Bookverdict.com

Gr 3–5—Frederick Douglass's journey from slavery to international renown as writer and lecturer is broadly sketched here. Readers meet Douglass eye to eye as he gazes, serious and frowning, from a commanding portrait filling the entire front cover of the large square picture book. An unusual design choice places the title and creator names in bold text on the back cover. The poignant childhood years, some enjoyed and others endured, make for a touching, memorable story. About a third of the work is devoted to Douglass's adulthood. Emphasiz...Log In or Sign Up to Read More

"The children were called to eat, like so many pigs. / He that ate fastest got most. / I have often been so pinched with hunger, / that I fought with the dog / for the smallest crumbs." Such is the type of primary source quotation -- the type that gives you a visceral reaction -- that Rappaport has carefully chosen to intersperse throughout the main text of her latest picture-book biography. There are many longer books that detail the eve...Log In or Sign Up to Read More

There are many longer books that detail the events of Douglass's life, but this one, in picture-book form, manages to synthesize those details just as well as a...Log In or Sign Up to Read More