Alan Schroeder tells the fictionalized childhood account of Harriet Tubman who, because of her “cradle name” Araminta, was nicknamed Minty. Born in the 1820’s on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, Minty and her family were enslaved on the Brodas plantation. Minty is depicted as clumsy, but strong willed and outspoken, which quickly gets her moved from the house to the fields to perform grueling labor. The hard work and the cruelty of slavery strengthens Minty’s feisty spirit and leads her to dreams of freedom.

Witnessing her growing unrest, Minty’s father helps prepare her for her inevitable escape. He teaches her to swim, to hunt, and how to navigate her way north using the stars and the moss on the trees. While Minty doesn’t make her escape in the story, the author’s note at the end tells readers that some years later Minty did run away from the plantation only to return to the South to help other slaves, including many of her family members, escape to freedom.

Schroeder’s story puts a personal face on an historical figure readers often only read about in traditional biographical form. The examples given in the story are small, like Minty setting the muskrats she was supposed to trap free, but they are symbolic of her spirit.

Using Southern vernacular paired with Jerry Pinkney’s illustrations, the author incorporates cultural markers to present readers with a realistic idea of life for enslaved people. The reader can grasp the loving bonds between friends and families that were shattered when slaves were moved without regard for families and relationships through their dialogue. Pinkney’s study of the clothing worn by slaves is evident in the details, such as the head cloths worn to keep the hot sun off their heads.

In addition to accurate portrayals of dress and language, the importance of faith to Minty’s family shines through as Minty tells her beloved rag doll a Bible story during a stolen moment alone. Names like Old Rit and Old Ben resonate the South as does the maxim “If your head’s in the lion’s mouth, it’s best to pat him a little,” as Minty’s mother reminds her. In addition, as reviewer Hazel Rochman points out, “There’s no gracious big house here, no happy slave.”

Pinkney’s double page watercolor illustrations are beautiful, contrasting the brightness of the searing heat of the fields to the darkness of the candlelit slave quarters. The artist’s talent shines through as does the pains he took in studying his subject to provide an accurate representation of the clothing of both the slaves and the plantation master and mistress. The architecture and setting details, from the slave quarters to the split rail fence, portray the era. The great attention to detail, including subtleties like little minnows at the bottom of the water will ensure that young readers flip through the book again and again to soak in the illustrations.

Pinkney expressively depicts Minty’s youthful innocence in talking to her rag doll, her wide-eyed excitement in freeing the trapped muskrat, and the depth of her sorrow when she fails to take what she feels might be her only opportunity to run away.

Some reviewers criticize Schroeder’s use of fiction when there are so many truths about Tubman that could have been used. Louise L. Sherman wrote “with so many real-life incidents from Tubman’s childhood to choose from, one has to wonder why Schroeder decided to create fictional ones.” And Hazel Rochman stated “The blend of fact and fiction is occasionally problematic (was she really planning escape at eight years old, or was that age chosen to suit the picture-book audience?), but kids will be moved by the picture of secret childhood rebellion in someone who grew up to lead hundreds to freedom.”

Still, Schroeder and Pinkney’s work combines to create a powerful story for children and adult readers alike of the struggle for equality in our nation’s history, of the strength and resilience of African-Americans, and of an unlikely hero--a young girl who grew to become “one of the bravest and most admired women in American history.”

Rochman, Hazel. 1996. Booklist 92 (15 February no 12). In FirstSearch (database online). Accessed 20 June 2005.

 

Sherman, Louise L. 1996. School Library Journal 42 (1 May no 5): 108. In EBSCOhost (database online). Accessed 20 June 2005.

Angela Johnson’s acclaimed novel tells the story of teen parenting from the unusual perspective of the teen father. In chapters that alternate between then and now, the story’s narrator, Bobby finds out that his girlfriend Nia is pregnant on his sixteenth birthday. As it would for any teen parent, the birth of his daughter, Feather, changes Bobby’s life. Bobby’s love for Feather is apparent to the reader by the end of the first chapter through prose like, “And that new baby smell… the smell of baby shampoo, formula, and my mom’s perfume. It made me cry like I hadn’t since I was a little kid.”

Johnson reveals how Bobby and Nia’s parents and their friends act in response to the news that Nia is pregnant then between flashes of the present hardships of caring for a new infant while juggling life as a high school student. At the end, the reader learns why Bobby and Nia’s plans to give the unplanned baby up for adoption fall through and why Bobby becomes the baby’s caretaker against the advice of his and Nia’s parents. Without a hint of preaching, the story serves as a lesson for young adults about teen sex.

Johnson’s characters are well developed and defy stereotypes and gender roles. The readers come to know all sides of Bobby—from the careless graffiti artist to the tender, attentive father-to-be. We learn that Bobby’s mother is independent career-minded and while caring, refuses to be the typical grandparent caretaker. Bobby’s father, on the other hand is sensitive and nurturing—the one who cries.

Bobby’s family went on vacations abroad—to Africa, Spain, Venezuela, and Malaysia –indicating a certain amount of affluence. Nia’s family’s loft is adorned with postmodern sculpture and is “Stark white and so neat and clean you could probably make soup in the toilet.” Bobby and Nia are smart—both have plans to go to college. Bobby is no tough street kid, but markedly sensitive. He reiterates his awe of his new child, her fragility, her resemblance to her mother, her smell and her touch throughout the story. Johnson’s careful reversal of gender roles and defiance of stereotypes reminds readers that unwanted pregnancies are universal to all classes, races, and ethnicities.

Some cultural markers are evident. For example, Bobby states he grew up with jazz, Motown or reggae music always blaring in the background. Names such as K-Boy (who is “mahogany and tall”) reflect African-Americanism. Friends since elementary school, K-Boy, J.L., and Bobby enjoy hitting the nets to play basketball. Bobby indicates that Feather and Nia are “the same caramel color.” Jackie, the babysitter, wears her hair in braids with beads that click as she moves and Coco, the downstairs neighbor wears hers tied up in braids.

Language, such as “Coco must be buggin’ with my mom beside her, burning up every phone on the island,” “You telling me?” and Dr. Victor’s address of Bobby as “brother” (“Your arcade days are over, brother”) reflect the characters’ race. “Just Frank” a local character is killed and Bobby attends his funeral at the Zion AME church. Bobby refers to his father as “Pops.” At his successful restaurant, Pops frequently makes Bobby his favorite meal: cheese fries and ribs.

As Hazel Rochman, reviewer for Booklist stated, “Johnson makes poetry with the simplest words in short, spare sentences that teens will read again and again.” It is no surprise that the book won the 2004 Coretta Scott King Author Award and the 2004 YALSA Michael L. Printz Award for literary excellence.

Rochman, Hazel. 2003. Booklist. (1 September). In FirstSearch (database online). Accessed 20 June 2005.