first argument between husband and wife. The two- page spread picture of the Cherokee man looking towards the Sun is breathtaking. The illustrator’s research is evident in the villages drawn, dress and hair that are displayed in this folktale.

REVIEW EXCERPTS
Kirkus - “Complete harmony of text and pictures: altogether lovely”

Horn Book- “The brief, readable story, accompanied by strong and spare illustrations, carries a valuable message about friendship and respect.”

Other Books by Joseph Bruchac:
Bruchac, Joseph. The great ball game: a Muskogee story. ISBN 9780803715400.
Bruchac, Joseph. Crazy Horse’s Vision. ISBN 9781880000946.

Jingle Dancer

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Smith, Cynthia Leitich. 2000. JINGLE DANCER. Ill by Cornelius Van Wright and Ying-Hwa Hu. New York: Morrow Junior Books. ISBN 0688162428

PLOT SUMMARY-Jenna a young Muscogee girl living in modern times dreams to one day dance like her Grandmother Wolfe. Jenna watches her Grandmother Wolfe’s videotapes of her jingle dancing “again and again”. Sadly, Jenna learns that her regalia of hand rolled jingles could not be made in time for her to dance in this year’s powwow. Jenna wished that she could have four rows of jingles so her dress would be able to “sing” and goes in search of more jingles from relatives. The sun guides her way as she visits her family members carefully inheriting just enough jingles for “her dress to be able to sing”. Jenna is careful not to take too many jingles from her relative’s dresses so their “dresses would not loose their voice”. Jenna carries on her family’s traditions and proudly dances at the powwow in honor of all of her ancestors.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The Jingle Dancer is set in modern day America and shows the reader how a young Muscogee girl blends her rich heritage with everyday life. Yes she is a young girl who wears blue jeans, but she is also a girl who dreams of dancing at the powwow like her grandmother did.

Cultural markers are present throughout the book referring to traditional dishes, such as “fry bread” or the telling of traditional tales of the Muscogee Creek like “The Great Ball Game”. Smith cleverly moves the story along using the sun to advance the reader, like “As a Sun fetched morning”, “As the Sun arrived at midcircle”, or “As Sun caught a glimpse of Moon”. The Sun has traditionally been an important figure in to Native Americans.

The water color illustrations help depict life in an “intertribal community”. The illustrations help show their modern life but with hints of their heritage, for example “woven blankets over the couches”, “paintings”, “earrings worn” and even a “dream catcher” placed in the corner of a bookshelf.
The author’s note at the conclusion of the story gives the reader more information about jingle dresses and their heritage. Smith also providers her readers with a glossary to help understand vocabulary used within her story.

REVIEW EXCERPTS
Booklist- “This contemporary Native American tale highlights the importance of family and community through a young girl's dream of joining the dancers at the next powwow”

Children’s Literature- “The blending of contemporary and traditional, the feel of a child secure in that embrace, the changing face of art and craft and tradition itself--these are refreshingly and unobtrusively depicted here.”

Other Books by Cytnhia Leitich Smith:
Smith, Cynthia Leitich. Indian Shoes. ISBN 9780060295325.
Smith, Cynthia Leitich. Rain is not my Indian name. ISBN 9780807204290.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Tingle, Tim. 2006. Crossing Bok Chitto: A Choctaw Tale of Friendship & Freedom. Ill. Jeanne Rorex Bridges. El Paso: Cinco Puntos Press. ISBN 9780938317777

PLOT SUMMARY-This Choctaw tale accounts the unlikely friendship between a young Choctaw girl, Martha Tom and “Little Mo”, a young child of a slave. This “by chance” friendship was the result of Martha Tom being sent on a journey to collect blackberries for her mother. This quest resulted in Martha crossing the forbidden Bok Chitto River that separated the Choctaw tribe and the southern plantation owners. One side was freedom and the other shore represented the cruel life of slavery. It was on this quest where she became lost because her guiding sun was blocked by the clouds. Her journey seemed pre-destined “like spirit voices, whispering” to her and connecting Martha Tom with “Little Mo” and his family. This was the beginning of a wonderful friendship.

