Picture Book #17--Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom

Title:  Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom

Author:  Carole Boston Weatherford

Illustrator:  Kadir Nelson

Grade Level Equivalent:  3.5

Lexile Measure:  AD660L

Genre:  Children's Literature

Subgenre:  Biography

Theme:  Listen and follow

Primary and Secondary Characters:  Harriet Tubman, God's voice

Awards:  Caldecott Medal (nominated, 2007)

Coretta Scott King Award (won, 2007)

Date of Publication:  2006

Publisher: Hyperion Books for Children

ISBN:  0786851759

This book is a ficionalized version of how Harriet Tubman escaped slavery and worked on the Underground Railroad freeing slaves.  In it, she hears the voice of God telling her the way and to believe in Him and herself.  He tells her who to trust and when she reaches Philadelphia, He tells her to follow her heart when she says she wants to go back to her family.  Th illustrations in this book are amazing. The pictures are very vivid and lifelike. 

I would love to have this book in my classroom.  It would be great to read to children to supplement a lesson on slavery and the Underground Railroad.  I think students would especially love the bright illustrations.  It would be great to spark a discssion on the Underground Railroad and Harriet Tubman.  I could read the book aloud to students and then split them into their book clubs and have them discuss the elements of the book.