Aunt Harriet's Underground Railroad in the Sky

Aunt Harriet's Underground Railroad in the Sky tells the story of two young siblings, Cassie and Be Be, who are traveling the Underground Railroad to freedom, ...

This is a magical story of two children who find a train who will be leading them north to freedom. On this train ride Harriet Tubman the conductor gives them the history of slavery and how she led hundreds to safety through her underground railroad. The children experience what slaves of that time experienced and were seperated during their travels but communicated through letters and are eventually reunited and experienced the joys of freedom.

I really enjoyed this story and it brought me back to my elementary years and the study of the underground railroad. I was always impressed by Harriet Tubman and all she did for the freedom of slaves and would have enjoyed this book as an elementary student.

My first extention after reading this show more book to the class would be for them to locate on a map the locations that were mentioned in this book. Another extention would be for the children to write a letter to family member as if they had been seperated from them like the two young children in this story were. show less

It read like a crazy and confused dream. There were some rationale parts (where Aunt Harriet explains slavery, the stops at the various safehouses), but the whole flying thing was just too much. (Learned a bit more about flying in slavery literature; need to read more.)

There are many reasons that I liked this book. After reading Tar Beach in class, I wanted to read another book by this author. The book really pushed young readers to learn about the tough issue of slavery and gave a fictional history of the underground railroad. Ringgold helped tell the tale of slavery and civil rights in a more simple, easy to understand way for children. I really liked that the story covered such difficult issues so that students could begin to learn about and broaden their perspectives on the problems of the past. Another aspect of the story that I thought enhanced the book was point of view. The story was told through the perspective of a young, African-American girl named Cassie who followed "Aunt Harriet" through show more the Underground Railroad of the past. I think it was a very interesting way to tell the story because it makes the story much more relatable to younger students. These students will be able to relate to a girl close to their age and follow her story of history. Telling the story through the point of view of a young girl helps make the book more enjoyable for students. The big idea sent to readers in this story is all in the history of slavery, Harriet Tubman, and the Underground Railroad; the message is that slavery was a large problem in history and it is crucial to see how important civil rights are. show less

I really like this book. Not only is the story engaging and interesting, but the illustrations it beautifully and tells the story without the words. I know that the author of this book draws her pictures before writing the words and I think that this book is a great example of that. The pictures can and do tell a story without the words. However, the story written is very fascinating. It is a take on Harriet Tubman's underground railroad and what it was like to be a slave escaping during that time. The main character, similarly to the slaves, had to put all of their trust, and their lives, into Aunt Harriet's hands.

I have always enjoyed this book very much. I remember reading it as a young child and I have always had a mental picture of the cover of the book, with Aunt Harriet, Be Be, and Cassie flying in a bright blue sky. I think that this is a wonderful example of a successful children's story in that it presents an important, meaningful lesson about history, but is presented in an approachable and understandable way for children. By using a child as the narrator, children who read the book are able to connect to her. The book also gives children an introduction to an important time in history and creates a starting point for students to explore the topic in more depth as they grow older. The illustrations are memorable and help the story and show more its themes become engrained in children. Overall, after re-reading this book today, I believe that it is definitely a book that I would utilize in my own classroom. show less

I liked this book for many reasons. This book gave a great overview of what the underground railroad was like and explained it in kid-friendly terms. This book had excellent illustrations that children would enjoy looking at. They are imaginative because they are in the sky and detailed in where the different places slaves traveling on the underground railroad would go. The language used flows throughout the novel and full of dialogue. This creates mental images for readers or listeners and can help them connect to the characters more. The main characters are Harriet Tubman (Aunt Harriet), Be Be, and Cassie. Be Be and Cassie are children 'flying' when they come in contact with the underground railroad. Throughout the book they learn show more about the underground railroad and how their ancestors had to use this method of travel to be free. The big message of this book is learning about what Harriet Tubman did for her people during slavery and the risks involved with using the underground railroad. This book is a great history lesson reference for young readers learning about slavery, Harriet Tubman, or the underground railroad. show less