Moses by Carole Boston Weatherford

Bibliography
Weatherford, Carole Boston. 2006. Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom. Ill. by Kadir Nelson. New York, NY: Hypersion Books for Children. ISBN 0786851759.

Plot Summary
Moses by Carole Boston Weatherford is the story of Harriet Tubman and her jouney to freedom. Born into slavery, Tubman was a very spiritual woman who depended upon her relationship with God to lead her and many others to the North and freedom. This book recounts her first trip she made alone trusting God to keep her safe from harm. The author does a wonderful job presenting this dark time in our country's history to children.

Critical Analysis
Weatherford presents the very inspiring story of Harriet Tubman's fight for freedom in Moses. Her writing is very straight forward which makes it easy for children to understand Tubmann's difficult journey. Weatherford is also very honest in her writing and provides children, young and old, a glimpse into the subject of slavery.

The illustrations by Kadir Nelson sets the tone of the story. Dark colors are used on many of the double page layouts during Tubmann's journey to the North, representing the night by which she traveled and is also representative of this dark time in America's history. Once Tubman reaches the north, Nelson uses lighter colors to represent the hope she found.

The beautifully written and illustrated book serves as a reminder of how one person can truly make a difference.

Book Reviews
School Library Journal: Starred Review. "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."

Booklist: "The full-page portrait of a comtemplative Tubman turning to God to help her guide her people is especially striking."

Connections
*Perfect story to share with older children in history class during a Civil War and/or Slavery unit.
*Gather other titles illustrated by Nelson and compare the illustrations.