Review by Booklist Review
Ages 5-7. Writing in the anxious voice of a young slave girl escaping from a harsh master, Hopkinson transports children back to a time gone by. The young girl tells of a dramatic, treacherous flight, "under the quilt of night," through a mosquito-ridden wood and across deep river waters, and of finding a glimmer of hope, a sign from the Underground Railroad, shining against the dark backdrop of the night sky. It's a quilt she sees, hanging across the fence of a simple farmhouse. The quilt delivers a message: slaves have reached the path to freedom. Protected by her trust in the quilt, the girl approaches the farmhouse, taking her first steps toward a new life. The powerful oil paintings, in rich dark colors, add depth to the fabric of this heartfelt, lyrically presented slice of African American history. --Cynthia Turnquest
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Dramatic oil paintings and compelling verse-like prose combine to portray the harsh yet hopeful experience of travel along the Underground Railroad. Hopkinson and Ransome revisit the theme of their first collaboration, Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt. This time readers journey the precarious trail to freedom with a young runaway as she escapes to Canada via clandestine routes and dangerous nighttime treks. The intense opening spread features three panels showing her nameless family running for their lives by the light of the full moon, some shoeless or with only rags on their feet. (Subsequent pages show snarling dogs and overseers in hot pursuit.) The story comes to a formidable climax when they're almost discovered hiding in the back of a wagon. Hopkinson names each segment of the journey ("Running," "Waiting," "Hiding") and her narrative conveys the emotional and physical hardships of the trip ("Fear is so real, it lies here beside me"). The author connects the metaphorical protective quilt of night with folkloric elements (legend has it that quilts with blue center squares indicated safe houses on the Underground Railroad). Ransome fills in the characterizations with portraits that convey a strong familial connection and the kindness of the conductors along the way. This suspenseful story successfully introduces and sheds light on a pivotal chapter in America's history for youngest readers. Ages 5-10. (Jan.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 2-5-In this companion to Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt (Knopf, 1993), a nameless young slave narrates the story of her escape with a small band of slaves. When they come to the edge of a town, she sees a woman leave a quilt with blue center squares out to air, takes it as a sign that the house hides runaways, and leads the group inside. There they receive dry clothing, food, and shelter for the night. The next day they leave hidden in a wagon, face a terrifying moment when would-be captors intercept them, and finally take the road to Canada and freedom. Ransome's dark oil paintings are a visual metaphor for the quilt of darkness that hides the runaways and are in sharp contrast to the brilliant, golden-hued scene depicting the girl's celebration of her freedom, arms outstretched, head raised to the sky where flying birds symbolize the liberty she is about to experience. The close-up scene of the slaves' pursuers astride galloping horses, led by dogs with teeth bared, is appropriately scary. The narrative is told in a series of poems, printed in negative type on the dark ground, and the language is lovely. In an author's note, Hopkinson acknowledges that she mixes fact with folklore, for some historians believe there is no proof there were actually quilts with hidden meanings to mark safe houses. Yet this story is powerfully told and provides a fine entre into this period of history.-Marianne Saccardi, Norwalk Community College, CT (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
(Primary, Intermediate) Illustrator Ransome uses comforting blues and purples to augur success for a group of escaping slaves. The night sky's rich promise is accented on many pages: by the scarf worn by the brave young narrator, in the shutters of the church where the runaways receive their final directions to freedom in Canada, and, most importantly, in the squares of deep blue on the quilt that hangs on a fence, signaling a station on the Underground Railroad. As in their earlier picture book Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt (rev. 5/93), author and artist portray a plucky young woman who uses a quilt as her guide to freedom, but here Hopkinson's text is a series of free-verse poems: ""Running,"" ""Waiting,"" ""Watching,"" ""Hiding,"" ""Traveling,"" and ""Singing."" This night story gives way to day on the final page as the luminescent golden orange of the sky finds imitation in the yellow blouse of the liberated girl. She opens her arms wide to greet freedom; with head slung back in joy she sings ""my own song / of running in sunshine / and dancing through fields."" In pictures and words this book expresses the poignant range of emotions experienced by slaves who risked the journey to freedom. An author's note discusses both the history and the folklore that inform the story. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Hopkinson and Ransome team up once again with a stunning tale about one family's trip on the Underground Railroad. More accessible to younger readers and listeners, it is a perfect companion to their Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt (1993). Rhythmic prose, combined with Ransome's realistic oil paintings, follows the family of five as they escape slavery. Short, staccato phrases punctuate the running scenes and calmer, languid prose accompanies the family as they rest during the day. The story moves breathlessly as the family flees, with the slave catchers close behind. The title page shows the urgent racing feet with just the shadows of human forms reflected by the moon, embracing the family in "the quilt of night." The young daughter watches for a safe house and is rewarded with the signal: a quilt hanging on the fence of a farmhouse. But, instead of the traditional red square in the heart of the log cabin pattern, this quilt has a blue center, signaling a safe house. The daughter knocks on the door and answers with the password phrase, "The friend of a friend." The family spends a night, then hides in a wagon, and is nearly captured. Ransome's evocative paintings gradually lighten as the runaways run from the blue-black darkness of the midnight escape to the glorious red-orange morning sky of promised freedom in Canada. The blue doors and windows of the church on the final page echo the blue of the quilt at the safe house, and even the geese in flight celebrate freedom. Hopkinson captures the fear of the escaping slaves, but tempers their fear with the bravery and hope that spurred them on. An author's note gives further information about the Underground Railroad. An excellent introduction to the topic for a younger audience. (Picture book. 5-10)
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
