An Apple for Harriet Tubman
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Barbara Auerbach, New York City Public Schools -- School Library Journal, 3/27/2008
An Apple for Harriet Tubman. video or DVD. 12 min. with tchr’s. guide. Nutmeg Media (nutmegmedia.net). 2007. video: ISBN 1-933938-39-0, DVD: ISBN 1-933939-30-7. $49.95.
Gr 1-5–Based on an event Glennette Tilley Turner learned about from Harriet Tubman’s great niece, this iconographic rendering of Turner’s book (Albert Whitman & Co., 2006) is particularly appealing and accessible to children. Viewers learn that young Harriet was sent to work for a mean neighbor, and forced to quiet the woman’s restless baby all night long. The image of the sleeping mother in bed, whip in hand, coupled with the explanation, “If the baby did cry, Miss Susan would whip Harriet,” brings the harsh, unfair circumstances of her life as a slave to light. The apple story that inspired the tale begins in the orchard during apple picking time. “She wished--oh, how she wished, she could take a big bite out of …” one of those juicy apples, but just as her teeth sunk into the sweetness, “The whip tore through her clothing and into her flesh.” Stung with pain and injustice, the young heroine resolves, “One day, I’m going to be free, and I’m going to have all the apples I want.” After her escape and heroic work on the Underground Railroad, her dream did come true. Harriet planted rows of apple trees on her estate in Auburn, New York, and invited the townspeople to come and share her bounty. The author’s unhurried narration, filled with emotion, is especially effective. Susan Keeter’s impressionistic paintings feature thick brush strokes and primary colors contrasting with rich brown complexions. Symbols like the bluebird flying free, a shiny red apple, and the flickering North Star marry images with words to deliver a powerful message. An author’s note provides a photo and more information about the subject and a recommended reading list. In the “Sharing My Story” segment, the author talks about her motivation to become an author and to write this book. Offer this title for Black History month or in late September, during apple harvest time.
