(2) YA Gaddy introduces readers to four young family members of prominent abolitionists and the contributions they made in their own right. Lewis Douglass, son of Frederick Douglass, often helped those escaping enslavement (along with his siblings). George Garrison, son of William Lloyd Garrison, helped his father with his newspaper, the Liberator. Charlotte Forten was the granddaughter of a free Black man who gave Garrison (who was white) money to begin the Liberator and was the niece of Harriet and Margaretta Forten, who started the Philadelphia Female Anti-Slavery Society. Lucy McKim, daughter of Miller McKim, white president of the Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society, taught newly freed Black children in South Carolina (as did Charlotte) and later compiled the book Slave Songs of the United States. Lewis and George both fought with the Black regiments formed in Massachusetts. With focus alternating among the four, and occasionally overlapping, the book begins in 1854 and carries readers through the Civil War and its aftermath. Letters, newspaper articles, and journal entries add depth to this extensively researched narrative. The engaging and illuminating text, with some interspersed period artifacts and illustrations, sheds new light on the fight to end slavery in the United States, with an emphasis on the role of young people, which will likely be of special interest to its intended audience.

Reviewer: Nicholl Denice Montgomery | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2025

(2) K-3 She Persisted series. Illustrated by Gillian Flint. A note from Chelsea Clinton (author of the picture-book series off which this new chapter-book series was spun) opens each title. Clinton describes partnering with a "sisterhood of writers" to bring readers "inspiring and empowering" chapter-book biographies: "I wanted young girls--and young boys, too--to see women who worked hard to live their dreams." ­Cline-Ransome and Pinkney present the stories of their subjects, Claudette Colvin and Harriet Tubman, respectively, through engaging and informative narratives that include detail beyond the actions for which they are most famous. Colvin, the teenage activist who defied bus segregation laws nine months before Rosa Parks, is shown grieving her sister's untimely death. Tubman, abolitionist and renowned conductor on the Underground Railroad, had an unhappy marriage. The inclusion of these challenges paints deeper portraits of the women and showcases how they persisted through multiple hardships (though Colvin's pregnancy as a teenager is not mentioned). In both books, the text succeeds in being simultaneously utilitarian and lyrical, with abundant figurative language and some direct quotations bringing scenes to life. The books build up context by addressing topics such as enslavement and Jim Crow laws so that readers have background knowledge to clearly comprehend Tubman's and Colvin's actions. Short chapters, wide margins, and emotive illustrations (seen as sketches) function to support middle-grade nonfiction chapter-book readers. Back matter includes references as well as a list of suggested actions labeled "How You Can Persist." Review covers these She Persisted titles: Claudette Colvin and Harriet Tubman.

Reviewer: Elisa Gall | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2021

(2) YA Illustrated by Kazimir Lee. This Center for Cartoon Studies Presents entry (most recently, Glynnis Fawkes's Charlotte Brontë Before Jane Eyre, rev. 11/19) spotlights the life and legacy of famed Underground Railroad conductor Harriet Tubman. Biographical information is conveyed through sequential art and dialogue, including a fictionalized meeting with Philadelphia abolitionist William Still. The story also zooms in on Tubman's successful effort in 1854 to help her brothers escape enslavement. Rectangular panels depict mostly realistic scenes, with thick black outlines and muted, shadowy shades of pink and blue; whimsical, feather- and firework-like shapes are used to symbolize her unwavering faith and belief that God was offering her direction. Shifts in visual perspective emphasize sensory-rich, scene-setting details (mice scurrying, lanterns buzzing, trains passing, etc.). The "spells" Tubman experienced after an overseer threw a heavy weight at her forehead are illustrated, as well as the subterfuges, codes, and traditions enslaved people developed to survive and celebrate their lives despite the oppression they faced and actively fought. The people highlighted have agency and courage, with their humanity and hope centered. (At one point Tubman says, about her failed marriage, "What can you do but move forward?") With an introduction by Carole Boston Weatherford and back matter including "Panel Discussions" and source notes detailing the creative liberties taken for dramatic effect.

