Author: Faith Ringgold
Title: Aunt Harriet’s Underground Railroad in the Sky
Publisher: Crown Publishers Inc., 1992.
Grade Level: 2-5
Summary: Cassie and Bebe retrace the steps of the Underground Railroad with help from Harriet Tubman.
Strengths: The book and illustrations are extremely colorful and imaginative. The book follows the fictitious travel of Cassie and Bebe along the Underground Railroad with Harriet Tubman, celebrating its anniversary. This book allows for children to experience and learn about slavery and the Underground Railroad without it becoming too disturbing or upsetting for them. I also found the extra resources and activities to be particularly helpful for both teachers and parents.
Concerns: I personally did not care for this book. I think my biggest concern with this is since it is in a fantasy realm, children will not be able to grasp the realities of slavery and the Underground Railroad. I know that in parts I was confused about how Bebe and Cassie could fly, could arrive where they were, etc. which may cause confusion for young readers. Overall, I would prefer to read other accounts of Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad to my students.
Classroom Use: I think the best use for this book would be as a read aloud. This book could be used as an introduction for small children, since they can learn about some of the horrors of slavery without it being too upsetting, but due to its focus on fantasy I do not think this would be an appropriate resource for an in-depth study of slavery and the Underground Railroad.
(image from Amazon.com)
The Faith Ringgold book is really kind of a hybrid book, with factual information combined with a fantastic story. I can see why you might find it confusing for children, but it would work well if you introduced the book after children had some background information about the time and place.
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