Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt

Hopkinson, D. (1993). Sweet
Clara and the Freedom Quilt.
New York: Knopf. 

Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt
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.

Lesson Plan: Escaping Slavery

Unit Plan

Mathwire Freedom Quilts

more about freedom quilts: 

The Gardener

Stewart, S. (1997). The
gardener. New York: Farrar
Straus Giroux.

The Gardener

By Sarah Stewart

Illustrated by David Small

Farrar Straus Giroux

New York, New York

1997

40 pages

The year is 1935. Lydia Grace Finch is a young flower lover who, forced by the hard times of the Great Depression, must leave her family to go live with her Uncle Jim, a grumpy baker, in an unfamiliar city. She packs her suitcase with seeds and off she goes. In the city, Lydia finds a place to call her own - the rooftop of the building her uncle's bakery is in. She decides to plant a beautiful garden with one goal - to get Uncle Jim to smile. With enthusiasm and optimism, she works to bring a little bit of the farm back home to her new city home - slowly, as she makes friends with neighbors and bakery employees, Sarah brings the rooftop to life - but will she win Uncle Jim's smile?

This is a wonderful book to read aloud. David Small's illustrations are wonderfully evocative - sometimes deeply moving and other times gently humorous. They are smoothly drawn and reflect the time period well. 

This story is told through Lydia's letters home, making it a great book for a mentor text lesson on letter writing, probably for younger students. The book can also be used with older students, though, to discuss the implications of the Great Depression. 

Purchase the book here.

Literature Guide

A Teacher's Guide to The Gardener

Sarah, Plain and Tall

MacLachlan, P. (1985).
Sarah, plain and tall.
New York: Harper
& Row.  

Sarah, Plain and Tall

By Patricia McLachlan

Harper & Row

New York, New York

1985

96 pages

Winner of the 1986 Newbery Medal, the 1986 Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction, and the 1986 Golden Kite Award

Anna and Caleb live on the Kansas prairie with their papa. Their mother died from childbirth complications, and their house no longer feels like home now that Papa doesn't sing anymore. Papa puts an ad in the newspaper for a wife and mother. That's when Sarah comes from Maine to see if she and Papa might be compatible. She is, as the title suggests, plain and tall. Anna and Caleb wonder if they'll like her - will she sing? Will she stay? Sarah may be plain, but she is inwardly beautiful and brings lots of lovable qualities including patience, joy, and fun. She adapts to her new situation and Anna and Caleb fall more in love with Sarah every day, hoping that Papa will, too. 

This story, set in 1910 on the Kansas frontier, is simple but moving. It teaches lessons in loss and love and is a perfect short and simple book for early chapter book readers. Purchase the book here. 

Lesson Plans, Units, Worksheets, and Activities

Vocabulary from Sarah, Plain and Tall

Literature Focus Unit

Watch the 1991 movie adaptation!

Three Years and Eight Months

Smith, I. (2013). Three years and
eight months. Manhattan Beach: East
West Discovery Press

Three Years and Eight Months

By Icy Smith

Illustrated by Jennifer Kindert

Published by East West Discovery Press

Manhattan Beach, California

2013

44 pages

Three Years and Eight Months is a compelling story of hardship and endurance based on true events. Told through the voice of a 10-year-old Chinese boy named Choi, the story takes place during the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong during World War II. One day when Choi gets to school all of the students are immediately sent home because of Japanese bombs descending on Hong Kong. Choi arrives home with his Uncle Kim only to see his mother dragged away by Japanese soldiers. Eventually Choi and his friend Taylor befriend a Japanese soldier named Watanabe-san, who offers the boys a job at the Japanese military station. One year then two years pass by and the boys are still working in the station and have secretly joined the resistance. Uncle Kim has gone off to work somewhere else - eventually he will reveal where. Finally, the United States calls for Japan's surrender... 

This book is a powerful account of the affects of war on an ordinary family. Jennifer Kindert's watercolor illustrations are spectacular and vividly depict the people's feelings of sadness, anxiety, and desperation. She pays close attention to detail in the uniforms, buildings, equipment, and even currency, taking the readers back in time to a far-off place. Some of the illustrations take up an entire page, others only half, and some just a small portion of the page. They are varied and beautiful and bring the story to life. Realistic and vivid, dark and gloomy, accurately representing the sentiments of the time. 

This book would be perfect for middle school classrooms that are learning about World War II. Though a picture book, the themes and content are deep and mature. The final two pages of the book include historical notes and photographs from the historic period from 1941-1945, providing great material for lessons and further research. 

Purchase the book here. 

15 national book awards including Moonbeam Children's Book Award, Foreword Reviews Book of The Year Award Gold Winner, Benjamin Franklin Award, CALA Best Book Award, and more.

Article: Massacre and Atrocities in Hong Kong during WWII

The Fall of Hong Kong

Video: Memories of Hong Kong: The Japanese Occupation

Hidden

Daivillier, L. (2014). Hidden:
A child's story of the
Holocaust. New York:
First Second. 

Hidden
(L'Enfant Cache)
By Loïc Dauvillier 
Illustrated by Greg Salsedo and Marc Lizano
Originally written in French
Originally published by Le Lombard, 2012
Translated to English by Alexis Siegel
Published in English by First Second, 2014
80 pages

Hidden is the remarkable story of a Jewish woman named Dounia. The story is told in flashbacks as Dounia reveals to her granddaughter Elsa the terrible life she endured as a young Jewish girl living in France. Dounia was required to wear the yellow Star of David to school for the first time when she was 6 years old. When she did, her teacher and classmates ostracized her for now it was obvious that Dounia was Jewish. One night, the Nazis vandalized Dounia's home and arrested her parents, while Dounia stayed hidden under a panel in the wardrobe. After the raid Dounia's neighbors took her in and hid her in their apartment. Eventually, Dounia escaped to the French countryside for the duration of the war, was ultimately reunited with her mother, and lived to tell her heartbreaking yet hopeful story to her granddaughter. Purchase the book here.

Hidden is told carefully and tastefully; however, it is certainly not sugarcoated, offering an honest perspective into the atrocities endured by Jewish civilians, particularly in France, during the Holocaust. The story in and of itself is deeply emotional and the profound, cartoon-like illustrations make it even more so. The characters' faces depict powerful emotion and play an integral part in the telling of Dounia's story. 

Though the story is told as though Dounia is telling her own granddaughter the story the flashbacks are all revealed through a child's perspective, allowing children reading the story to truly connect with Dounia.  Discuss with your children/students what the Holocaust is before reading Hidden. Explain to them that some people hid, some were taken away, families were separated, and some people did not live long enough to tell their story. At age six, children do not need to know all the ins-and-outs of the atrocities that were the Holocaust - but Dounia was six when this terrible thing happened to her, and children today need to know that it happened. This book is a perfect way to introduce it. 

Click here to watch a 7-year-old boy's summary and review of Hidden on YouTube. Includes images from the book. 

A Teacher's Guide to the Holocaust