Moses
Written by Carole BostonWeatherford
Illustrated by Kadir Nelson
Published by Hyperion Books for Children in NY in 2006
Genre: historical fiction
(This work is multicultural.)
Ages: grades K-3
Awards: Caldecott Honor Book, Correta Scott King Award Winner
Summary: This book detailed the thoughts and prayers of Harriet Tubman during and after her time of enslavement. It chronicles her fervent wish to become free, the perils of her escape, and her subsequent victory in arriving in the safe town of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After her free life begins, and God helps her see the joys of such a life, she struggles with the idea of helping the family she left behind and others still trapped in the binds of slavery. Through many prayers, she determines that anything is possible through the Lord, and decides to help others. After she frees her family, she again risks her own life to take other slaves into the safety of Canada.
Response: The greatest aspect of this book is the pictures! The story is and excellent depiction of the trials and tribulations of Harriet Tubman, but the illustrations truly tell the story. It is as if one could narrate even without the words-that proves the quality of these illustrations. Readers can almost feel the pain of the characters through Nelson's illustrations. My favorite picture in Moses is on page 32 and is a double-page spread of a close-up depicting the pain and struggle in Harriet's face. This illustration is breath-taking. Kadir Nelson utilizes dark colors in this work to show the pain these people went through and to relate that all of Harriet's travels had to occur at night. Sometimes the text of the work would wrap around the pictures and integrate them. One page in particular, God is telling Harriet that he is with her and his words are wrapped around her.
I believe this book would be a challenge to read to a class since a teacher would need to use three different voice tones in order to truly portray the text in this story the way it is intended. I believe it could best be read as a play with three players rather than just being read by a teacher. There should be a narrator to tell the story, Harriet, and God's voice.
My concern with utilizing this test in a classroom is the explicit conversations Harriet has with God. Since religion is such a controversial issue in the school system, I am not sure how to make this novel appropriate for a lesson in schools. As a Christian, I see her prayers to God as part of the intrigue of reading this book, however, in a classroom setting, this could become an issue.
I liked the way that the story connected the title of the book to Harriet's role as a Moses-like figure who led her people to freedom. I had not ever thought of her in that manner before, but the comparison makes perfect sense.
Another of the aspects that I loved about this book was the introduction to slavery at the beginning and the author's note at the end detailing about the life of Harriet Tubman. These two aspects make the book very teacher-friendly because all of the information one needs to do a lesson about slavery, specifically about the Underground Railroad, is within this work.
Teaching Suggestions: A teacher could begin the discussion about the harsh circumstances most slaves faced in the United States during this historical period. Perhaps a general overview of the Foreward in Moses would also be of assistance in beginning this topic of discussion.
Then, a teacher could ask for volunteers from the class to read this book like a play. One student could be the narrator, one could be Harriet, and one could portray God. Students could even act during the skit and the narrator would be sure to share the illustrations with the class.
As a conclusion to the lesson, read the author's note about Tubman and study about the Underground Railroad.
As a follow-up activity, have students explore http://www.nationalgeographic.com/railroad/index.html and truly engage in the control of their own storey and the choices they might have to make if he or she was a slave. Then, have them write a poem, song, or essay about the feelings he or she might have had during this time if he or she was a slave and was being led to freedom by Harriet Tubman on the Underground Railroad.
Written by Carole BostonWeatherford
Illustrated by Kadir Nelson
Published by Hyperion Books for Children in NY in 2006
Genre: historical fiction
(This work is multicultural.)
Ages: grades K-3
Awards: Caldecott Honor Book, Correta Scott King Award Winner
Summary: This book detailed the thoughts and prayers of Harriet Tubman during and after her time of enslavement. It chronicles her fervent wish to become free, the perils of her escape, and her subsequent victory in arriving in the safe town of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After her free life begins, and God helps her see the joys of such a life, she struggles with the idea of helping the family she left behind and others still trapped in the binds of slavery. Through many prayers, she determines that anything is possible through the Lord, and decides to help others. After she frees her family, she again risks her own life to take other slaves into the safety of Canada.
Response: The greatest aspect of this book is the pictures! The story is and excellent depiction of the trials and tribulations of Harriet Tubman, but the illustrations truly tell the story. It is as if one could narrate even without the words-that proves the quality of these illustrations. Readers can almost feel the pain of the characters through Nelson's illustrations. My favorite picture in Moses is on page 32 and is a double-page spread of a close-up depicting the pain and struggle in Harriet's face. This illustration is breath-taking. Kadir Nelson utilizes dark colors in this work to show the pain these people went through and to relate that all of Harriet's travels had to occur at night. Sometimes the text of the work would wrap around the pictures and integrate them. One page in particular, God is telling Harriet that he is with her and his words are wrapped around her.
I believe this book would be a challenge to read to a class since a teacher would need to use three different voice tones in order to truly portray the text in this story the way it is intended. I believe it could best be read as a play with three players rather than just being read by a teacher. There should be a narrator to tell the story, Harriet, and God's voice.
My concern with utilizing this test in a classroom is the explicit conversations Harriet has with God. Since religion is such a controversial issue in the school system, I am not sure how to make this novel appropriate for a lesson in schools. As a Christian, I see her prayers to God as part of the intrigue of reading this book, however, in a classroom setting, this could become an issue.
I liked the way that the story connected the title of the book to Harriet's role as a Moses-like figure who led her people to freedom. I had not ever thought of her in that manner before, but the comparison makes perfect sense.
Another of the aspects that I loved about this book was the introduction to slavery at the beginning and the author's note at the end detailing about the life of Harriet Tubman. These two aspects make the book very teacher-friendly because all of the information one needs to do a lesson about slavery, specifically about the Underground Railroad, is within this work.
Teaching Suggestions: A teacher could begin the discussion about the harsh circumstances most slaves faced in the United States during this historical period. Perhaps a general overview of the Foreward in Moses would also be of assistance in beginning this topic of discussion.
Then, a teacher could ask for volunteers from the class to read this book like a play. One student could be the narrator, one could be Harriet, and one could portray God. Students could even act during the skit and the narrator would be sure to share the illustrations with the class.
As a conclusion to the lesson, read the author's note about Tubman and study about the Underground Railroad.
As a follow-up activity, have students explore http://www.nationalgeographic.com/railroad/index.html and truly engage in the control of their own storey and the choices they might have to make if he or she was a slave. Then, have them write a poem, song, or essay about the feelings he or she might have had during this time if he or she was a slave and was being led to freedom by Harriet Tubman on the Underground Railroad.
(Image retrieved from http://www.lmlibrary.org/images/Moses.jpg on 19 April 2008)
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