The final 2017 roundup catches all the other categories – graphic novels, authors, and board books.
Yup, I’m not posting this until well into 2018. In 2017 I reviewed 98 books (plus 10 board books) and so many of them were so good. It took me a month just to narrow it down this far… I just love all the books!
“Mrs. Hilliard had to tell her that slave catchers had come from Georgia and that she and William had been right to be suspicious.” page 65
Two Tickets to Freedom: The True Story of William and Ellen Craft, Fugitive Slaves by Florence B. Freedman, illustrated by Ezra Jack Keats.
My edition Scholastic, New York, 1995. Orig. pub. Simon & Schuster, 1971.
Nonfiction, 96 pages.
Lexile: 1030L .
AR Level: 6.8 (worth 3.0 points) .
This book tells the life story of husband and wife William and Ellen Craft, best known for their famous escape from slavery.
In case you are not familiar with this couple, William was a skilled tradesman whose entire family was separated by slavery. Ellen was given to her sister as a wedding present from her father’s wife. They had better lives than many slaves – Ellen was a house servant with comparatively light duties, William was allowed to do extra work and earn his own money, and their owners permitted them to live together in a common-law marriage (it was not legal for slaves to complete a religious or civil marriage ceremony).
However, both deplored the condition of slavery, and they decided not to have children as slaves. One day, William came up with an idea. Ellen was light-skinned and could easily pass for white. They had money from William’s extra work. Ellen would disguise herself as a young man (since a white woman would never travel alone with a male slave) and William as her slave.
It’s a fascinating story, and I’m often surprised that it isn’t better known. We read a book about it (that also includes a reader’s theater) back during the 30 day project., so I was excited to learn more. The kids kept asking what happened next, and the picture book only gave a page of text to tell what happened in the next part of their life.
A favorite read-aloud for generations.
The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats.
Viking, New York, 1962.
Realistic fiction, 33 pages.
1963 Caldecott Medal Winner
Lexile: AD500L (What does AD mean in Lexile levels?)
AR Level: 2.5 (worth 0.5 points)
Note: This is the first of seven books featuring Peter.
Young Peter’s day in the snow is a classic for all children, as well as a book of historic importance.
I posted some time ago about how I originally got this book – however a friend recently gifted me a new hardcover copy! There is a book by Andrea Davis Pinkney about the making of The Snowy Day that I can’t wait to review as well.
I don’t normally post on weekends (or book hauls in general), but this weekend I just had to share!
Colorful Book Reviews 