Book Descriptions
for Aunt Harriet's Underground Railroad in the Sky by Faith Ringgold
From Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)
Cassie Lighfoot, the eight-year-old who shared the glories of flying with little brother Be in Tar Beach (Crown, 1991), is at it again. This time she and Be take a dream journey to the past where they travel through history on the Underground Railroad with Harriet Tubman herself. Details about the harsh realities of slavery and the dangers fugitives faced are balanced (but never trivialized) by Ringgold's stunning oil paintings which show Cassie's childlike, whimsical interpretations of Aunt Harriet's oral account of history: she pictures the Underground Railroad, for example, as a real train and Harriet Tubman dressed in a conductor's hat and apron. A two-page note at the book's end offers biographical information about Harriet Tubman as well as list of resources. Winner, 1992 CCBC Coretta Scott King Award Discussion: Illustration. (Ages 6-11)
CCBC Choices 1992. © Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 1992. Used with permission.
From The Jane Addams Children's Book Award
Cassie Lightfoot and her little brother Be take a dream journey to the past where they travel through history on the Underground Railroad with Harriet Tubman herself. Details about the harsh realities of slavery and the dangers fugitives faced are balanced (but never trivialized) by stunning oil paintings which show Cassie's childlike, whimsical interpretations of Aunt Harriet's oral account of history. A two-page note at the book's end offers biographical information about Harriet Tubman as well as list of resources
The Jane Addams Children's Book Award: Honoring Peace and Social Justice in Children's Books Since 1953. © Scarecrow Press, 2013. Used with permission.
From the Publisher
Illus. in full color. Cassie, who flew above New York in "Tar Beach," soars into the sky once more. This time, she and her brother Be Be meet a train full of people, and Be Be joins them. But the train departs before Cassie can climb aboard. With Harriet Tubman as her guide, Cassie retraces the steps escaping slaves took on the real Underground Railroad and is finally reunited with her brother at the story's end. "Cassie learns her people's history well; so will readers of this impressive picture book. Ringgold's dynamic paintings combine historical fact with strongly realized emotions."--(starred) "Booklist." "Groundbreaking!"--(starred) "School Library Journal."
Publisher description retrieved from Google Books.
