1. Bibliography: Weatherford, Carol Boston., Illustrated by Kadir Nelson. 2006. Moses. New York: Hyperiod Books for Children. ISBN 078685175-9.
2. Plot Summary: Born into slavery, Harriet Tubman faces her doubts and fears in this courageous account of her escape to freedom. Guided by her faith, Harriet's journey is not just a physical one, but a spiritual journey as well. Harriet learns to place her fate in God's hands and by following his lead, she returns to South time and again to rescue her family and other seekers of the Promised Land.
3. Critical Analysis: Harriet Tubman, known to slaves as the Moses of her people, takes a spirtual journey in this book authored by Carole Boston Weatherford and illustrated by Kadir Nelson. The storyline, guided by a narrator, accounts Tubman's decision to leave her family in search of freedom, as well as the trials and fears of her journey, through her conversations with God. Throughout the book, the reader is directed to God's words by the scrolling, capitalized print, while Tubman's thoughts are displayed in italicized print. While the differences in text type allows the reader to easily distinguish between the narrator, Harriet, and God's words to Harriet, this distinction may be harder to convey as a read aloud story.
The spritual account of Harriet Tubman's initial escape is both inspirational and heart-wrenching. Nelson's illustrations provide gripping details of the darkness and despair of slavery. Fear and anguish, along with moments of hope and bravery are vividly portrayed in the face of Harriet Tubman throughout the story as she progresses from slave to free woman to guide of the Underground Railroad. Additional information provided in a Foreword and Author's Note enhance the reader's understanding of slavery and the road to freedom.
4. Review Excerpts:
- Marilyn Courtot, Children’s Literature: "The design of the book is quite remarkable. The story that tells of her escape appears in a normal font. The words that she hears from God are all in capital letters in a much larger font. There is a continuous dialogue or conversation with the Almighty. Many of the pictures are dark since her escape and travels took place at night and often her face and body reflect the despair and physical exhaustion that are part of her journey."
- The Horn Book Guide: "Weatherford's poetic telling and Nelson's atmospheric paintings of Tubman's role in the Underground Railroad portray the spiritual life of the African American visionary. From her days as a slave to her life as a free person, three narrative voices (a third-person narrator, Harriet herself, and God's words to Harriet) make clear that it was Tubman's faith that sustained her on the freedom journeys."
- Hazel Rochman, Booklist: "Nelson's stirring, beautiful artwork makes clear the terror and exhaustion Tubman felt during her own escape and also during her brave rescue of others. There's no romanticism: the pictures are dark, dramatic, and deeply colored--whether showing the desperate young fugitive "crouched for days in a potato hole" or the tough middle-aged leader frowning at the band of runaways she's trying to help. The full-page portrait of a contemplative Tubman turning to God to help her guide her people is especially striking."
5. Connections:
- Study other books illustrated by Kadir Nelson and compare the style of pictures.
- Start a class discussion about a time when students may have been scared and talk about what they may have done to help them cope with their fears.
- Gather and read other materials about Harriet Tubman. Students can write a short book report about what they have learned to share with the class.
- Let students navigate through National Geographic's Underground Railroad site at http://www.nationalgeographic.com/railroad/. This site places the user in various situations and allows them to make decisions about escape from the perspective of a slave.
