The New York Times Book Review - Glenda R. Carpio
Alix Delinois's illustrations beautifully balance the intensity of this history lesson…Woelfle's narrative skillfully keeps Mumbet at center…and her appended notes and references offer opportunities for discussing nuances in the history of American slavery.
Publishers Weekly
★ 12/02/2013
A slave named Mumbet, who successfully sued for her own freedom in 1781 Massachusetts, is the subject of this powerfully told biography. Suffering under a cruel mistress, Mumbet seeks solace in the freely running rivers of the landscape and in her own mind. Woelfle draws clear parallels between the Massachusetts colonists’ discontent and the freedom Mumbet craves: “ ‘The King means to take away our rights!’ one man shouted. Do I have rights? wondered Mumbet.” Delinois’s thick layers of paint and vibrant palette infuse even the story’s upsetting moments with hopefulness, and Mumbet herself glows with determination and integrity. An author’s note addresses how many details of Mumbet’s life were lost to history, yet her story stands as a potent reminder that the freedoms that accompanied the American Revolution left many behind. Ages 6–10. (Feb.)
From the Publisher
"Delinois's thick layers of paint and vibrant palette infuse even the story's upsetting moments with hopefulness, and Mumbet herself glows with determination and integrity." —starred, Publishers Weekly
School Library Journal - Audio
06/01/2015
Gr 1–5—This brief slice of history takes place in 1780s Massachusetts, where an intelligent and strong slave woman was known as Mumbet by the household's slave children and Betty by her owners, the Ashleys. Although Mumbet could neither read nor write, she could listen, and after hearing her owner talk about the Massachusetts Constitution provision that "all men are born free and equal, and have certain natural, essential, and unalienable rights," Mumbet wondered about herself. She approached a young lawyer named Theodore Sedgewick who agreed to represent Mumbet and then went on to win her freedom and that of 5,000 Massachusetts slaves. Susie Berneis is the voice artist who narrates the story and captures Mumbet's and the other characters' voices with sensitivity and conviction. VERDICT This deceptively simple story is an excellent introduction to the powerful and noble liberties outlined in our state and national constitutions.—Mary Lee Bulat, Harwinton Public Library, CT
Kirkus Reviews
2013-10-09
With the words of Massachusetts colonial rebels ringing in her ears, a slave determines to win her freedom. In 1780, Mumbet heard the words of the new Massachusetts constitution, including its declaration of freedom and equality. With the help of a young lawyer, she went to court and the following year, won her freedom, becoming Elizabeth Freeman. Slavery was declared illegal and subsequently outlawed in the state. Woelfle writes with fervor as she describes Mumbet's life in the household of John Ashley, a rich landowner and businessman who hosted protest meetings against British taxation. His wife was abrasive and abusive, striking out with a coal shovel at a young girl, possibly Mumbet's daughter. Mumbet deflected the blow and regarded the wound as "her badge of bravery." Ironically, the lawyer who took her case, Theodore Sedgwick, had attended John Ashley's meetings. Delinois' full-bleed paintings are heroic in scale, richly textured and vibrant. Typography becomes part of the page design as the font increases when the text mentions freedom. Another slave in the Ashley household was named in the court case, but Woelfle, keeping her young audience in mind, keeps it simple, wisely focusing on Mumbet. A life devoted to freedom and dignity, worthy of praise and remembrance. (author's note, selected bibliography, further reading) (Picture book/biography. 5-8)
