Underground: Finding the Light to Freedom

by Shane W. Evans, Shane W. Evans (Illustrator)

Overview

One of School Library Journal's Best Nonfiction Books of 2011

A family silently crawls along the ground. They run barefoot through unlit woods, sleep beneath bushes, take shelter in a kind stranger's home. Where are they heading? They are heading for freedom by way of the Underground Railroad.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250056757
Publisher:	Square Fish
Publication date:	01/13/2015
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	267,538
Product dimensions:	9.00(w) x 10.00(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Shane W. Evans has illustrated numerous books for children, including the Boston Globe–Horn Book award winner Shanna's Ballerina Show. He attributes much of his influence to his travels to Africa, South America, Asia, Europe, the Caribbean, and much of the United States. He is a firm believer in education and creative development for all people. Underground is the recipient of the Coretta Scott King Medal for illustrations.

Editorial Reviews

* A stellar introduction to the Underground Railroad . . . Though subdued in palette until the eruption of color as the figures reach the threshold of freedom, the author's collaged nocturnal paintings shimmer with an arresting luminescence.” —School Library Journal, starred review

“* Powerfully expressive imagery will sweep young viewers into this suspenseful journey along the Underground Railroad. . . . Lengthier accounts of travel on the Underground Railroad abound, but few if any portray the experience with such compelling immediacy.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“* With haunting pictures and a few simple sentences, Evans introduces beginning readers to a crucial piece of American history. . . . Telling the story without overwhelming readers is a delicate task, but Evans walks the line perfectly.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review

“* The mixed-media illustrations are the main focus here, and they're luminous and haunting. The tension between dark and light visually pulses through the spreads: the whites of the escaping family's eyes gleam in cut-paper collage, the slender crescent of a moon shines overhead, and the amber glow from a window or a searcher's torch stands out with startling distinction in scenes otherwise constituted almost entirely from shadowy blues and blacks.” —BCCB, starred review

“The minimal text drums like a heartbeat. From terror to triumph, a perfect evocation for very young readers of what it means to escape from bondage.” —The Washington Post

“The achievement of Underground is to summon up for young readers the spirit and emotions—desperation, fear and, ultimately, celebration—of the Underground Railroad. . . . This is more a poetic invocation of slavery and freedom than a real history. Young readers will need further explanation; older readers will want it. But the triumphant smile of a father, holding a newborn aloft in the boldly yellow sunshine, requires no explaining at all.” —The New York Times Book Review

“Shane W. Evans has created a book in which the emotional experience of the journey north is dominant.” —Orlando Sentinel

“As the runaways move North, the sky lightens, culminating in a brilliant yellow on the book's last spread. This stunning simplicity respects the young audience and makes us want to join in with the book's closing words.” —BookPage

“Evans' dark, angular pencil sketches, overlaid by shades of deep blue and green, are highly effective—and as the slaves reach safety, vibrant yellows and oranges shout the glory of freedom.” —Chicago Sun-Times

From the Publisher

Just a few words per double-page spread, sometimes only one, join with the illustrations to tell the story of a slave family's fearful escape through the Underground Railroad. The tale begins in the dark of night as they flee, get help, are worn out, yet finally see the light of a rising sun ahead. They are free at last. The midnight blue pages begin at the end pages, producing the anxious emotions of the stealthy escape. Only some stars and a crescent moon with stark white eyes penetrate the dark. Charcoal-like line drawings are almost crude in their depiction of the hunters and their horses, as the hunted crawl through the night. At last, the yellow rays of dawn illuminate the pages as colors return for the final scenes. There's a sense of celebration; the reader can almost hear the crescendo. The front jacket's darkness is balanced by the happy, colorful rejoicing on the back. The dramatic story could hardly be told more tersely or more dramatically. Reviewer: Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz

Children's Literature - Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz