Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt

Sweet Clara and The Freedom Quilt is special story about a little girl and her journey to freedom. Clara was a slave; she was torn from her family and sent off to work for a new master. Clara found her talent as a seamstress and used her skill and wit to create a map of the land. Her map to others was simply a patterned quilt but to her it is a map to freedom and a way to reconnect with her family.

This is a very humbling story. It allows the reader to step back in time and hear about what life must have been like for slaves. The pictures are beautiful and really help tell the story. Though I have never experienced anything like sweet Clara, reading this book and others like it help me to connect and relate to these historical times.

This show more book would be a wonderful addition to a classroom library. I envision having my students participate in making a freedom quilt of their own. A quilt to tell their story just as Clara did. I also would use this story to help teach the children about the Underground Railroad. It would be neat to read this story and Moses together and then have a discussion on slavery and freedom. show less

A young girl named Clara is separated from her mother for 11 years because they both work on different plantations. One day, Clara overhears two other slaves talking about the Underground Railroad in the house where she is a seamstress. She then comes up with a secret map that is very hard and near impossible for her slave owners to detect; a map made on a quilt. I really liked how this book was written in conversational dialect. I loved Clara’s courage and I think is a great piece to go along with any lesson about African-American history and the Underground Railroad. This story was extremely powerful especially because I learned that slaves actually did create quilts to pass secrets along to their families, friends, etc. The show more illustrations were also beautifully done. The main message in this story is to never stop until you reach where you want to be. show less

Lovely illustrations, which is why I purchased the book. It also has a nice story about the bravery and tenacity of a young teen girl who was determined to find her way to freedom.

This story follows Sweet Clara as she learns to sew in the Big House, and then quilts a map to lead other slaves to freedom.

I loved the bright colors and vivid pictures. I also liked that the author used syntax and diction authentic to the time and geographic location.

Classroom Extensions:
1. Make a collage map of the school using magazine pages.
2. Proceed to use the map in pairs/teams in a trust building activity. One member on each team or pair will be responsible for leading the others out of the school for recess.

With colorful illustrations and simple prose, this book tells the story of a young girl who dreams of freedom. But no slave leaves because they don't know the way - until Clara figures out a way to make a map. She salvages scraps from sewing, and slowly builds a map from the fabric. Other slaves gather information about the land between them and the Ohio river - the place where the Underground Railway begins. Full of courage and imagination, Clara opens the way to freedom, for herself and others. Worth reading, and excellent for children.

Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt is a historical fiction book about a young girl named Clara who was a slave. It has a really good plot, which is about a girl who uses her skills to escape slavery and find freedom in the North. Themes of the importance of family and friends were present in the book, such as Clara’s relationship with Aunt Rachel. “She wasn’t my for-real blood aunt, but she did her best to care for me.” Although this book is based on historical events, readers may find Clara to be a relatable character, since when she first tried something new (sewing), she was not very good at it, but she continuously got better with practice. It was encouraging to ultimately use her developed skill to help people escape show more slavery. I liked the big idea of this story, which is to help those around you and to have hope. Clara got help from people to stitch together a map in the form of a quilt, and she then used the quilt to help people find freedom, which demonstrates that helping others and having hope will help you reach your goals. show less

I liked this book for three reasons. First I liked the message that went along with the story, which is, you can overcome anything or keep persevering. It took Clara months to figure out where different areas went on the map, but she did not become impatient or upset she just kept working on it until she finished it. The second thing I liked about this book was how well developed Clara was. The reader was given plenty of chances to see the strength and hard work Clara put into her quilt and into her journey. Lastly, I liked the point of view of the book. It was first person as told by Clara, so the reader was able to see what Clara was thinking and feeling at all times.