BIBLIOGRAPHY
Schroeder, Alan. 1996. Minty: A Story of Young Harriet Tubman. Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers. ISBN 0-8037-1888-8
SUMMARY
Minty (as Harriet Tubman was known as a child) is an 8 year old slave on a plantation in Maryland during the 1820's. Although her parents warn her to obey the owners, Minty has a hard time accepting life as a slave and is often in trouble. Knowing that she wants to run away, her father teaches her about the Drinking Gourd in the sky, how to swim and other skills she'll need to survive when she escapes to freedom. This is a touching story about the young Harriet Tubman, the most famous conductor of the Underground Railroad.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Minty has acquired a slew of awards and recognitions including the 1997 Coretta Scott King Award for Illustration, the Christopher Award, an ALA Notable Book, an American Bookseller "Pick of the Lists," a Time Magazine Best Children's Book of the Year, and an IRA/CBC Children's Choice to name just a few.
Minty is a fictional account of Harriet Tubman's childhood. Although the events in Minty were created for narrative purposes, the basic facts are true: Minty (Harriet's childhood name) was considered a difficult slave and was often rebellious. The story reflects Tubman's independent spirit and guesses at her early determination to be free. Schroeder shows the helplessness of a slave when Mrs. Brodas discovers Minty's beloved doll and burns it for Minty not obeying, or, when Mrs. Brodas tells her husband, "We'll sell her South. They'll know what to do with her in Georgia."
In the front of the book, Pinkney describes how the Banneker-Douglass Museum in Maryland offered authentic details about the plantations, dress, food and living conditions of the slaves and owners in Maryland during the nineteenth century. The beautiful and realistic watercolors show the time, the place and the way of life during Tubman's childhood. The illustrations have a raw emotion about them; the anger of Mrs. Brodas when Minty spills a pitcher of cider, the sadness of Minty when she loses the courage to escape, and on the back cover, an adult Harriet Tubman looking resolute, yet sad. Pinkney's paintings are powerful and add a sense of realism to the story.
This story exposes what many African-American slaves must have felt during this time of oppression and prejudice. It gives the modern reader an idea of the courage it took to escape and the dangers Harriet Tubman went through to help free her people. For grades 2+.
REVIEW EXCERPTS
"A fictional extrapolation of a few facts about Harriet Tubman's childhood...Pinkney's illustrations exhibit, characteristically, his refined draftsmanship; the complicated compositions convey psychological aspects of slavery...This exquisitely crafted book resonates well beyond its few pages. --Kirkus Reviews
"This fictionalized story dramatizes...daily life...for [Harriet Tubman] as a child. Schroeder's words are clear and strong. There's no gracious big house...no happy slave. Pinkney's realistic portraits are powerful...the dappled double-page landscapes connect the strong child hero with the might of the natural world...the blend of fact and fiction is occasionally problematic...but kids will be moved by the picture of secret childhood rebellion in someone who grew up to lead hundreds to freedom." --Booklist
"This beautifully illustrated and moving fictional story can be used to introduce Harriet Tubman and the injustice of slavery to young audiences...Pinkney's illustrations are outstanding...His paintings, done in pencil, colored-pencils, and watercolor, use light and shadow to great effect, and his depictions of Minty are...powerful and expressive...[The story] will hold listener's interest and may lead them to biographical material...however, with so many real-life incidents from Tubman's childhood to choose from, one has to wonder why Schroeder decided to create fictional ones". --School Library Journal
"...a cruel snapshot of life as a slave and the horrid circumstances that fueled the future Underground Railroad leader's passion and determination...Schroeder's choice of lively vignettes rather than a more traditional biography is a wise one. With color and feeling he humanized a historic figure, coaxing readers to imagine or research the rest of the story. Pinkney's full-bodied watercolors evoke a strong sense of time and place. Laudably, Pinkney's scenes consistently depict young Minty's point of view, giving the harshness of her reality more resonance for readers...A firm stepping stone toward discussions of slavery and U.S. History. --Publishers Weekly
CONNECTIONS
-Books on the same topic:
*Time-Life Books. Harriet Tubman: A Woman of Courage. ISBN 0060576073
*Sawyer, Kem K. Harriet Tubman. ISBN 0756658063
*Weatherford, Carole B. Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom. ISBN 0786851759
*Winter, Jeanette. Follow the Drinking Gourd. ISBN 0679819975
*Hopkinson, Deborah. Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt. ISBN 0679874720
-Follow the Drinking Gourd Song
*In this YouTube video, Richie Havens sings "Following the Drinking Gourd" from the "Songs of the Civil War" Ken Burns CD. (3:44 minutes) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBOP8t2hlFQ
*Another YouTube version of the song. It may be more appropriate for younger children. (2:44 minutes). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pw6N_eTZP2U
-Quilts were used as a map for slaves. This website contains the most popular quilt blocks used in the Underground Railroad Quilt Code. http://home2.fvcc.edu/~cgreig/final/blocks.html
-Class discussion questions:
*What 3 adjectives would you use to describe Harriet Tubman as a child? As an adult?
*Do you think you would be able to run away at a moment's notice and leave behind your parents, brothers, sisters, and your possessions?
*What would you have done differently than Minty?
-National Geographic has an interactive website to follow in Harriet Tubman's path.
http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/multimedia/interactive/the-underground-railroad/?ar_a=1
-A 3rd grade student created a Google map showing Harriet Tubman's path. Have students create their own Google map showing important stops in the Underground Railroad. https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?vps=3&jsv=208a&hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=33&msid=108353092840792292590.00044859a491542254e2b&abauth=4b847a2cZNJ0xNNKPLrINElSgC5VB6S5xnU
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