Module 10: Barefoot: Escape on the Underground Railroad by Pamela Duncan Edwards

Book Summary: Written in little text and with dark images, Barefoot tells the story of an unnamed, barefoot slave running away from slavery thanks to the help of the animals, nature, the Underground Railroad, and his bravery and intelligence.

APA Citation: Edwards, P. D. & Cole, H. (Illustrator). (1997). Barefoot: escape on the underground railroad. New York, NY: Katherine Tegen Books.

Impressions: I was absolutely spellbound by this book. The artwork and story were beautiful and powerful. I handed it over to my mom to read as soon as I finished it because I wanted someone else to talk to about it.

The story about a slave who is on the run from men who want to take him back to a life of slavery is told mostly from the point of view of his feet and the animals that seem to come to his aid. Told mostly by the dark illustrations that depict nighttime in nature, there is both a feeling of foreboding and hope.

I also found the use of the animals to be interesting. The story is told in a way that the animals are purposely helping the man run away, which makes sense in a children's books, but I liked how the author and illustrator used the animals along the way. In reality, slaves and the people who helped them run away did use nature, trail markings, and signs to get from one location to another. It was very interesting to see how this book incorporated those in the character's escape.

Professional Review: With a taut, involving narrative and dramatic, shadow-filled full-spread art, the creators of Some Smug Slug and Livingstone Mouse transport youngsters onto the overgrown path that an escaping slave stealthily follows one evening. The sound of the young man's racing heart is almost audible as Edwards describes his desperate predicament: ""He was fearful of what lay before him. He was terrified of what lay behind."" But the man has allies in the underbrush, creatures that perceive him as ""the Barefoot"" (in contrast to ""the Heavy Boots"" who come in angry pursuit). A frog signals the presence of water, which quenches the Barefoot's thirst; a scurrying squirrel turns his eye to a blanket of leaves under which he naps; a deer diverts a crew of Heavy Boots away from this hiding place; and fireflies light the way to the safe house ahead. The vigilant eyes of these deftly rendered creatures peer out from Cole's haunting paintings, cleverly skewed to invoke the animals' ground-hugging perspective on the Barefoot's flight. An author's note at the end briefly explains the workings of the Underground Railroad in helping real-life ""Barefeet"" find freedom. Ages 5-9. 

Publisher's Weekly. (n.d.). [Review of the book Barefoot: escape on the underground railroad by P.D. Edwards]. Publisher's Weekly. Retrieved April 5, 2015 from http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-06-027137-4. 

Library Uses: This would be a great story to have at a story time during African American History Month. It would be interesting to see how the kids answered open questions while reading it to them. It could also be on a display.