A Picture Book of Harriet Tubman

What an incredible woman!!! Strong, resilient, other directed, and brazen are but a few words to describe the "Moses of the Underground Railway." Harriet Tubman was born, in a shack with a dirt floor, no windows or furniture, she was a lave on a large plantation in Maryland. The sixth of eleven children, she and her family were owned. She vowed no one should own another and spent her life making this belief come true for herself, for others.

Strong willed and wild, beaten often, but never quiting, she fought for what she believed was right. Whipped, she continued to fight for the right to be free. Harriett was born during the time of abolitionists and was fortunate to be assisted by this group when she ran away. When a young girl, she show more was hit in the head with a strong metal weight. It left her with wound on her forehead that would never heal and forever gave her headaches. She persisted even though this terrible act almost killed her.

Married to John Tubman who was a free man. She dreamed of running away. He would not leave with her, and promised to tell the master of her plans. She left and found the assistance of the Underground Railway. She entered Pennsylvania, a state that banned slavery. Never a selfish woman, she continued to help other slaves gain freedom. Working until she earned enough money to help her mission become a reality. She made approximately 19 trips from the south to the north. It is estimated that she assisted 300 slaves in their dream to be free.

Called a conductor of the Underground Railway, with a bounty on her head, she became more committed to helping others. Tough and resiliant she was a nurse during the Civil War and continued to help the poor and sick after slavery ended. show less

I enjoyed reading this childrens book about Harriet Tubman for several reasons. First, Harriet Tubman’s life is one of strength and courage and a story that every young child deserves the opportunity to hear. I believe that this book brings to life her story in simple and easy to understand way that I believe most age groups would be able to follow and understand through the use of simple and straightforward language. It will also be easy to follow since the details are sequential from birth to death. Second, I felt a sense of power when reading this story. There were many themes throughout the picture book including; family, ethics, slavery, love, and courage. These themes that appear in any work of literature written about Harriet show more Tubman’s life is what I believe made this book so powerful. Third, some may agree that sentences such as "The slaves worked hard all day, but they weren't paid" or "Harriet saw two of her sisters taken away in chains" is too intense for young readers, but I would have to disagree. It creates an absence in history if we can't write "White slaveowners forced their slaves to work hard all day, but didn't pay them," or "White slave traders put two of Harriet's sisters in chains and took them away." Failing to tell children the truth about history isn't doing them any favors. Finally, I thought the pictures were beautiful and they were a visual representation of what Tubman's life was like. show less

Overall, I found this picture book biography about Harriet Tubman to be a fairly enjoyable read. Adler presents factual information about Harriet Tubman's life as a slave as well as her work on the Underground Railroad, and I think that children would benefit from reading this book. That being said, I still felt that it was lacking in some ways. My primary issue with this book is that it seems to skirt over the severity of slavery. I understand that this book is meant for young children, and I wouldn't expect Adler to graphically describe the brutality of being beaten or hanged; however, I think that this book failed to portray the simple fact that slavery was a cruel and dehumanizing practice. For instance, there is a line in the book show more that goes, "She was wild and often beaten. She was not willing to do as she was told." I would not have an issue with this line if the author were somehow to convey to the reader that Harriet was not the one at fault here, but Adler fails to do that. Furthermore, the author completely neglected to explain what slavery in America was; he simply stated that Harriet and her family were "owned." I think that there is a way to appropriately describe to children what it meant to be a slave without having to also describe to them all of the horrifying details, but I don't believe that simply stating facts about what occurred without also alluding to the effects that these things had is the right way to do it. If I were to give this to a child to read, I would make sure that I personally explained slavery to them beforehand, as I don't think that this book succeeded in doing that. Additionally, I, personally, would not read this book to a class as it contains a few references to God and prayer. All in all, I think that this is a decent book that could help to further a child's understanding of slavery and knowledge of Harriet Tubman; however I would not give this book to a child as their primary means of learning about either of those things. show less

Genre or Type of Picture Book: Informational, Biography Recommended for: Intermediate

A Picture Book of Harriet Tubman by David A. Adler, is an alternative biography book that teaches about the life of Harriet Tubman, a Female Slave's journey on the Underground Railroad. The book is great for Intermediate readers because this is the age that starts to learn more in depth about history. It also delves with many historical terms that many younger readers would not have come across, making it hard to read and fully understand. This book is a great teaching tool because the illustrations by Samuel Byrd engage and captivate intermediate readers into the story instead of teaching from a text book, purely facts. The book would be a great show more addition to an African American History bookshelf of any library. This is the type of book that students from many ages could benefit from. It allows students a different way of learning quintessential American History. show less

This picture book on Harriet Tubman is both informative and entertaining. It gives the reader a good perspective Harriet Tubman's personal history, her role as conductor of the Underground Railroad, and her participation in the Civil War. Between 1850 and 1860, she worked many odd jobs such as cook, dish washer, and cleaning woman. Much of this money was used to make nearly two dozen trips south, in which she led about 300 slaves to freedom. Many of these slaves were her own relatives. We also learn that after the Civil War she remarried and later founded the Harriet Tubman Home for Aged and Indigent Negroes in Auburn, New York.

The author tells about her life and character, showing why she was so loved by the many people that knew her. show more This is also captured well through the illustrations of Samuel Byrd. I highly recommend this book for elementary aged children, as it would serve as an excellent introduction to who Harriet Tubman was, and why she is so renowned in history. show less

In A PICTURE BOOK OF HARRIET TUBMAN by David Adler the reader sees and is told the story of the life of Harriet Tubman. The information is detailed and well written. I feel the illustrations do not draw the readers in. The illustrations are dark. At times they are lighter as she becomes free. I feel MOSES: WHEN HARRIET TUBMAN LED HER PEOPLE TO FREEDOM by Carole Weatherford, Kadir Nelson, is more powerful. This book explains important words that might be unknown to the reader, such as abolitionists. It tells of her amazing courage and determination and her eventual escape. It is extremely well written. This is an important story for children to hear, but Moses: When Harriet Tubman led her People to Freedom is a better book to read. This show more is a good book for 3rd graders and I will use it in the future. show less

This is a biography for early intermediate readers. Most pages are fully covered with illustrations while the text covers from a fourth to an eighth of a page. The main theme in this book, besides portraying Tubman as a heroic figure, is the inequality of the South before the Civil War. The first page shows the small log cabin where Harriet was raised next to the large plantation of her owner. The next two pages illustrate how slaves were treated like animals who could be sold at a moment's notice. The abolitionists and the Nat Turner rebellion are introduced quite early on, right after the first few pages showing the inequalities of slavery. The famous incident where Tubman was hit on the head by a scale-iron thrown by an irate slave show more owner is mentioned and illustrated. According to the author, this incident caused her life-long physical pain and was the reason she began praying. This book also highlights her famous relationship with John Brown, and the way she would threaten slaves too scared to pursue their freedom. Adler also takes note of how she spent her time after the Civil War, allying with the suffragist movement and helping establish a home for the sick, poor, and homeless.

The illustrations by Samuel Byrd are what drives this book. I feel like without the illustrations of swamps and lanterns and foliage, the reader would not come away with the same impression of the danger involved in travelling on the Underground Railroad. Another helpful feature is an "Important Dates" timeline in the back of the book, listing the important events from Harriet's life. For its target audience of early readers, this is a great introduction to the pre-Civil War era, the gross inequalities of slavery, and the efforts to end slavery. show less