Little Mo soon learned that his mother was to be sold and an escape plan was hatched to cross the Bok Chitto River to freedom. Little Mo had never crossed the river at night and in desperation turns to young Martha Tom and her tribe for help in their escape to freedom.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
This story is set in rural Mississippi , “in the days before the War between the States, in the days before the Trial of Tears” near a river that represents a boundary of two vary different ways of life. Tim Tingle does a remarkable job helping the readers understand that one side represented freedom, while the other side represented the unbearable life of slaves. The peaceful Choctaw tribe seemed to understand what this river stood for and quietly built a secret stone path that helped in the crossing of the Bok Chitto River.
Tim Tingle’s Choctaw tale is filled with cultural markers, for example he describes the two circles of the wedding ceremony where the Choctaw women wore “cotton dresses that skimmed the ground and their long shiny black hair fell well below their waists”. He draws the reader in further by having the elders chant their Choctaw wedding song:

“Way, hey ya hey ya”
“You a hey you ay”
“A hey ya a hey ya!”

Tingle also highlights many similarities between the Choctaw and African-American slaves. He expresses the importance of religion to the slave families as Martha encounters the “forbidden slave church” as hundreds of slaves seem to appear from within the trees and sing. “Martha had never heard music like this before, but it touched her deeply”. This importance of religious ceremonies is also shared among the Choctaw tribe and “Little Mo” could hear “the sound of chanting, he thought it must be the heartbeat of the earth” but it was the elders of the tribe calling the Choctaw to a wedding ceremony.

Jeanne Rorex Bridges’ acrylic painting draws the readers into the story. Her scenes of the “forbidden slave church” empty and then filled on the next page- conveys magical images to the readers. The character’s skin tones and cultural markers jump off the page as if the characters were real. Just maybe a reader could be lucky enough to imagine wiping a tear from “Little Mo” or feel the mist from the river. Her paintings are mystical; readers will enjoy watching Little Mo’s family disappear right before the plantation owner’s eyes and her illuminating white gowns of the Choctaw women seemingly walking on water.

The author’s note is extensive and speaks to the knowledge of his background.

REVIEW EXCERPTS

Booklist- “In a picture book that highlights rarely discussed intersections between Native Americans in the South and African Americans in bondage, a noted Choctaw storyteller and Cherokee artist join forces with stirring results”

Library Media Connections- “Tingle, a superb storyteller, tells a tale of friendship and freedom about the great river, Bok Chitto, that divides two very different worlds prior to the American Civil War.”

Other Books by Tim Tingle:
Tingle, Tim. When Turtle Grew Feathers: A Folktale From the Choctaw Nation. ISBN 9780874837773.
Tingle, Tim. Walking the Choctaw Road. ISBN 9780938317746.

The Skirt

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Soto, Gary. 1992. The Skirt. Ill. by Eric Velasquez. New York: Delacorte Press. ISBN 9780385306652.

PLOT SUMMARY
Miata Ramirez, a fourth grader has a great memory when it comes to her spelling test, but when it comes to little things like “erasers, marbles, shoes” she has problems remembering. One Friday, Miata took her Folklorico skirt to school to show the other children what she was going to wear for her up-coming dance on Sunday, but she never made it home with her skirt. Miata left it on the school bus. This was not just her folklorico skirt for Sunday, but her mother’s childhood skirt that she too wore when she was little in Mexico. Miata was not able to tell her family of her loss, so she desperately enlists the help of her friend “Ana” to recover her missing skirt. Miata decides that they must get into the bus yard and retrieve the skirt. The girls escape being noticed by her father, who surprisingly was there to work on one of the buses. Bravely Miata returns home only to be surprised by a present from her mother….a new folklorico skirt. Even though the new skirt was bold with colors the old one held such memories, what was she to do? Time would soon tell of Miata’s decision and on that Sunday “Miata twirled like a pinwheel, the old skirt showing under the new skirt.”

