Aunt Harriet's Underground Railroad in the Sky tells the terrifying tale of slaves escaping from the United States to Canada. Here is a book that exposes children to a ghastly topic. Faith Ringgold shows respect for children's ability and desire to receive difficult truths such as this. Her paintings are powerful yet offer some distance from the cruel reality of her text. For example, the "hundreds of bedraggled men, women, and children" who board a train at the beginning of the story are shapes that only hint at the horror of such a scene. Cassie, the main character, is a young girl who travels the Underground Railroad with the guidance of Harriet Tubman. Railroad agents assist her while bounty hunters stalk her. Two pages of back matter at the end of the book introduce readers to Harriet Tubman and members of the Underground Railroad.
Patrice Dawkson Jenkins has So You Think You Know About Harriet Tubman?. The Ms Perry Show has The Underground Railroad . My Picture Book Talk lesson was taken down by Teachers Pay Teachers because it violated content guidelines by asking readers to "take on the perspective of victims of or participants in traumatic situations." I appreciated the feedback and I am revising the lesson.
My Picture Book Talk for this story is here.
