Freedom on the Menu: The Greensboro Sit-Ins written by Carole Boston Weatherford illustrated by Jerome Lagarrigue

• North Carolina AAUW Award for Juvenile Literature
• Bank Street College Best Children's Books
• Capitol Choices: Notable Books for Children
• Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People

Freedom on the Menu tells the story of four men who used the simple act of sitting to convey a powerful message in a turbulent time in history.  The four men knew the many risks and implications of their actions but felt it was necessary to stand up for equal rights.  The book was written from the perspective of a young African-American girl with older siblings that involved themselves in the protests.  Many students will be able to connect with the character and the enhancement of the text with the paintings makes the book enjoyable for a vast span of reading levels.  This book will generate discussions about ethics, standing up for your beliefs and could be used as the foundation for learning about debates.  Controversial issues need to be discussed in elementary schools, especially if the issue is a turning point in history.  Discussion of controversial issues create an outlet for students to develop and express their opinions as well as respect the opinions of others.

Harriety Tuman: Freedom's Trailblazer written by Kathleen Kudlinski illustrated by Robert Brown

The biography describes Harriet's life as a slave, her spirituality, her well-known visions, and her travels on the Underground Railroad as a conductor.  The text conveys deep emotions which is enhanced by the nine black and white illustrations throughout the novel.  I enjoyed reading more in depth about Harriet Tubman's life as well as gaining insight into her inspirational story of bravery and following her heart.  I feel it is important for students to read about inspiring individuals from a variety of ethnic and cultural backgrounds.  The biography of Harriet Tubman will offer insight into a rich historical period where determination and conviction in one's beliefs were required to overcome animosity.

This is a novel I would either use as a whole class to discuss spirituality among slaves, social injustice and ethical dilemmas.  This novel could also be used by small groups or individual students that are researching Harriet Tubman as an influential leader on the Underground Railroad.

Informational Books About The Underground Railroad

The Story of Harriet Tubman written by Rachel A. Koestler-Grack

The Story of Harriet Tubman is an informational book that gives an overview of Harriet Tubman's life.  The book focuses on her life as a slave, her trips on the Underground Railroad, her time as a Union spy, as all as other important facts about Harriet Tubman.  The book includes many photographs and sketches that enhance the information presented.  At the end of the book there is a timeline of Harriet's major accomplishments, a glossary of key terms, and fun facts about Harriet Tubman.

Informational books are not all that exciting, but it is important to present a variety of genres to students.  The information in this book provides great detail about Harriet Tubman that can not be found in children's picture books.  The Story of Harriet Tubman is a book that students can turn to find out more about this influential woman, find ideas for further research, and provides an easy to navigate book for students that enjoy the non-fiction/informational genre.

The Underground Railroad: Cornerstones of Freedom written by Wade Hudson

The Underground Railroad is an informational book that gives an overview of the Underground Railroad.  The illustrations incldued paintings, sketches, and photographs from the time period.  The author presents the information in an easy to manage format, using vocabulary words that are defined in the glossary.  If this book sparks an interest in my students, the author has included a list of resources including books, videos, and online sites to further their research. 

The Underground Railroad and the Civil War written by Albert A. Nofi

The Underground Railroad and the Civil War is an informationl book that gives an overview of the Underground Railroad and describes specific individuals important to the Underground Railroad.  The book includes many photographs from the time period, as well as many illustrations and sketches that enhance the reading experience. This book also includes a list of books and online resources for futher reading and research.  This book can be used as a resource if a student would enjoy completing an extension activity on a certain event or person.

The Underground Railroad: Journey to Freedom written by Carla Williams

The Underground Railroad is an informational book discussing many of the key people running the Underground Railroad, the creative escapes made by few, a timeline of historical events, and resources for further reading and research.  One important element of this book, is that it retraces a specific route on the Underground Railroad. Retracing routes along the Underground Railroad could be a fantastic extension activity!

Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom written by Carole Boston Weatherford illustrated by Kadir Nelson

• Caldecott Honor
• Coretta Scott King Award for Illustrations
• New York Times Best Seller
• NAACP Image Award
• ALA Notable Book
• National Council for the Social Studies Notable Book
• IRA Notable Books for Global Studies
• School Library Journal Notable Book
• HornBook Fanfare
• Bulletin for the Center of Children's Books- Blue Ribbon
• New York Public Library's 100 Books for Reading and Sharing

Moses is a fictional picture book that depicts Harriet Tubman's spiritual and physical journey on her first trip on the Underground Railroad.  It discusses the importance of faith and Harriet's famous visions.  The illustrations are absolutely breathtaking and show eloquent detail.  Many of the illustrations shows the glow of the sun around Harriet Tubman which may be interpreted as God's protection or the closeness of the relationship between God and Harriet Tubman. 

I enjoyed this particular book due to interplay of the well articulated text and stunning illustrations.  I believe this book shows the importance of faith to many of the slaves and how they believe God truly protected them on their journey.  I do not mean for this book to stir up any religious debates, but faith was an important aspect for many slaves during their travels along the Underground Railroad.

