Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom Reviewed by Deb Clark
by Carole Boston Weatherford; illustrated by Kadir Nelson
Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world. –Harriet Tubman
Moses is a fictional story based on the spiritual journey of Harriet Tubman, a slave in 19th-century America who possessed the courage not only to escape the brutal life of a Maryland plantation and run away to free soil in Philadelphia, but also the compassion to make the dangerous journey south over and over again to bring her family and hundreds of others to freedom. She became known as the Moses of her people, never once getting caught or losing a passenger.
Weatherford’s powerful text employs a poetic interplay of three voices—the narrator’s, Harriet’s and God’s—to evoke the call-and-response tradition of the black church as Harriet calls upon her deep faith to sustain her on her first treacherous journey north.
Harriet’s feet bleed and her gut churns.
Under the stars, she draws near to God.Lord, don’t let nobody turn me ‘round;
I’d rather die than be a slave.HARRIET, KEEP GOING. YOU HAVE ALREADY GLIMPSED THE FUTURE.
The dramatic, unromanticized story is coupled with breathtakingly intense oil-and-watercolor paintings that earned Nelson a 2007 Caldecott Honor Book award and a 2007 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Book Award.
A foreword provides a brief explanation of slavery and an author’s note gives a short biography of Tubman's life.
Whether readers choose this book for the history, spirituality or emotionally charged illustrations--or all three--it's a compelling introduction to an extraordinary woman whose story deserves to be retold for generations to come, not only for the remarkable feats she accomplished but also for the sense of potential her courageous acts can encourage in the rest of us.
Rating: *\*\*\*\
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