Customer Reviews

The Underground Railroad for Kids: From Slavery to Freedom with 21 Activities (For Kids series)

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I love this series and feel that this particular title is even better than the others that I own and cherish. Not only does it offer sound information to children in a clear, easy to understand (yet undiluted way), but offers numerous engaging activities that would appeal to a wide range of interests. A must-have for the classroom or homeschool.

I mean obviously, there is only so much you can do for activities related to the underground railroad. The times are past, thank goodness, but like most kids, mine are fascinated with helping the desperate slaves reach freedom.

We liked making a diorama of a house with a secret hiding place... we liked the mapping...we did make lanterns, although that was kind of a mess... and of course, my kids liked making coded messages and secret handshakes.

The best part of this book were the fugitive slave stories -- the book offers many, many, many stories of people who escaped. Each one is heroic and most are heartbreaking. There is enough here that even older children will be satisfied with the information, but not so much as to terrify very young children.

I especially liked that the accounts were mostly those of Black people -- the emphasis was on Black folk helping themselves and one another, with some help from Whites. Too often, the Underground Railroad stories are of heroic Whites rescuing helpless Blacks. This book is better because it shows the active resisance of Blacks to their captivity.

Parent notes: descriptions of violence, beatings, whippings, restraints and shackles, human misery, sexual assaults. Parents know best what is right for their kids.