When Harriet Met Sojourner

Description

The life stories of two pivotal figures in American history—Harriet Tubman and Sojourner Truth—are explored in this powerful text paired with spectacular artwork. “A beautiful, uplifting book that is sure to inspire interest in these strong, amazing women.” (School Library Journal)This powerful picture book relates the lives of Harriet Tubman and Sojourner Truth on alternating pages, leading up to the day they likely met in Boston in 1864. Share this book in the classroom or at home as an introduction to these two American heroes. A strong companion to such books as Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom and Henry’s Freedom Box: A True Story from the Underground Railroad.“Compellingly told with a sure storyteller’s cadence. Both women renamed themselves, taking ownership of their lives and leading and inspiring others on the road to freedom.” (School Library Journal)Shane W. Evans’s art in When Harriet Met Sojourner was praised as having a “strength of line and eloquence of expression that would suit a mural and that will carry well in a group showing.” (Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books) His books include We March and 28 Days: Moments in Black History that Changed the World.

Two women with similar backgrounds. Both slaves; both fiercely independent. Both great, in different ways.

Harriet Tubman: brave pioneer who led her fellow slaves to freedom, larger than life . . . yearning to be free.

Sojourner Truth: strong woman who spoke up for African American rights, tall as a tree . . . yearning to be free.

One day in 1864, the lives of these two women came together. When Harriet Met Sojourner is a portrait of these two remarkable women, from their inauspicious beginnings to their pivotal roles in the battle for America’s future.

“This powerful picture book relates the lives of Harriet Tubman and Sojourner Truth on alternating pages, leading up to the women’s meeting in Boston in 1864. Compellingly told with a sure storyteller’s cadence, Clinton’s chronicle does not spare readers the harshness of the subjects’ young years; they suffered beatings, witnessed siblings and family members sold away, endured hard labor, and risked everything for freedom. Both women renamed themselves, taking ownership of their lives and leading and inspiring others on the road to freedom. Evans uses strong outlines to create striking images in rich earth tones.” “Clinton and Evans deliver gripping parallel portraits of Harriet Tubman and Sojourner Truth.” “The compelling parallel narratives of two women ‘joined by a kinship of spirit’ still add up to a stirring history.” “Evans’s mixed-media art, combining line, paint, and textiles in three-quarter-spread illustrations, has an epic yet contemporary tone; the images, dramatic portraiture, have a strength of line and eloquence of expression that would suit a mural and that will carry well in a group showing.”

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