Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt Historical Fiction

Hopkinson, Deborah. Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1993.

This adventurous book would go along perfectly with a lesson on African-American history. Written by Deborah Hopkinson and illustrated by James Ransome, this books gives a captivating story of a young Black girl named Clara who is a slave sold away from her mother to anther plantation. After struggling to keep up with the work in the field, Clara is taught how to knit by Aunt Rachel which will allow her to work in the big house instead of the hard labor of a field hand. As Clara proceeds to master her new craft, she begins to create a quilt from left over fabric she comes across resembling the surrounding plantations leading to the underground railroad.

The illustrations in the book are phenomenal and rich in colors such as red, yellow and green suggesting warmth, excitement and renewal. From glancing at the pictures makes you feel as if you are standing next to the characters as you listen to them speak to you while feeling the hot sun beat upon your head and smelling the sweet earth they are harvesting. The illustrations not only reinforce the text they also aides the reader in understanding the life of African-Americans during the long periods of slavery.The illustrations add the emotion that could not be captured in words alone. The dialect given to the characters also help to make the story more realistic as it relates to the era and setting of how western Blacks spoke back in that time. Will Clara ever get a chance to finish her quilted map before Master finds out? Will her and her friends manage their escape, or be whipped and caught for the second time? Join Clara on her courageous journey following her beautiful quilt to freedom at the underground railroad!