Scan barcode
lara_lleverino's review
challenging
inspiring
fast-paced
4.5
What pushed this fascinating biography from the read and loved to must own pile was the illustrator's note. "For me, John Parker's story of courage and determination is also a story about the power of prayer. I believe in praying in our ordinary, day-to-day lives, as well as in times of great trouble. When I was growing up, I knew many old folks who really knew how to pray, and that's something you pass on, one generation to the next. I also believe in guardians who protect us, just as my African ancestors believed that guardians watched over them, even when they were enslaved in the New World. Those guardians take many forms. When I was a child, I knew many black parents and grandparents who were poor and unable to read, but they were so determined that their children get educated, and they sacrificed much to do so. I wanted children to know these protectors, so I incorporated them into my illustrations. At different places in the text, you will see people who are not part of the main illustration; these are the ancestors or protectors of Sarah and Isaac and their child. Their faces are modeled on the deacon, the deaconess, and the pastor of my church-individuals who provide me with spiritual guidance. The wavy lines across their faces represent the river, for the river is the key to freedom."
The illustrator's note bumped this book from wow that was a good read straight into an amazon basket and checkout! The heart of this book is exactly the type of book I want to own. A book that doesn't look away from the evil and the hard but that solidly points to the good and someone who would lay down his life for a friend. We need more heroes and we need more stories of heroes; this story is one of those stories! This book gives courage to the heart, it gives hope to the soul, it challenges the mind and galvanizes one to action!
The illustrator's note bumped this book from wow that was a good read straight into an amazon basket and checkout! The heart of this book is exactly the type of book I want to own. A book that doesn't look away from the evil and the hard but that solidly points to the good and someone who would lay down his life for a friend. We need more heroes and we need more stories of heroes; this story is one of those stories! This book gives courage to the heart, it gives hope to the soul, it challenges the mind and galvanizes one to action!
circleofreadersdruid's review
4.0
Beautiful collages mixed with an edge of your seat story about one of the unsung heroes of the Underground Railroad. Loved the different sized font used to emphasize parts of the narration.
More...