Aunt Harriet’s Underground Railroad in the Sky

By

Faith Ringgold

Ringgold, Faith. Aunt Harriet’s Underground Railroad in the Sky. Illustrated by Faith Ringgold. 27p. Crown Publishers, Inc. 1992. ISBN 0-517-58767-X

Aunt Harriet’s Underground Railroad in the Sky is an extraordinary historical fiction picture book. A young girl Cassie is following her brother BeBe in the Underground Railroad. Cassie is always one stop behind the group and is guided by Harriet Tubman through her journey. Harriet leaves clues for Cassie along the way, just as she did for other slaves. Ringgold presents the real life stations and stops, while adding some fictional people and events. Ringgold added a quilt on one of the houses that Cassie stopped at, which was always a sign of good luck. Ringgold does an excellent job of depicting the struggles of the Underground Railroad for young readers. She presents difficult situations without overwhelming an innocent reader.

The illustrations throughout this book were fantastic. These illustrations were what helped the reader comprehend the text. They helped the reader to further understand the events that occurred as people crossed through in the Underground Railroad. The illustrations helped the reader to understand how important it was for the slaves to move north. The illustrations were also helpful in guiding the readers understanding that all white people were not bad and there were some that were quite helpful.

Cassie tells of her journey in first person. The plot focuses around Cassie making it into Canada and being able to retrieve her brother. The theme of the Underground Railroad and the importance it had on so many lives was relevant throughout the book. The entire plan needed to be well thought out or hundreds of lives would be lost.

This story delves deep into the iceberg of multicultural literature. The book deals with relationships, ethics, values, and beliefs. This is definitely a specific form of multicultural literature. We are discussing the hardships of African Americans and slavery. Harriet Tubman saved over 3,000 people from slavery. Her work is noted in history books.

I whole-heartedly recommend this book for the classroom. It would fit into a fifth grade curriculum very well. Fifth graders read a great deal about African Americans attaining freedom and the Civil War. The students could do a writing activity to follow this up. The students could write as if they were slaves and what some of their dreams might have been. Students could create dioramas of different events that took place throughout the journey to freedom. They could write about what life might have been like for African Americans when they did reach Canada. I really enjoyed this book and find that it would tie in well with units about African Americans during the period of slavery in the U.S.

By Kristine Lersch