Critical Analysis
Gary Soto brings early fluent readers a simple story of family values. He presents text that is understandable to early readers like “The driver strained as he worked the steering wheel like the horns of a bull”. Soto’s understanding of young children is evident by statements describing their actions, such as, “They were walking with cans smashed onto the heels of their shoes, laughing and pushing each other”. Children will giggle as they connect to this pastime.

Cultural markers are highlighted through-out this text. Soto blends in culturally authentic language that helps set the scene “ Little and Alex were lined of to race, Miata counted uno…dos….tres.” and verbal exchanges of “Que Paso” or “Que Bueno”. Gary Soto brings to the reader the life of a hard working family that has moved from Mexico and shows the reader the love the family has for each other. He briefly engages his characters in conversations in the neighborhood and shows the reader the common middle class bonds that sports bring- reporting sadness when the “Los Giagantes” were playing and not the Dodgers. The basis of this book was about a folklorico skirt which is traditional Mexican dance and importance of carrying on family traditions. Soto’s character is full of pride of her family and country.

Illustrator Eric Velasquez offers the readers eight pencil drawings that give the readers a quick look at what the characters look like. His illustrations help the reader’s pacing by using his illustrations to break up this beginning chapter book while adding vision and depth to the characters.

REVIEW EXCERPTS
Horn Book- “In this cheery snapshot of a Mexican-American family in California.”

Booklist - “A good beginning chapter book, this uses simple words without sounding too simplistic.”

Other Books by Gary Soto
Soto, Gary. Chato’s Ktichen. ISBN 9780698116009.
Soto, Gary. Baseball in April. ISBN 9780152057206.

Mice and Beans

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Ryan, Pam Munoz. 2001. MICE AND BEANS. Ill. by Joe Cepeda. New York: Scholastic Press. ISBN 0439183030

PLOT SUMMARY
To Rosa Maria family means everything. >“She had a big heart, a big family and more than anything, she loved to cook big meals for them.” Even though Rosa Maria had a big heart, she had no room for a mouse in her house. She had important things to prepare for, like a special birthday for her soon to be seven year old granddaughter. Rosa Maria made her plans for each day in order to get ready for the celebration. But each day would not be complete until she set an ever disappearing mousetrap before she went to bed. Little by little things were disappearing or were they, Rosa Maria just didn’t know? The day of the party comes and Rosa Maria thinks she has everything ready until….the children yell for the piñata. She rushes to the piñata because she hadn’t filled it with candy yet, as it cracks open candy spills to the ground. How could this be? Rosa Maria soon realizes she must have had help from small friends. As she wraps up her day , Rosa Maria decides that >“there’s room in the house….EVEN for a mouse!”/em>strong>

Critical Analysis
Pam Munoz Ryan brings readers a charming, celebration tale that all readers can cherish. Her story has a dual story line; one that depicts Rosa Maria’s day by day account of preparation for her granddaughter’s birthday party while she has a quiet undertone of the mice’s own celebration going unnoticed. Children will giggle at the character’s seemingly forgetfulness "I am so busy that I'm forgetting to remember!" knowing the real truth of her sneaky house companions.

Cultural Markers are present in the dialogue with phrases like >“Que boba soy! Silly me or by providing readers with context clues in the text like “stopping at the “pasteleria to order the cake”. Munoz describes authentic foods and even informs the reader of how the food it is made >“ She dipped the tortillas in red sauce, filled them with cheese, and rolled them into fat little bundles.” Illustrator Cepeda helps show cultural images if the reader looks closely at the street signs they will notice surnames like >“Silva”/em>strong> and >“Arvelo”. The author provides a brief glossary and pronunciation guide is follows the story.

Joe Cepeda bright, colorful pages match the author’s humor filled story. Children will enjoy turning each page searching to see what the mice are up to next, enjoying the small details such as Rosa Maria’s brightly painted finger nails and inferring the point of view of the mice by watching the eyes of the mice.

REVIEW EXCERPTS
Horn Book- “Readers of this clever story will chuckle at the skillful collaboration between author and artist.”

Booklist - “The story is charming, but what makes it special is the quiet authenticity of the Hispanic characterizations.”

