Historical Fiction- Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt

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

Based on true events, Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt takes place in the 1800s on a plantation near the Ohio River. Torn from her mother, Clara is forced to work in a different part of the plantation. Assuming her new position as seamstress in the master’s house, Clara learns about the Underground Railroad and her opportunity to become free. With the help from her best friends Jack and Aunt Rachel, Clara sews a map quilt; its purpose to show directions from the plantation to Canada in order to attain freedom. With Jack’s assistance Clara is reunited with her mother and together they succeed in their dream to be free. As told through Clara’s perspective, whose voice is authentic to the time period, it shows the reader that with determination and courage we can get what we want.

The representational, oil pastel paintings works symmetrically with the text to create an enjoyable and educational book. The illustrator used light and dark colors, with large and small brushstrokes, to create smooth paintings filled with intense emotions matching the character’s feelings. These aspects make the book age appropriate for young elementary students because it provides a visual which also tells the story. This book reminds us that with hard work, willpower, audacity, and persistence we can get what we want. In today’s society we expect and prefer things to be handed to us, this story shows us that we need to fight for our wishes and not give up.