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
Published:Hyperion Book CH
Date: August 8, 2006
Summary: This story is about Harriet Tubman escaping slavery, and finding freedom, only to come back and free her friends and family as well.
Age Level: Elementary (Kindergarten to 2nd grade)
Strengths: The pictures and the text were beautiful! It really goes in depth with how Harriet Tubman escaped from slavery and wanted to free her friends and family. I really liked how the pictures showed different views throughout the story. For example, when Harriet is escaping, she lies on the forest floors, and the trees are angled in a way that looks big. It's like they are surrounding her and protecting her from harm. I love how the illustrator used light and dark colors within the pictures to show the darkness Harriet went through and the freedom she gained. The text was very beautiful. In this story, Harriet is talking to God and asked for His help. It was interesting to see that God responded to her words, but they were in bigger texts and they were all around. Some of His words were swirled in a circle, or wavy on the pages. Perhaps it shows that God was all around her and He would protect her from harm. It's like they were having a conversation as well. Of course, what was also interesting was the allusion to Moses, the man who led the Jewish people out of Egypt with God's help. At first, Moses ran away after he killed a man which connects to Harriet running away. The desert he endured was like the swamp and forest Harriet endured. And of course, Moses led his people out of Egypt, just like Harriet leading her people out of slavery.
Concerns: Though this book is beautifully written, there may be an issue with religion. One may read it at home, but it may not be appropiate for school becuase it deals with some religious aspects.
Comments: If people do approve of it in the school, I think this would be a great story to tell to elementary students in order to learn who Harriet Tubman was and how she influenced history. If the students wish, they may also talk about how they feel about the story.
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