Moses by Carole Boston Weatherford, Ill. by Kadir Nelson

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Weatherford, Carole Boston. 2006. MOSES. Ill. By Kadir Nelson. New York, NY: Hyperion Books for Children. ISBN 078685175

PLOT SUMMARY
In this heroic tale of Harriet Tubman, Carole Boston Weatherford writes about Tubman’s initial voyage to freedom. She describes how faith lead Tubman out of the south, through life threatening challenges and finally to her destination in Philadelphia. Once she experiences freedom, she is lead back into danger to rescue many others through the assistance of God and caring individuals.

CRITICAL ANAYSIS
Readers gain an inside perspective to Tubman’s prayers, fears and motivation while completing her dangerous mission. The intensity of her emotion and strength are evident throughout the book. The narration is interlaced with her prayers, showing Tubman’s value in her faith.

Beautiful, double page spread illustrations, done by Kadir Nelson, add to the mood of the story. Many of the images are dark and elicit feelings of isolation and fear; the very things Harriet Tubman may have experienced. Moments in the story were full of hope. “In a clearing: the save haven… the farmer’s wife feeds Harriet…” In these moments, the pictures are light and contain lots of negative space, symbolizing hope and freedom. The large and winding fonts used as God’s messages, are associated more to the illustration than the text. The words are much larger than the narrators or Tubman’s, showing the care and direction from an omniscient God.

This is a great book to share with younger or older readers like. It goes into the emotion of slavery and desiring freedom, but leaves out details that would be harder for young audiences to understand. The story is heavily based on the Christian faith, so teachers and parents should be prepared to discuss religious questions with young readers, if they have not previously been exposed to Christianity.

AWARDS WON AND REVIEW EXCERPTS
Caldecott Honor Book
Coretta Scott King Award
Starred review from Publisher’s Weekly: “In this gorgeous, poetic picture book, Weatherford ...depicts Harriet Tubman's initial escape from slavery and her mission to lead others to freedom as divinely inspired, and achieved by steadfast faith and prayer.”

CONNECTIONS
• This book can be used to discuss topics such as slavery, civil rights, and freedom
• Readers can write a journal response about a time that they did what was right and the challenges that they faced.
• Check out these books further reading on freedom
- Levine, Ellen. HENRY’S FREEDOM BOX: A TRUE STORY FROM THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD. ISBN 9780439777339
- Brinckloe, Julie. FIREFLIES. ISBN 0689710550