Barefoot: Escape on the Underground Railroad

I read this book before doing an African American Read-In for Black History Month while I was also studying the work of Henry Cole. This is a terrific book to share the history of America and the pictures are fantastic. The text puts your right into the shoes of a runaway. One part in particular that stood out was when he was hiding in the grass and heard the footsteps and voices of soldiers nearby. How frightening! Also, the relief he felt when seeing the light on in a house that displayed a quilt - a sign of safety - I felt too.

Told from the point of view of the animals witnessing an enslaved person's escape to freedom, and how they subtly help.

The illustrations in this are by Henry Cole told from the perspective of the animals the barefoot slave passes by. Cole is also the author/illustrator of Unspoken: A Story from the Underground Railroad (2012), a wordless picture book about a girl and a runaway slave. I think it might be interesting to share these two together and talk about perspective, similarities/differences, and why Cole may have decided to create Unspoken 14 years after illustrating Barefoot.

Summary: This book was about a young African American boy called “Barefoot”. Throughout the book animals used different sounds to tell other animals that “Barefoot” was coming. When the “Heavy Boots” came after him the animals helped protect “Barefoot”.
Student Reflection: Barefoot is a well written and illustrated book. It kept my interest all the way until the end. Because the illustrations only showed the bare feet of a boy I had no idea what he looked like. I also liked how the animals were helping the boy get through the jungle and away from the bad guys.
Teacher Reflection: Barefoot was a very multicultural/nonfiction book. The book was very suspenseful. I felt like I was on the underground railroad with him. The show more illustrations only showed bare feet until the final page. I thought that this added to the suspense, because you had no idea what “barefoot” looked like. On the back of the last page the author made a little note to the reader about what the book stood for. This was a nice touch. show less

Annotation:
This is a story of the Underground Railroad and how the animal, insects and birds helped the runaway elude his captures. The story does not define the “underground railroad” and it’s importance to the slaves of that era, but it might introduce discussion of the subject matter.

My Review:

This is a gentle story about the dangers of escaping slaves from plantations and the plantation’s owners who hunted there them down. I appreciate how the author gives the story a soft tone with the inclusion of the insects, animals, and birds who assist in the escape. It is a good introduction to the subject area without the truth of the dangerous journey of these slaves. The story is age-appropriate to 1st thru 3rd graders. The show more beautiful illustrations by Henry Cole, capture the heart of the story – nature helping the escapees. The description of barefoot versus heavy foot is a believable description of how nature distinguished between the runaway and the pursuers.

Other Reviews:

Booklist Review:
The reviewer gives a good description of the story and it’s soft introduction to the subject area. The reviewer states – “The narrative has an intense focus as the human presence gradually emerges from feet to whole body to upright figure and then, on the last page, to individual face. Finally there is a person, a young boy, looking out” showing appreciation for the fine illustrations. This review would help in my location of books dealing with this sensitive subject area.

School Library Journal Review: K-Gr 3
This reviewer also comments on how the illustrations in the book help the telling of the story.
“Edwards's spare text builds suspense while Cole's paintings gradually reveal more of the slave and his pursuers. At first, only feet are seen. Though more and more of his body is depicted, it is only in the penultimate double-page spread that readers see the young man's face.” The reviewer continues with the suggestion that this book would be a perfect for a program on African-American history. This helpful information would help me in selecting an introductory book in this subject area. show less

In the dark of the night a Barefoot, an escaped slave, flees for his life. With his pursuers close behind and the moon shrouded in clouds, Barefoot must rely on the wisdom of the wild animals of the forest and swamp to guide him to the safety of the underground railroad.

This is a touching and suspensful story about a slave who has escaped from the plantation. The animals make noises to help Bare Foot get away.