Common Sense Note
The book deals directly with many of the hardships endured by enslaved African-American people in the pre-Civil War South, from verbal and physical abuse by the owners and overseers of the plantation to the terrors of time spent on the dangerous Underground Railway. For children old enough to comprehend some aspects of the historical setting and political situation in the story, this is an emotionally rewarding and ultimately optimistic story.
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Marigny Dupuy
The quote from Margaret Atwood at the beginning of the book sets a positive tone for a story about a time in American history that was wrenching and painful: "A doll is a witness/ who cannot die,/ with a doll you are never alone."
Because of the time and the setting, there are many unhappy moments in the story. However, the warmth of the family and community connections, as well as the little girl's loving relationship with her doll, make the bad parts more bearable. Written in authentic dialect, the story is well told. The author draws the reader closely into the personal experience of enslavement, balancing unspeakable suffering with extreme courage and determination. Using the voice, perspective, and naiveté of the doll offers a natural way to make a complicated historical situation more accessible for children.
The illustrator uses a dark palette with the soft illuminations of starlight and candlelight. In his historically-accurate full page and double page spreads, the characters are alive with a huge range of emotions. This is a moving story that is powerfully presented.
From the book:
Bein' Lindy's doll baby is a right important job.
When Lindy and Miz Rachel pick cotton, I be there, too. Lindy ties me 'round her waist with a rope. The knot's kinda loose and, after a while, I fall to the ground.
"Sally, you gettin' yourself all dirty," Lindy says. "Now you stay put."
Miz Rachel wipes sweat from her brow and shows Lindy how to tie me on tight. The overseer hollers, "Git up, there!" like he's talkin' to a couple of horses. He's ridin' over carryin' his whip. Miz Rachel and Lindy quick start pickin' again.
The work be hard, but the long days seem a mite easier with everybody singin', "Swing low, sweet chariot, comin' for to carry me home ..."
Plot Summary:
Set on a plantation in antebellum Virginia, the story is narrated by a rag doll named Sally. She belongs to a little girl named Lindy whose family is enslaved by the owners of the plantation. Lindy works in the cotton fields alongside her mother. Her father has been sold "down the river" for promoting an idea that is still often talked about: Freedom. Sally does not know what or where this Freedom is, but she can see that it is important to the adults around Lindy. After Lindy is whipped by the overseer for asking the master's son how to spell her name, she and her mother escape one night and are reunited with Lindy's father. Together they travel on the Underground Railroad toward Freedom, but approaching slave catchers cause them to flee a safe house in the middle of the night -- and Sally is accidentally left behind. She stays alone in the hiding place until another little girl named Willa and her family arrive at the safe house. Sally is renamed Belinda and is happy to be in the arms of a little girl again.
Related Books:
More Picture Books About Slavery
Hitty: Her First Hundred Years, adapted by Rosemary Wells, illustrated by Susan Jeffers
Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt by Deborah Hopkinson, illustrated by James Ransome
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ViolenceThe brutal treatment of the enslaved people is clearly depicted. |
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