Coretta Scott King Award Book

Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom, by Carole Boston Weatherford and illustrated by Kadir Nelson, won the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award in 2007.

What I really liked about this book were Harriet's discussions with God. This is the first story I've read about Harriet Tubman where I feel like I got a glimpse into her thought process and what she must have really been going through. This book shows children the inner struggles Harriet dealt with during her numerous trips south to free slaves. I also loved the illustrations in this book. They really made the story come to life. There was so much detail put into her facial expressions that you can feel the pain and triumphs without even reading the words.

While I cannot relate to the slavery aspect, I can relate to some of Harriet's other struggles. I couldn't imagine how difficult it was for Harriet to leave her family behind without being able to tell them she was leaving or even where she was planning to go. I imagine this must have felt like it did for me at my sister's funeral. Except in this case, I was the one left behind.

This book reminded me of The Drinking Gourd. The Drinking Gourd is one of my favorite books, and is also about traveling the underground railroad. While this book mentions Harriet's use of songs and the stars, The Drinking Gourd goes deeper into the meaning of both. I loved how the book explained the meaning behind the songs that the slaved would sing. The slaves used the songs as a way to remember routes and as ways to tell each other things. It also talked about how they used the stars in the night sky to find their way. "The drinking gourd" was the big dipper, which contained the North Star, and helped them travel north.

This book reminded me that our own history makes up some of the best children's literature of all time. Children should be exposed to our history starting at an early age. This can be accomplished through the use of children's literature. If children learn about our history and feel the emotion of the people involved, this can help keep history from repeating itself.