Freedom River (Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Books)

This book relates the true story of John Parker, a slave who learned the trade of iron molding and saved enough money to buy his own freedom. He made his way to Ohio and went into business for himself, becoming wealthy. But he never forgot where he came from. At night, he helped slaves from Kentucky escape across the river to freedom in Ohio. He guided hundreds of slaves, despite a $1,000 bounty placed on his head by slaveholders. The collage-and-watercolor illustrations by Bryan Collier add to the drama of his story.

Freedom River tells the heroic triumph of John Parker. He was a former slave that saved enough money to free himself. After buying his freedom, he moved to the free-state of Ohio. In Ohio he owned a foundry and at that foundry worked Jim Shrofe. Jim was the son of a slave owner that lived in Kentucky. He claimed that if John tried to steal any of his fathers slaves he would be murdered. Disregarding the threat, John traveled the river to Kentucky that night and met Isaac, a slave of Shrofe's plantation. Isaac also had a wife and infant daughter. John went to the lengths of returning for the family and sneaking into the slave owners home to rescue the couple's infant and then row them away to freedom. This was just one account of the show more many people Parker has helped get to freedom. show less

A suspenseful tale of the travel to freedom across a lake. Doreen Rappaport's tale of John Parker and his trips across the river to free gives the reader the feeling of being caught in between freedom which can be so close yet far away. The story tells about the trip to freedom that many slaves took to get out of Kentucky into near by Ohio. The artwork is captivating. The author uses a patch work technique to bring every image to life.

This is a wonderful book that everyone should read! It tells the tale of John Parker a real man who helped many families escape slavery in Kentucky after he bought his own freedom. In this story he helps the family of Sarah, Issac, and their baby. Before they leave on their journey he has to sneak into the slave owner's home and take the baby from the bedroom. He does this and wakes the owner who chases them through the Forrest, but they get to boat and across the river to Ohio safely. This is a tale of absolute bravery. John Parker was an amazing individual that every student should learn about. This story could be read in connection with slavery, the Civil War, and many other things. The illustrations in this book are fantastic and show more meaningful to the story, they help the reader really visualize the scenes that take place. This is a wonderful book! show less

John was an iron molder, and one day he heard Jim say that if John helped his father’s slaves escape, Jim’s father was going to set the dogs on him. John was not bothered by the comment, and later that night he tried to help a slave escape from Kentucky to Ohio. The slave decide not to escape because he did not want to leave his wife and baby behind. John said that they could wait until the winter was over to escape. The slave agreed, and when winter was over John went to the slave’s house. It was the beginning of spring, and the slave changed his mind, because his master was making his baby sleep in his room. There was no way to get the baby out of the room, but John said that he would do it. The slave and his wife were scared, show more but they agreed. John went into the plantation, and went into the room where the baby was. In the room there was the owner of the plantation, and John grabbed the baby, and the owner woke up. John ran out the room, and the owner followed him with a pistol. John and the slaves ran, and hid in a wagon that headed to the Underground Railroad. When john arrived home, Jim Shrofe the son of the owner of the plantation knocked on his door. Jim wanted the slaves back, and he looked for the slaves in John’s house, but he could not find them. The book reflects the lives of slaves in the United States and the courage of African Americans. The illustrations of the people in the book show a lot of pain, but the book was pleasant to read. show less

Freedom River is the account of former slave John Parker who often risks his life in order to help free other slaves. It lays out a good description of what the Underground Railroad consisted of. It is an incredible story of one of history's forgotten heroes.

Freedom River is a picture storybook based on a true story about a man who helps a slave family cross the Ohio River into freedom. This book is appropriate for developing readers, as it has a more complex plot and detailed illustrations. The dark, muted tones of the illustrations create synergy in Freedom River by conveying the mood and tone of the story. The colors evoke the feelings of desperation and determination of the characters. Bryan Collier uses symbolism in his illustrations to represent crossing the river into freedom. He also believes in guardians who protect us and incorporated guardians of the escaping slave family into his illustrations. This is a wonderful book to read when teaching children about the Underground show more Railroad and slavery. This book has won the Coretta Scott King Award. show less