Follow the Drinking Gourd: An Underground Railroad Story

by Cari Meister, Robert Squier (Illustrator)

Overview

Follow the Drinking Gourd is an American folk song from the 1920s. Legend has it that a man called Peg Leg Joe taught slaves the song to help them escape to freedom, and they used the Big Dipper and the North Star to guide the way.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781404877146
Publisher:	Capstone
Publication date:	07/01/2012
Series:	Night Sky Stories Series
Pages:	24
Product dimensions:	9.98(w) x 4.34(h) x 0.12(d)
Lexile:	560L (what's this?)
Age Range:	7 - 9 Years

About the Author

Cari Meister has written more than 130 books for children, including the Tiny series (Penguin) and the Fast Forward Fairy Tales series (Scholastic).  Cari is a school librarian and she loves to visit other schools and libraries to talk about the joy of reading and writing.  Cari lives in the mountains of Colorado with her husband, four boys, one horse, and one dog.  You can find out more about her at www.carimeister.com.

Interviews

• Each book tells a story connected to a well-known constellation • Combines history and mythology with science • Illustrated nonfiction picture books

Editorial Reviews

As we progress, it’s important to remember from where we’ve come. This book is a wonderful reminder of the wonderful people who risked thier lives to help free slaves.

Hott Books blog

My 6 year old daughter, Jessie, and I read this together. We both loved it.

Wanted Readers blog

In this entry in the Night Sky Stories series, Peg Leg Joe travels from plantation to plantation, singing a song with special significance to the slaves working the fields (“When the sun comes back, And the first quail calls, Follow the drinking gourd”). If the slaves listen carefully, the words provide a “map to freedom.” The song, interspersed with the story of Peg Leg Joe, is brief and repeated throughout, making for a good read-aloud and sing-along. Squier’s digitally created illustrations are eye-catching and saturated with color, often depicting the faces of Joe and the slaves illuminated by a nighttime fire. Although there is an extremely brief and simple glossary, suggested further reading and websites offer kids the opportunity to learn more on the subject of the Underground Railroad. An introduction to the book also touches on the subject and explains that “Follow the Drinking Gourd” is an American folk song.

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