Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad

Description

Tells the story of Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad. Written in graphic-novel format.

Designed to draw reluctant readers to nonfiction, this graphic history book tells the story of Harriet Tubman's underground railroad primarily in pictures. Text is kept to a minimum, with speech bubbles and short narrative passages on each page. An editor's note inside the front cover informs readers that yellow speech bubbles indicate a direct quote from a primary source, but unless they see this note readers may not even notice the difference in the speech bubbles. Those unfamiliar with the graphic novel format may feel the illustrations lend a lighter tone to the serious story. This book would make a good resource to get readers started on their research of the underground railroad and Harriet Tubman. The format presents a scaled-down version of Harriet Tubman's story, and readers should be made aware of the depth of the history behind this pioneer for freedom, as well as the history of slavery. The author provides additional sources and internet sites for further reading, as well as an index, glossary, and a bibliography to assist readers seeking to research this topic further.-- "Children's Literature Comprehensive Database" Harriet Tubman was born into slavery in around 1820. By the time she was six, she was already working as a house servant. Often having to go hungry Harriet frequently worked for people who misused her and like so many other slaves she wished she could escape her miserable life. Harriet knew that running away was a dangerous business and she bided her time. When she was grown up and married Harriet was sent to work in the fields. One day she heard that she was going to be sold to a southern slave owner. The time had come to run away and Harriet used the system known as the Underground Railway to go north, moving from station to station along the route until she reached Pennsylvania. Harriet soon found work but she missed her family and worried about them. When he heard that relatives were going to be sold at auction Harriet disguised herself as a man and went south to rescue them. Thus began her career as an Underground Railroad courier. Between 1851 and 1860 Harriet made around nineteen trips into slave states to rescue people and to take them north to freedom. This is a moving account of the life and work of one of America's most courageous women. Carefully written to appeal to a young audience, this volume in the "Graphic Library" series is fully illustrated throughout with cartoon style pictures.-- "Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Review" These eye-catching books not only draw inspiration and style from comic books, but also employ experienced illustrators and inkers from the field. Though the bright and boldly colored illustrations capture the spirit of comic books, they differ from the traditional framing readers are accustomed to, instead favoring one to three cells per page. The effect gives the books a rushed feel that, while maintaining a sense of excitement, leaves little room for subtlety in illustrations or details. Some important facts and references are added at the end of each book, but since undermotivated readers are unlikely to utilize these tools, the main text is occasionally oversimplified. Overall, these books would work well for introducing hi/lo readers to the subjects, but their use is limited as resources for reports. Dawn Rutherford, Kings County Library System, Bellevue, WA-- "School Library Journal" These graphic novels cover African American history topics that support the CCSS, which state that college and career-ready sutents should have ample opportunities to understand other perspectives and cultures. . . .Titles in this series are also availabe in Spanish-- "Library Media Connection, Connecting Comics to Curriculum"