The Patchwork Path: A Quilt Map to Freedom [Hardcover]

Bettye Stroud (Author), Erin Susanne Bennett (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

The images stitched into Hannah's patchwork quilt lead to secret signposts on the Underground Railroad as she and her father take flight from slavery on a perilous path to freedom.

The wagon wheel. The bear's paw. The flying geese. These are some of the squares in the quilt Hannah's mama helped her to sew -- before Hannah's sister was sold to another plantation and before Mama died of a broken heart. Now that Hannah's papa has decided to make the run for freedom, this patchwork quilt is not just a precious memento of Mama -- it's a series of hidden clues that will guide them along the Underground Railroad to Canada, where they'll finally be free. A fictionalized account of a fascinating oral history, THE PATCHWORK PATH tells the story of a brave father and his young daughter, two of thousands who escaped a life of slavery and made the dangerous journey to freedom -- a story of courage, determination, and hope.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 1-4 - An exciting story about a girl and her father who escape slavery with help from the coded symbols on a quilt. Shortly after Hannah's sister is sold to another plantation, Mama dies, but not before teaching Hannah how to sew, whispering, "…this quilt will show you everything you need to know to run to freedom." Their journey leads them along the Underground Railroad, from their Georgia plantation to a hiding place beneath a church, through pirate tunnels, and eventually to the home of a Quaker family. Finally, they cross Lake Erie into Canada, and the narrative ends on a hopeful note as Hannah makes a new quilt with an empty square for her sister, praying that someday they'll be together again, and free. The first-person narrative flows smoothly and lends immediacy to the dramatic events. The vivid oil paintings are skillfully done, with the characters' expressive faces reflecting their fear and courage, and angular lines echoing the quilt squares. An afterword gives some historical background. Overall, this works well as a story and also as a lesson in African-American history. - Lauralyn Persson, Wilmette Public Library, IL
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

K-Gr. 3. A child tells of escaping to Canada on the Underground Railroad, accompanied by her father, and of following secret signs sewn into quilt patterns. The exciting escape story makes the history immediate, and the fascinating quilt-code messages will have children revisiting the page that shows each symbol and its secret directions. Bennett's bright oil paintings make dramatic use of collage to show the quilt code and the brave fugitives. Helped by Quakers and other rescuers, Hannah and Papa make it to the border, but the sadness of her sister still in slavery and her Mama's death is with them as they cross. A fascinating afterword reveals how much of the story was based on history. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Candlewick (January 13, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0763624233
• ISBN-13: 978-0763624231
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 0.4 x 11.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #333,619 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars inspiring story, handsome illustrations, February 11, 2005

By 

Gail Langer Karwoski "children's book author" - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Patchwork Path: A Quilt Map to Freedom (Hardcover)

This tale of a child who makes a quilt as a map for her escape along the Underground Railroad is an inspiring story with handsome, earth-toned illustrations. The characters' stylized faces reflect the book's storybook "climate." I am not going to present this story to students as a slice of realistic history about the harsh period of slavery (that stain on our country's history). Instead, I'll present this lovely story as an idealized portrait about the human spirit prevailing against darkness/suffering. The main character is a child - born a slave, torn from family - who creates a quilt to guide her to freedom. Her quilt is really a symbol of order and beauty. This is a story about human ingenuity using the resources at hand to prevail against weighty odds, to triumph.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Well-written Fictional Story by Gifted Georgia Author, May 29, 2005

By 

Donny B. Seagraves "Donny Seagraves, Author" (WINTERVILLE, GA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Patchwork Path: A Quilt Map to Freedom (Hardcover)

This memorable book is based on a story of quilts and The Underground Railroad passed down orally from grandmother to mother to daughter. Instead of nonfiction, this book is a well-written fictional story about a young slave girl, Hannah, living on a Southern plantation. Bettye Stroud's sensitive prose, illustrated by Erin Susanne Bennett's bold, angular drawings, is an excellent way to introduce young children to a tragic time in US history; a time when children, as well as adults, were owned by others. Stroud uses her well-honed writing skills to bring this time back, and to show a little girl coping with the challenges and succeeding.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Quilt Code Underground Railroad Story Sings, February 11, 2010

By 

Edi (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Patchwork Path: A Quilt Map to Freedom (Hardcover)

Straightforward story with believable characters shows how slaves planned carefully to run to freedom in Canada, getting colder every step of the way. While the "code" may be somewhat fiction, it does show how staying on the northbound path, evading slave catchers and their dogs, and finally reaching the shores of freedom were real clues then memories kept in handcrafts like quilts. This is beautifully illustrated.