Reviewer: Elisa Gall | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2021

(3) 4-6 "Men their rights, nothing more; women their rights, nothing less," was the rallying cry of radical suffragist and abolitionist Anthony, whose observations inspired her fight against injustice and inequality. Kanefield brings Anthony's day-to-day work to vivid life, writing about the issues in a relatable way for young readers. The volume includes well-captioned photos, drawings, and documents throughout; appended with extensive notes and excerpts of Anthony's writings. Timeline. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Daniel Minter. Schmidt’s hauntingly beautiful, uncompromisingly direct picture-book biography takes larger-than-life figure Sojourner Truth (1797?–1883) from childhood to old age, focusing on her acts of courage at a time when black Americans had few legal rights. Minter’s watercolor and mixed-media art is stunning, often making Truth the largest figure on the page or spread. An essential text for studying Civil War–era American history.

Reviewer: Michelle H. Martin | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2019

(4) K-3 Little People, Big Dreams series. Illustrated by Pili Aguado. Each appealing picture-book biography spotlights a famous woman and her accomplishments, foregrounding the influence of childhood experiences. Vegara emphasizes empowerment and tackles difficult issues (such as slavery in Tubman) with honesty and sensitivity, but overall the texts are pretty simplistic. The illustrations (each book by a different artist) vary greatly in style. Back matter includes photos and/or paintings along with more detailed biographical information. Reading list. Review covers these Little People, Big Dreams titles: Harriet Tubman, Jane Austen, Jane Goodall, L. M. Montgomery, and Simone de Beauvoir.

Reviewer: Erica Wetter

(2) K-3 Illustrated by James E. Ransome. The Ransomes have crafted an evocative life story of Harriet Tubman, framed by her travels. In free verse, the text tells of Tubman's roles (in reverse chronological order) as suffragist, abolitionist, Union spy, nurse, conductor on the Underground Railroad, and slave. James Ransome's arresting watercolors highlight Tubman's face from different angles, always emphasizing her undaunted determination. Visual details will also enhance readers' knowledge of American history.

Reviewer: Michelle H. Martin | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2018

(4) 4-6 Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales series. In this fifth graphic novel, Revolutionary War hero Nathan Hale continues to distract his executioners; here the focus is on slavery in America and Harriet Tubman's courageous abolitionist work. As in previous volumes, irreverent humor makes a complicated story more accessible. Readers will appreciate the compelling history lesson (provided they're not put off by the small panel illustrations and tiny type). Reading list.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(3) K-3 Illustrated by James Ransome. Isabella Baumfree was born into slavery but later escaped and transformed herself into Sojourner Truth, antislavery speaker and women's-rights advocate. Assuming the voice of Sojourner, Turner's free-verse narrative is loose and colloquial, and the punctuation quirky. Ransome's dramatic watercolors complement a page design that plays with font size, italics, and ribbons of words floating across double-page spreads. Reading list.

Reviewer: Dean Schneider

(3) YA Considering slavery worldwide, from the eighteenth century to the present, this book features fourteen famous and little-known women who fought against it. Ellen Craft (an American slave who disguised herself as a man while traveling north in 1849), Harriet Tubman, Timea Nagy (who escaped sex slavery in 1998 Canada), and others are honored in the well-researched narrative. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Lauren Causey

(2) YA At thirteen, Tula wonders "how many slaves / Mamá will buy with the money / she gains by marrying me to / the highest bidder." Loosely based on the early life of Cuban writer Gertrudis Gómez de Avellaneda (1814–73), this lyrical verse novel highlights Tula's need to write and her struggle for self-determination. A note sorts fact from fiction and samples Avellaneda's poetry.

Reviewer: Joanna Rudge Long | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2013

(3) 4-6 Americans--The Spirit of a Nation series. From heroes and heroines to bandits and beloved American icons, these balanced titles consistently sort fact from fiction and confirm each figure's place in history. First chapters successfully introduce the subjects and draw readers in by describing dynamic events. Archival photographs, maps, primary sources, and sidebars combine with dry but informative texts to complete these well-documented biographies. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Americans--The Spirit of a Nation titles: Jesse James, Dolley Madison, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, John Brown, Harriet Tubman, Billy the Kid, and Johnny Appleseed.