Other Books by Pam Munoz Ryan
Ryan, Pam Munoz. Amelia and Eleanor go for a ride: based on a true story. ISBN 9780590960755.
Ryan, Pam Munoz. Riding Freedom. ISBN 9780590957663.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Mora, Pat. 1999. The Rainbow Tulip. Ill. Elizabeth Sayles. New York: Viking. ISBN 9780670872916

PLOT SUMMARY
Estelita, otherwise known as, Stella is different from the other first graders in her American school. Her parents are from Mexico and speak another language. Despite these differences Stella is accepted at school by her teacher and classmates. She was excited to be tulip with “all the spring colors” for their upcoming class May parade and enlisted the help of her aunt to make the perfect rainbow tulip costume. When Stella arrives for her performance she is the only one wearing a multi-colored colored costume, she is uncomfortable with yet again another difference. She concentrates on having a good performance so her teacher, friends and mother will be proud of her. Stella soon learns that being different can sometimes be hard but being different allows for sweet, quiet rewards.

Critical Analysis
The Rainbow Tulip was based on Pat Mora’s family memories and gently conveys the struggles of a Mexican immigrant child caught between her two worlds; her Mexican home and her English world. “At home I’m Estelita. At school my name is Stella.” Stella explains that she knows her mother is different from the other mothers, “She does not wear make-up” “Her hair is tied in a bun and her dresses are long”. She wishes her mother could be more like her American friend’s mothers and also be able to communicate with her teacher, so her mother would know what a good student she was. Mora reaches her young readers by offering a mirror for immigrant children and provides American children an opportunity to better understand their classmates that have dual heritage.

Mora blends Spanish words with natural stroke “My father gives us an abrazo, a hug” and “I’ll be the most beautiful tulip, el tuipan mas lindo, in the whole world, en todo el mundo.” Readers can easily follow along by providing the readers with these context clues.

Elizabeth Sayles’ illustrations are of soft water colors that mirror the stories gently storyline. Sayles’ facial expressions tell a story within itself. Her illustrations seem to grow gradually from muted colors to brighter colors as the story’s character grows in confidence with her differences.

The Author’s Note at the conclusion of this book provides the reader with information about the immigration of almost one million Mexicans that entered the United States Between 1880 and the Great Depression. She also shares family memories and reminds readers that these immigrants remained in this country to become “productive citizens, proud of their dual heritage.”

REVIEW EXCERPTS
Library Journal- “Mora succeeds in creating a quiet story to which children will respond.”

Kirkus - “With warmth and directness, Mora celebrates diversity, but provides a balanced view of assimilation as well, Sayles's softly colored illustrations, by turns wistful and vibrant; capture the times and the tone as a young child finds her place in her parents' new country.”

Other Books by Pat Mora
Mora,Pat. Tomas and the library lady. 9780679904014.

Mora, Pat. Pablo’s Tree. ISBN 9780027674019.

African-American Literature Review- Book #3

Come Sunday

By: Nikki Grimes

Illustrated By: Michael Bryant

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Grimes, Nikki.1996. Come Sunday. Ill. Michael Bryant. Grand Rapids, Michigan. Eerdmans Publishing. ISBN 9780802851345

Plot Summary
LaTasha’s Sundays at Paradise Baptist are chronicled in fourteen poems from sun-up “Come Sunday, Mommy wakes me up with whispers” to Sun-down “Mommy tucks me. I shake my head, still wondering where the long day went”. These poems depict different elements and activities of church through a little girl’s eyes.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Nikki Grimes uses short verse poems to help describe LaTasha’s Sunday’s at church. She reaches her young readers as LaTasha describes avoiding being pinched by the “Blue Haired Ladies”…..”Come here , you precious thing, --That’s why I run the other way,” and is sure to leave children with a recognizing giggle. Grimes uses kid friendly language that is sure to put a picture in the readers head “Mommy’s chocolatey- brown skin peeks through the white-lace gloves she likes to wear”. She cleverly steps the reader through LaTashas day and will leave the reader ready to turn the page to hear the next intriguing poem.

