 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Show Way
- By Jacqueline Woodson
- Genre: Historical Fiction
Common Sense Media says
Beautiful story, from slavery to freedom.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that though this is a picture book, it's aimed at middle grade kids. There are historical references that will need explaining, especially for younger kids, as will the information in the collages. There are some references to violence: a slave killed, a silhouette of the capture of a runaway, news images from protest marches.
What's the story?
The author touches on the lives of each of her female ancestors on her mother's side of the family, covering nine generations up to her daughter. She begins with a little unnamed girl sold away from her family at a young age, who learns to sew quilts that show the road to freedom, called Show Ways. Her daughter, Mathis May, is also sold away, and also learns to sew the Show Ways.
When freedom comes, the daughters in the family continue to learn how to sew beautiful quilts, which they sell to earn a living. Eventually some of them learn to read, become teachers, participate in the Civil Rights Movement, and on down to the author, who becomes a writer who still sews quilts, and has a daughter, to whom she tells the stories of her family.
Is it any good?
This story about nine generations of African-American women won the Newbery Honor, but with its spectacular art by Hudson Talbott it seems a more likely choice for the Caldecott, which celebrates art. These rich and complex, two-page, borderless pictures reward repeated viewings and close inspection. Some are beautiful watercolor paintings, some are historical collages, and some are visual metaphors, such as one showing a map of the U.S. with the states crudely sewn together and a large, frayed rip along the Mason-Dixon
The text is beautifully written, with recurring motifs about mother love and roads of stars, quilts, and stories. But there are many references that younger children may not understand. Twice characters are said to have "jumped broom," with no explanation. The author refers to "the north side of the war," but what war, and what that means, is not explained. This book is probably best shared with an adult.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about the history. What was slavery and how did it end? What happened to the freed slaves? What was the Civil Rights era? How is life for African-Americans different now than it was even in Mom and Dad's childhood?
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AGE
I was really touched and moved
This book has really torched me because, it tells a real story about real ppl. and it like moves u and u think like that’s sad and u want to now what happens next so u like read on cause u want to find out, if they live happily ever after or not .
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AGE
Newbery Honor Book
Did you know African America slaves in America used quilts to depict the path of the underground railroad? This inspirational book by Jacqueline Woodson captures this story through the eyes of a little African American girl looking into her family history. The text is in a unique half-rhyme verse and pictures look like quilted pieces on each and every page. Following Soonie's great-grandma's historic enslavement, to years later when Soonie is born, this story brings to light the colors, structure, historic "jumping of the broom" and other African American slave traditions. A superb read for young readers, and something older readers will embrace with understanding, this Newbery Honor Book is Highly Recommended for Grades 3-5.
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AGE
prefect for younger kids
I loved it and so didnt my 3 and my 10 year old children
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AGE
Excellent Read
I just read Show Way as multicultural children's book and was very pleased. I enjoyed the wonderful illustrations that brought each text to life on every page. I especially enjoyed the fact that it allowed for long conversation about brave women who never stopped believing in one day living a free life.
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| Author: | Jacqueline Woodson |
| Illustrator: | Hudson Talbott |
| Book type: | Fiction |
| Genre: | Historical Fiction |
| Publisher: | Penguin Group |
| Publication date: | March 5, 2006 |
| Number of pages: | 40 |
| Hardcover price: | $16.99 |
| Publisher's recommended age(s): | 5 - 7 |
| Read aloud: | 6 |
| Read alone: | 7 |
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