Reviewer: Tamara DePasquale

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Brian Pinkney. Using a folksy style that meshes well with Sojourner's voice, Andrea Pinkney focuses on Truth's determination and hard work as an abolitionist, preacher, and advocate for women's rights. Brian Pinkney's illustrations show the tall, imposing woman outlined with thick black lines against sketched-in backgrounds, keeping her the focus of each double-page spread and conveying the strength of her personality. Reading list.

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2010

(4) 4-6 Sterling Biographies series. Attractive layouts and well-chosen images including photographs, paintings, documents (e.g., the police report on Rosa Parks's arrest), etc. make for accessible, if adulatory, biographies of six noteworthy African Americans. Sidebars flesh out historical contexts and important contemporaries. Malcolm X is the most riveting, both because of the subject's criminal past and his controversial beliefs. Across the volumes, quotations aren't cited. Timeline. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these Sterling Biographies titles: Rosa Parks, Harriet Tubman, Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, Marian Anderson, and Frederick Douglass.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger

(4) YA Essential Lives series. This series offers serviceable if bland biographies of people famous in a variety of arenas. The writing is straightforward, and frequent sidebars help with historical context. Some photographs and archival materials also break up the pages. The volume on the one contemporary subject in this group (Jobs) is less assured than the others. There are six other new books in this series. Reading list, timeline. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these Essential Lives titles: Laura Ingalls Wilder, Steve Jobs, Eleanor Roosevelt, Lucretia Mott, and Zora Neale Hurston.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(4) K-3 Primeras biografías series. These books offer some insight into the lives of people important to United States history. Mayer provides brief background information on each person, along with why he or she should be remembered, though the Spanish texts are oversimplified and by no means comprehensive. Photographs, watercolors, and period illustrations accompany the texts. Timeline. Glos., ind. Review covers these Primeras biografías titles: Abigail Adams, Abraham Lincoln, Benjamin Franklin, Frederick Douglass, George Washington, Harriet Tubman, Tecumseh, and Thomas Jefferson.

Reviewer: Alissa C. Salamone

(4) K-3 First Biographies series. One or two easy-to-read sentences on each page accompanied by well-chosen pictures (mostly artwork reproductions) introduce young readers to the lives of prominent figures in American history. Though they are oversimplified and by no means comprehensive, these accessible books effectively highlight significant events in their subjects' lives and explain their legacies using a simple but informative format. Timeline. Glos, ind. Review covers these First Biographies titles: Abigail Adams, Abraham Lincoln, Benjamin Franklin, Frederick Douglass, George Washington, Harriet Tubman, and Thomas Jefferson.

Reviewer: Aimee Chevrette Bear

(4) K-3 Ready-to-Read: Stories of Famous Americans series. Illustrated by Julia Denos. This story of the freed slave who became a preacher and a fighter for women's rights is told cleanly and clearly in this book for more sophisticated beginning readers. Merchant provides some historical context and the motivations behind Truth's actions. Many of the illustrations are atmospheric and powerful (though a few look unfinished). Timeline.

Reviewer: Becky Levine

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Carla Bauer. In this twist on a popular subject, Tubman's life story (interwoven with the events of the Civil War) reads like an adventure novel. Nevertheless, the well-documented book, cleverly designed and illustrated to look like a vintage volume, separates fact from myth. Extensive appendices include source notes, a map, and a spy code (several codes are hidden throughout for readers to solve). Reading list, timeline, websites. Ind.

Reviewer: Christina Dorr

(1) K-3 Illustrated by Kadir Nelson. Weatherford's poetic telling and Nelson's atmospheric paintings of Tubman's role in the Underground Railroad portray the spiritual life of the African American visionary. From her days as a slave to her life as a free person, three narrative voices (a third-person narrator, Harriet herself, and God's words to Harriet) make clear that it was Tubman's faith that sustained her on the freedom journeys.

Reviewer: Michelle H. Martin | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2006