Michael Bryant’s full page, vivid water colored pictures brings to life the beauty of a southern, African-American church. The color of the church’s stained glass windows spills on to each page, illuminating the soul of the book. The authentic clothes, facial expression, and church images capture the important celestial spirit of LaTasha’s culture.


Cultural Markers are present when Grimes describes the authentic process of LaTasha getting her hair ready for church, “I rise and wander to the kitchen—where Mommy makes my hair and scalp tingle with oil and comb and brush. If only she didn’t weave the braids so tight.” She describes and captures the beauty of the hats worn by African-American women to church in a poem titled “Ladie’s Hats” – “I could admire them for hours—hats with feathers, bows and flowers, satin ribbons, black as jet, broad silk bands, and lacy net that ladies hide behind”. Grimes conveys to importance of sharing the spirit with music in church in her poem titled “Jubilation” that has a sing-song rhythm. Children will love spending the day at Paradise Baptist Church with LaTasha.


REVIEW EXCERPTS
Kirkus Review- “Composed as a suite of pitch-perfect poems, Grimes (Portrait of Mary, 1994, etc.) affectionately portrays a young girl's enjoyment of the spirit and practice of Sunday services in her community's church”

Publishers Weekly- “Reverent, funny and wildly energetic all at the same time, this is a wonderful book for introducing children to church life.”

Other Books By Nikki Grimes
Grimes, Nikki. Danitra Brown Leaves Town. ISBN 9780688131555.
Grimes, Nikki. My Man Blue: Poems. ISBN 9780803723269.

African-American Literature Review- Book #2

Miracle's boys

By: Jacqueline Woodson

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Woodson, Jacqueline. 2000. Miracle's boys. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons. ISBN 0399231137.

Summary
Twelve year old Lafayette Bailey wishes his life was like the good old days, when he had a mother, a father and two loving older brothers. All he has left is memories, pictures and wishes of a better tomorrow. This story is told as a narrative through the eyes of Lafeyette Bailey, an African-American/Puerto Rican child growing up in New York. After his father dying in an accident , his middle brother Charlie away at a boys home serving time for committing a crime and his mother “Milagro” (Miracle) passing away from complications of diabetes, little Lafeyette feels like life will never be the same. He is left to be raised by his oldest brother Tyree and middle brother Charlie returning home, but this is not the Charlie he knew this was the “NewCharlie”. The NewCharlie “Hated my guts since Momma died” and was left to feel “Like a stranger in your house, like everything that used to mean something doesn’t anymore.” Lafayette chronicles their struggle to repair their family and together “brother-to-brother” become Miracle’s Boys once again.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Jacqueline Woodson tells an intimate tale of a family’s love and will to survive all challenges. Woodson reaches her intended young audience by having her main character, Lafeyette , a twelve year old tell his family’s story. She connects with young readers by using text that kids understand, for example when describing the heavy troubles on NewCharlie’s back she uses expressions like “It’s more like Charlie carries around a gorilla on his back, than a monkey.” The audience can understand the feeling the character has. Woodson does a nice job unfolding the story to readers with flashbacks, sharing characters feelings ,along with easy conversations to follow.

Cultural Markers are present in Woodson’s novel, such as the language used by the characters. As Lafeyette and his older brother Tyree walk the neighborhood block greetings are exchanged “W’s up”, Me and Tyree said “What’s up back, this reminded my of “Newcharlie and his friends hanging out on the corner of my block”. She also paints a picture of what Newcharlie looks like by having Lafeyette describe him “He’s light brown with thick black eyebrows and Mama’ nose.” Jacqueline Woodson goes to great lengths to authenticate the setting by his father’s accident set in New York’s Central Park and using a MetroCard to ride the train.

Even with this book having the focus of African-American characters Jacqueline Woodson does a great job expressing that feelings are real and that family pain is universal. Woodson shares the sorrows and emotional baggage of each character, “All the tears were jamming themselves together and pushing their way out”. She slowly heals her characters, sets their souls free and leaves them feeling, “ good and safe and free”.

