Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom

**This review was created for an assignment at Texas Woman's University**

Book Review: Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Weatherford, Carole Boston. 2006. MOSES: WHEN HARRIET TUBMAN LED HER PEOPLE TO FREEDOM. Ill. By Kadir Nelson. New York: Hyperion Books for Children.
ISBN: 786851751978

2. PLOT SUMMARY
The faith, strong will, and bravery of runaway slave Harriet Tubman comes to live in this fictional account of how she led hundreds of slaves to freedom through the Underground Railroad. Author Carole Boston Weatherford takes the reader through the journey that Harriet Tubman undertook as she fled her master on foot alone, and follows her journey for another ten years as she worked to free her family and other slaves all while carrying a bounty on her life.

Harriet Tubman relies on her faith in God hearing messages from him as she travels from the slave states to the free states. This story takes the reader on a journey through history that shows the strong faith Tubman clung to as she became the “Moses” of her people.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Readers will engage with the lyrical prose and fantastic illustrations that accompany this work. The print almost jumps off the pages in some spots with large font that swirls and flows with the moving story of Tubman’s escape to freedom.

This forward and author’s note sections of this book provides readers with historical background information that will help students increase their understanding slavery and the Underground Railroad. Readers will come away with a deep appreciation for the risks that Tubman and those who helped her free slaves through the Underground Railroad took to bring the comfort of freedom to their lives of those who were enslaved.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Honors and Awards:
Recipient of the Caldecott Medal - 2007
Recipient of the Coretta Scott King Award – 2007
NAACP Image Award

School Library Journal: “The words and pictures create a potent sense of the harsh life of slavery, the fearsome escape, and one woman's unwavering belief in God.”
Publisher’s Review: “Weatherford’s poetic narrative and Kadir Nelson’s magnificent paintings bear witness to an ecstatic event -- the Spirit of God communing with the flesh-and-blood of true humanity. It is one of the most emotional, inspiring reading experiences ever.”

5. CONNECTIONS
*This historical account will lend itself to a variety of connections to American History. Teachers can use the Author’s Note to discuss the geographic locations of the Underground Railroad, and trace the journey that Tubman took from Maryland to Philadelphia.

*Students may want to discuss slavery and the injustices that African-Americans faced who were owned and mistreated by their masters.

*Carole Boston Weatherford has written a variety of books on African-American history and culture. These books can be used to deepen students understanding of the historical events that have shaped American culture.

Selected Books from Carole Boston Weatherford:

Freedom on the Menu: The Greensboro Sit-Ins. ISBN 9780142408940

I, Matthew Henson: Polar Explorer. ISBN 9780802796882

Dear Mr. Rosenwald. ISBN 9780439495226