Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom

Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom was written by Carole Boston Weatherford and illustrated by Kadir Nelson.  Harriet Tubman was a woman born into slavery.  One night she hears a word from God telling her she will be free.  Taking only her faith with her, Harriet sets on into the night on her first of 19 trips to carry herself, her family and as many as three hundred other slaves to freedom.  This book chronicles, in lyrical format, the epic first journey of Harriet Tubman as she traveled with God to freedom.

Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom has a style all it’s own.  It is a non-fiction biography.  According to the textbook, Literature and the Child, on page 18, it explains that nonfiction books are informational sources that explain a subject.  It also further explains that biography tells about a real person’s life.  This book is a very good example of a non-fiction biography in that it explains a person’s life by giving information. The illustrations in this book enhance the setting, characterization, and the plot.  The text throughout the book is written in various fonts, sizes and shapes depending on who is speaking.  As seen in the picture below, the words of God are circling Harriet as she is sitting on the ground.  I love how the illustrator used the circular words to symbolize that she feels the words of God flow all around her as a protection to her. 

This book is listed as appropriate reading for 5-7 year olds.  While I agree with this age grouping as far as the difficulty of the passage, I definitely think that some background information needs to be shared with the classroom prior to reading.  The story really doesn’t explain who Harriet Tubman is.  It just assumes that you already know.  I could see this being included in a Black History Month unit with several activities leading up to this reading and some after.  I would suggest the following activities to be included within the unit:

1.  Do some additional research on Harriet Tubman, including her 19 trips back to free her family and other slaves.  Create a timeline, with possible dates/number of people, of Harriet’s various trips. 

2.  Map out the route Harriet Tubman took on her initial journey.  Add to this map, in different colors, the various other journeys that Harriet Tubman took during her other 19 trips.

READER RESPONSE QUESTIONS:
1) Why do you think Harriet Tubman, and others forced into slavery, wanted to
run away?

2) Freedom for all people is one of the ideals our country is founded on. How do
we experience freedom in our daily lives?

3) Harriet Tubman showed great courage by standing up for something she
believed in. Have you ever stood up for something you knew was right, even
though others may have been against you? How did this make you feel?

4) Do you think Harriet Tubman was right to lead slaves to freedom, even
though it was against the law at the time? Why or why not?

REFERENCES:
Galda, L., Cullinan, B. E., & Sipe, L. R. (2011). Literature and the child. (7th ed. ed.).
     Belmont: Wadsworth Pub Co.

Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad study guide.  Retrieved from
     https://www.peacecenter.org/images/files/HarrietTubmanStudyGuide.pdf

Weatherford, C. B., & Nelson, K. (2006). Moses, when harriet tubman led her people to freedom.
     New York, NY: Jump At The Sun.