Awards:
2001 Coretta Scott King Award

REVIEW EXCERPTS
School Library Journal- “The narrative is told through dialogue and Lafayette's introspections so there is not a lot of action, but readers should find this story of tough, self-sufficient young men to be powerful and engaging.”

Children’s Literature- “The book lyrically relays Lafayette's evolving feelings, leading the reader to the surprising end. Once again, Woodson demonstrates her unique mixture of extraordinary writing and story.”

Other Books By Jaqueline Woodson
Woodson. Jaqueline. The Other Side. ISBN 9780399231162.
Woodson. Jaqueline. Lena. ISBN 9780385323086.

African-American Literature Review- Book #1

African American Literature Review

Minty

By: Alan Schroeder

Illustrations By: Jerry Pinkney

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Schroeder, Alan. 1996. MINTY. Ill. Jerry Pinkney. New York: Dial Books. ISBN 0803718896

PLOT SUMMARY-
This fictional account of a young Harriet Tubman documents the struggles of slavery in the early 1820’s. Harriet, better known by her cradle name, “Minty” is a spirited and brave child that frequently rebels against the idea of slavery. Her mumblings of dissatisfaction and thoughts like, “I’m gonna runaway” grew more frequent with beatings and threats of being “sold South”. With her father recognizing her youthful, yet mature desire to escape North to freedom, he began to secretly teach his young daughter skills that would allow her to be successful on her journey. Minty contemplates several escape attempts, but falls short with fear. Although the story concludes before Harriet reaches her destiny, the reader is left with the hope of her freedom “She dreamed of sunflowers and stars, and the call of the whippoorwill, and a road through the forest that one day, when she had the courage, would carry her to freedom……”

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Alan Schroeder does a remarkable job capturing young readers with relatable images of childhood. He connects with readers by describing the reaction of his young, playful yet rebellious character which giggles at the summons of her “missus”. Schroeder explains “She stuck out her tongue just as far as it could go” and sharing Harriet’s inner thoughts of “I’ll come when I’m good and ready”.

Cultural Markers are evident by both the author and illustrator throughout this book. Schroeder’s dialect is culturally authentic for this time period with phrases like “Don’t lie to me girl, ‘less you want a whippin’ “ or Minty’s desperate pleas of “ No, Misus” and quick retorts by the Mrs. Brodus “That’ll learn you”. Schroeder has characters carrying out activities that were natural duties of this time period, for example having Mrs. Brodus on the porch cracking walnuts to wearing bandannas in the field to help with sweat and heat of the South. Jerry Pinkey illustrates the authentic clothes of slaves of patchwork , cloth scraps to the correct depiction of the table setting in the master’s house to the jewelry worn by the missus.

Jerry Pinkney’s, colored pencils and water colored illustrations beautifully depict life on a plantation during the 1820’s. His full-page illustrations pull the reader into the setting soaking up the full effect of the struggles of Harriet. Pinkney grabs the readers with the eye contact of his character, facial expressions and by depicting events of the story. If the reader looks closely enough they even see the cider that was spilt by poor Minty dripping off the table as Mr. Brodus quickly wipes it up. His realistic illustrations has the reader feeling the pain of the “whippin” through the eyes of Minty, recognizing the illuminating glows of comfort inside the master’s house or her gaze into the big, night sky. Readers can imagine spotting their own North Star that will eventually carry Minty to her freedom.

Schroeder’s respect for having the reader’s understand the plight of Harriet Tubman is evident by providing a foreword explaining the fictional embellishments that he created, but by also having a Author’s Note and the end that gives the reader additional factual information about Harriet Tubman.


Awards:
1997 Coretta Scott King Award

REVIEW EXCERPTS
School Library Journal- “This beautifully illustrated and moving fictional story can be used to introduce Harriet Tubman and the injustice of slavery to young audiences.”

Kirkus starred review- “This exquisitely crafted book resonates well beyond its few pages.”

Other Books About Harriet Tubman
Ringgold, Faith. Aunt Harriet’s Underground Railroad in the Sky. ISBN 978051758768.
Weathorford, Carole Boston. Moses : When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom. ISBN 9780786851751