Moses

Moses, When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom by Carole Boston Weatherford and illustrated by Kadir Nelson is the story of Harriet Tubmans struggle for freedom and her trust in God to lead her in helping other slaves to reach freedom. This story was published in 2006 by Hyperion Books for Children. It is in the Historical Fiction genre and is geared toward grades k-3.
The book is a conversation between Harriet Tubman and God, with some narration. The story goes through all the trials she went through as a slave and then running away to the north to escape freedom. It does not end with her reaching freedom though, she then goes back to help her family and other slaves reach freedom by using the underground railroad. The story is based on facts in history but does not claim to be a true story.
I really enjoyed the structure of this book. The way it is written as a conversation was a different take on children's literature that I had never seen before. I was not sure how it could be used in a school classroom because of the religious basis, but I think the illustrations by themselves tell a story that is beautiful. I really enjoyed this book because of the emotions it evoked. I got goose bumps reading it and realizing the human aspect of the undergroung railroad and the intensity of being a runaway slave.
I would be nervous to read this book to my class because of the blatant religion that makes up the story. I think if I explained to my class that the story is based on Harriet Tubman's belief in God and that the real story is in the facts behind it then I would absolutely use it in my classroom. I think this is a good way to introduce a heavy subject to younger students. The kids can see the real emotion involved in a piece of history that is usually glossed over in school.