Product Description

Like other enslaved African-American children, young Harriet Tubman had to work hard. In her master's orchard, she spent long hours picking the juicy apples she loved but was forbidden to eat. When she was grown, she made her escape to the North. Then, repeatedly risking her life, she returned to lead many other African-Americans to freedom.

Many people know about Harriet Tubman's courage and daring. But few know about her love for apples, and the freedom they symbolized.

Glennette Tilley Turner learned this previously untold story from Harriet Tubman's great-niece.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #501920 in Books
• Published on: 2006-08-16
• Released on: 2006-09-30
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: .37" h x 8.24" w x 10.32" l, .66 pounds
• Binding: Hardcover
• 24 pages

From School Library Journal
Grade 1-4–Based on a distant relative's recollection about the woman who would become the conductor of the Underground Railroad, this story follows Harriet from her early slave days to adulthood as a free woman. As a child, her favorite job on the plantation was picking apples in the orchard. She washed and polished them for the people in the Big House, but she was never allowed to eat any of them. When she did steal one, she was beaten. Apples became a symbol for Tubman of freedom and wealth. As an adult, she was eventually able to purchase her own house in upstate New York. On her property she planted many apple trees, the fruit of which she shared with the people in her town. Turner uses this thread to weave a larger story about a remarkable American and to provide insight into the life of a young slave. This book is an excellent introduction to a complex topic, providing children with a way to make a personal connection with a girl whose life was very different from their own. It gives parents and teachers a starting point for discussions about slavery, race, freedom, and heroism. Keeter's paintings offer an opulent backdrop with rich, thick brushstrokes and careful use of light. Faces convey depths of expression, adding volumes to the simple story.–Mary Hazelton, Elementary Schools in Warren & Waldoboro, ME
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
Turner relates a childhood incident told to her in a 1984 interview with Harriet Tubman's grandniece--who heard it from Tubman herself. At age seven, Tubman's job was to care for the baby of an unkind white woman, who whipped her. Later, the overseer of an orchard lashes her for eating an apple. "The scars last all her life." Ketter's unframed, thickly painted pictures depict the slave child's cruel working conditions and her brave escape and rescue, culminating as Tubman buys a house and plants apple trees, which produce fruit for everyone to share. The story, with its concrete details, works as both fact and metaphor, bringing the transformation full circle--from the scars of suffering to the fruit of freedom. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

"The simplicity of Turner's telling does not take away from the power of the underlying issues of slavery, danger and the freedom represented by those apples. Keeter's richly colored illustrations capture the verdant landscape during Tubman's days of slavery and the deep blue of the night sky as she leads her people to safety. A satisfying addition to the already fascinating story." Kirkus Reviews

"The story, with its concrete details, works as both fact and metaphor, bring the transformation to full circle-from the scars of suffering to the fruit of freedom." Booklist

"This book is an excellent introduction to a complex topic, providing children with a way to make a personal connection with a girl whose life was very different from their own. It gives parents and teachers a starting point for discussions about slavery, race, freedom, and heroism." School Library Journal

"Her bravery is inspiring, but equally moving is the significance of an adult Harriet Tubman inviting people to share in the apples that she had grown. This emotional story is exceptionally well written and the colorful illustrations are wonderful."
Children's Literature

"Children will connect with the young Harriet through this story and at the same time learn about her courageous life. Educators may integrate this story into any of their lessons on African-American history, biographies, or character education. This book is a fresh addition for young children to read and learn about Harriet Tubman."
Library Media Connection