Allen Jay and the Underground Railroad written by Marlene Targ Brill illustrated by Janice Lee Porter

This book is written from the perspective of an eight year old Quaker boy, with special needs, who helps slaves escape to freedom despite his fear of being caught.  Honestly, the book is not fabulous and the illustrations are less than captivating but I believe this book is important because it allows young readers to connect with the characters and offers a different perspective from many of the other children's books on the Underground Railroad.  I also believe that this book sheds light on the fact that children with special needs can overcome their personal struggles and accomplish great things. 

Allen Jay and the Underground Railroad is another book I would use with Reader's Theater.  I would also use this book as a basis for a discussion on morality and ethical dilemmas.  This is a book that incorporates authentic language for the time period and depicts real historical events which could be used as a writing example for many written assignments on the topic of the Underground Railroad.

Henry's Freedom Box: A True Story from the Underground Railroad written by Ellen Levine illustrated by Kadir Nelson

• Caldecott Honor
• ALA Notable Book
• Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People
• Notable Books for Global Society
• Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC) Best of the Year
• Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award

This book gives a fictional description of the true story of Henry Brown.  His story involves the unique experiences of marrying, watching his family sold to another master, and mailing himself to the free-states.  The dramatic artwork of Kadir Nelson brings the story to life and allows readers to experience Henry's thoughts and feelings.  Even though the book shares the events of Henry Brown's adult life, the cover of the book shows a young boy staring intently at the reader.  The brief author's note at the end of the book gives a short description of the Underground Railroad and a caption of the true event of Henry Brown mailing himself to freedom.
Readers of all levels will be able to take something away from this book.  Henry's Freedom Box incorporates the social injustice Henry faced, the creativity of Henry Brown, as well as the generosity of those against slavery living in the South.  These topics will create a generous discussion among students.  Henry's Freedom Box is a book that would be a great fit for Reader's Theater which builds community, creativity, and gives students another format to express themselves.

Freedom River written by Doreen Rappaport illustrated by Bryan Collier

This is a historical fiction book that depicts actual events infused with the author’s own creativity.  It is an uplifting story about a man that does everything in his power to help a family escape slavery, even if it mean endangering his own life. As the reader opens the front cover, the story beings with a map of the Ohio-Kentucky border.  As we turn to the title page, the story continues with a collage style illustration of the Ohio River.  The illustrations throughout the book are a collage mixed with water colors.  Bryan Collier portrays deep emotion in the face of the characters.   At the end of the book the author includes a historical note as well as additional resources for further reading and research.
Freedom River will hopefully stir up in depth conversations about morality and the dangers many slaves encountered.  This book would be a great fit for Reader's Theater and supplies a list of additional books and websites if student's want to pursue further research on this particular topic. 

Freedom Ship written by Doreen Rappaport illustrated by Curtis James

This is a historical fiction book that depicts actual events infused with the author’s own creativity.  The book tells the story of enslaved families that make a desperate attempt to free themselves by stealing a Confederate ship.  As the reader opens the front cover of Freedom Ship the story already begins with a map of the Charleston Harbor and its fortifications and a picture of the ship where the enslaved family works.  The patel illustrations throughout the book boasts simple backgrounds and great details in the characters and foregrounds.  At the end of the book the author discusses how she constructed the book out of many newspaper articles that depicted the event.  This book illustrates the emotion of many slaves and how desperate and brave they had to be to try to escape. 

As a reader, this book is both emotional and inspiring and left me wanting to discover other creative escapes along the Underground Railroad.  This book lends itself to many discussions and extension activities.  Creating a story of current events from a compilation of newspaper articles, researching other creative escapes, and using Freedom Ship as a basis for Reader's Theater are activities that would increase the knowledge of the Underground Railroad as well as infuse current events into the curriculum.

Journey to Freedom: A Story of the Underground Railroad written by Courtni C. Wright illustrated by Gershom Griffith

This is a fictional picture book told from the perspective of an eight year old boy whose family is escaping along the Underground Railroad.  Journey to Freedom is emotional and detailed which is also depicted in the illustrations.  The illustrations are watercolor and show great detail in the faces of character.  Journey to Freedom gives readers insight into hardships faced by many runaway slaves while introducing more details about the functioning of the Underground Railroad. 

This book is a great introduction to the Underground Railroad because it introduces slave hunters and the signals used along the routes.  Journey to Freedom offers readers details that could be further digested through an analysis of the literary elements.  This would not only reinforce the concept of literary elements but also gives students the opportunity to further discuss the Underground Railroad. 

Barefoot: Escape on the Underground Railroad written by Pamela Duncan Edwards illustrated by Henry Cole

Barefoot tells the story of a man, The Barefoot, and his journey through the harsh elements on the way to the next safe house on the Underground Railroad.  Even though the story shows The Barefoot's struggles, it is the harsh elements that offer protection.  Throughout the book only the Barefoot's feet are shown in the illustrations setting the mood of anonymity and giving the Underground Railroad a sense of secrecy. 
Barefoot is an enjoyable read and keeps readers on their toes as the Barefoot encounters each struggle. 

Barefoot is a well written piece of literature that allows the reader to experience the Barefoot's journey.  This book would be an introduction piece to the Underground Railroad as it describes the typical difficulties many runaway slaves face without giving great detail.  The book will be a conversation starter about how the Underground Railroad functions, the feelings of the characters, and will hopefully spark an interest in the topic.