Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
A courageous slave girl plays
an unusual part in the Underground Railroad; in a starred review, PW said,
"This first-rate book is a triumph of the heart." Ages 5-10.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library
Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 3-- Clara, a
young slave, works as a seamstress and dreams of freedom. Overhearing
drovers talk of escaping North enables her to make a patchwork map of the
area. When she escapes, she leaves the quilt behind to guide others. Based
on a true event, this is a well-written picture book. Ransome's oil
paintings, however, are perhaps too smooth and rich for the story they tell.
The world depicted is too bright, open, and clean.
Spotlight Reviews
The Underground Railroad and the quest for freedom, February 9, 2002
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Reviewer: Lawrance
M. Bernabo from The Zenith City: Duluth, MN United States
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Sweet Clara is taken from her momma and sent to
work as a field hand for Home Plantation. The work is hard and Clara dreams
of going back to her momma. Lucky for Clara, Aunt Rachel teaches her how to
sew, which means being a seamstress at the Big House. There she hears for
the first time other slaves talking about the Underground Railroad that can
carry them to freedom. But without a map of where to go, runaways fall prey
to "patrollers." Then Clara gets the idea that a quilt could serve as a map
to freedom once it is completed. Gathering information about the Railroad as
she collects scraps of fabric to make her quilt, Clara dreams of the day it
will be finished and she can travel the road to freedom with her loved ones.
Deborah Hopkinson's story assumes young readers
already know about what slavery meant in the United States in the years
before the Civil War. The focus on "Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt" is on
the inventiveness and courage of a young girl in helping her people wind
their way to freedom. What I like best about James Ransome's paintings are
the evocative looks he always captures on Sweet Clara's face, which help
tell the story as much as Hopkinson's words. This is an excellent book for
young students to learn more about the Underground Railroad and the quest
for freedom.
A Story of Freedom, March 27, 2002
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Reviewer: A
10-year old reader |
Sweet Clara's aunt teachers her how to sew and
she makes a quilt. She and young Jack leave because they were slaves, but
you are going to have to find out if they make it to freedom or not. I liked
this book. It was very interesting and I learned about history. I think you
will like it too.
All Customer Reviews
Avg. Customer Review:
Great intro to history for young readers, March 27, 2003
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Reviewer: An
Amazon.com Customer from Kennewick, WA United States |
This is a great book to share with young
students as an introduction to the history of the Underground railroad and
the many courageous and creative measures taken for freedoms sake. I enjoyed
the story a great deal and found a number ways to connect the book to a
variety of subjects.
Good book for kids to learn about history, March 26, 2002
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Reviewer: An
Amazon.com Customer |
I liked Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt by
Deborah Hopkinson. It is a book about a girl who likes to quilt and make
things. I like to make things myself. I think it's important to learn how to
make things that means something to you or to people. This book also takes
place during a time in America's history when there were slaves. I would
have given this 5 stars, but it was too short of a book. If you like books
about quilts and history, I also recommend Lucy and the Liberty Quilt by
Victoria London. It also is about a girl who likes to sew things with
meaning.
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