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| Hopkinson, D. (1993). Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt. New York: Knopf. |
By Deborah Hopkinson
Illustrated by James Ransome
Knopf
New York, New York
1993
40 pages
Clara is a young slave girl who dreams of a reunion with her Momma, whom she was taken from. At the new plantation, a woman named Rachel, who becomes known as Aunt Rachel, befriends Clara and teaches her how to sew. Soon, Clara begins to work as a seamstress in the Big House, where she pays close attention to the others' conversations. Every night, Clara secretly works on a quilt from scraps from the Big House - little would anyone know, the quilt she is making is map of the land that she hopes will help her and other slaves escape to freedom.
Ransome's illustrations are wonderfully representative of the time period and the oil paintings are smooth and rich. Hopkinson's use of dialogue almost requires that the book be read aloud - the characters really come through to the reader through their words. Usually, they don't come right out and sat anything - they communicate vital information in a round-about sort of way - this would be a great tool for opening up a discussion about why this may be. This is a delightful story to complement classroom dicsussion on slavery and the Underground Railroad. Consider making your own Freedom Quilt with students!
Purchase the book here.
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