Before She Was Harriet

Reviewed by CCBC

Review Source: Cooperative Children’s Book Center
Book Author: Lesa Cline-Ransome

The skillful narrative’s imaginative and effective structure, in which Tubman’s life unspools from old woman back to childhood, allows the child audience to build on prior knowledge and emphasizes Harriet’s agency throughout her life. The many facets of Tubman’s life and the many roles she played are vividly portrayed in the full-page paintings that provide a rich backdrop for the fine narrative.

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Before She Was Harriet by Lesa Cline-Ransome
Illustrator: James E. Ransome
Published by Holiday House on November 7th 2017
Genres: African American, Biography and Autobiography, Girls and Women, Slavery, U.S. History, Banned Books
Pages: 32
Reading Level: Grades 1-2
ISBN: 9780823420476
Review Source: Cooperative Children's Book Center
Also by this author: Finding Langston

Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Book

ALA Notable Children's Book

Charlotte Zolotow Award Highly Commended Title

NCTE Notable Poetry Book

Center for the Study of Multicultural Children's Literature (CSMCL) Best Book of the Year

Booklist Editors' Choice

Kirkus Reviews Best Picture Book

EUREKA! Nonfiction Honor Award

NAACP Image Award Nominee for Outstanding Literary Work-Children

A lush and lyrical biography of Harriet Tubman, written in verse and illustrated by an award-winning artist.We know her today as Harriet Tubman, but in her lifetime she was called by many names. As General Tubman she was a Union spy. As Moses she led hundreds to freedom on the Underground Railroad. As Minty she was a slave whose spirit could not be broken. An evocative poem and opulent watercolors come together to honor a woman of humble origins whose courage and compassion make her larger than life.