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Feb 22, 2011

Abigail rated it:

Am I embarrassed by the fact that this book had me sniffling by the third page, and bawling outright by the final one? No, but I would be embarrassed - nay, ashamed even - if I weren't moved in some way by such an extraordinary story! How could anyone, tears or no, help being touched by such a powerful tale of humanity and inhumanity, of brutal oppression and the courage needed to defy it, especially when the tale in question is all true? January's Sparrow, based upon the true story of a family More...

8 comments like (5 people liked it)

Sep 19, 2010

Rebecca rated it:

This book tells the true story of the Crosswhite family, slaves on a Kentucky plantation, and their journey to freedom. Told by January, the adopted son of the Crosswhites, it is primarily about Sadie, the youngest child. They travel through nights, across the Ohio River along the Underground Railroad, ending in Marshall, Michigan. When slave trackers find them here, they must once again flee but at last meet again with January who had been thought dead.
The historical aspect of the book More...

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Sep 11, 2010

Adam rated it:

January's Sparrow is an intense children's book following a family of runaway slaves in their journey from Kentucky to Marshall, Michigan. Patricia Polacco spares few details as she depicts the atrocities of slavery and the perils that so guarded the gates of freedom for runaways.

I was at first a bit shocked by the vividness of the imagery and language used, thinking to myself, in a very 'school-mom' sort of way, 'but this is a children's book!' As I continued to read however, I appr More...

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Mar 12, 2010

Josiah rated it:

January's Sparrow is easily the most suspenseful and exciting picture book that I have ever read. The intensity of the narrative bleeds through the pictures and events with solemn, powerful drive, taking us back to pre-Civil War Kentucky and allowing us to feel some of the real terror experienced by runaway slaves.

January, a man who lives on the same Kentucky plantation as Sadie's family and is just like a brother to her, receives a vicious flogging from his white owners when h More...

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Jan 17, 2010

Evelyn rated it:

APA Citation:
Polacco, Patricia. (2009) January's sparrow /New York : Philomel Books,

Interesting/Reading Level: Grades 5-6

Summary:
The Crosswhites are a slave family working for Master Giltner in Kentucky. January, the oldest child, attempts to run away but was soon caught, beaten, and left to die. News reaches the Crosswhites that Giltner plans to auction off the rest of the boys, so they flee for Indiana, and later to Marshall, Michigan. Sadie, the youngest Cr More...

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Oct 19, 2009

Jennifer rated it:

You might be a bit like me; only buying great books once they've come out in paperback. It's least expensive and the story is the same as the hardback edition. But, if there is one book you should pay extra for this year, I highly recommend January's Sparrow by Patricia Pollaco.

I was a bit surprised to get January's Sparrow in October to review as it seems like a book ripe for Black History Month. After reading January's Sparrow I now know it's perfect any time of year. January Spa More...

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Sep 26, 2009

Amy added it

The Crosswhites are a slave family working for Master Giltner in Kentucky. January, the oldest (adopted) child, can't abide this way of life, though, and takes his chances with trying to escape. He is caught soon after his attempt to run away, beaten to within an inch of his life, and left for dead. Soon after, news reaches the Crosswhites that Giltner plans to auction off the rest of their boys. They will not stand for this, so they set out for Indiana, the closest free state. They are abl More...

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Dec 24, 2009

Lisa rated it:

This masterfully told story is very powerful and inspiring from beginning to end, and it’s another Polacco book that made me cry. I had a deep emotional response and might have upped it one half to one star because of that, which I consider a perfectly legitimate reason.

I’ve been reading Patricia Polacco’s books at a fast clip and here she’s amazed me yet again. On the inside back cover of this book it’s revealed that her Michigan home was once an inn and safe haven along the Undergr More...

4 comments like (2 people liked it)

Mar 21, 2011

Wilhelmina rated it:

A wonderful picture book for older children (3rd grade and up), Polacco tells the story of the Crosswhite family's escape from slavery. This is a true story, and the courage of the family and the residents of Marshall, Michigan is uplifting and inspiring. The author does not sugarcoat the horrific cruelty of slavery or what the family must endure to be free. She doesn't end the story when the family reaches Marshall; the story continues, showing the danger that persists under the Fugitive Slave More...

3 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 14, 2011

Kirsten rated it:

This is definitely a picture book for older kids due to the historical storyline of the physical abuse suffered during slavery, but what a great book it is! Polacco has done an amazing job of bringing to life the experience of a family who escape slavery together and seek freedom in the North. The depth of feeling found in the characters as they face truly terrifying moments, nights filled with anxiety, constantly living with caution and alertness, coupled with moments of intense happiness and j More...

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Nov 06, 2011

528_Tracy rated it:

Sadie Crosswhite and her family run away from the Giltner plantation in Kentucky towards freedom in Canada after their friend, January, is beaten nearly to death for running away. They make it as far as Marshall, Michigan, before they decide they are safe. Sadie and her family settle in Marshall, where she and her brothers go to school and her father gets a job. There are several free and runaway African American in Marshall, the Crosswhites are safe there. One night, the slave catchers find More...

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Feb 08, 2010

Dolly rated it:

I read this book to our oldest after our youngest had gone to sleep. We were so engrossed in this story that we read it cover to cover (and turned out the light much later than we wanted to). But the story is really amazing, and true, which makes it all the more inspiring and heartbreaking. The illustrations are very good and are excellent at reflecting the emotions of the people in the story.

The story of slavery in our country is not a proud one, but it is one that deserves to More...

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Feb 10, 2012

June rated it:

This is a long picture book and is quite brutal and graphic in terms of the violence visited upon slaves. Definitely not for the young ones, at least elementary and maybe more middle elementary. A family is forced to watch the brutal whipping of a runaway slave. Afterwards, they run themselves; to avoid being split up as a family and having their sons sold off. Polacco portrays the hardships and terror that they endure during their escape on the Underground Railroad and fear while living in More...

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Feb 01, 2011

Gen rated it:

This book was awesome and based on a life story. Yes, definitely a LIFE story. My kids clapped and screamed at the end. They were engrossed in the book from beginning to end. They are 9. They hated to stop reading the 1st night. We finished it the 2nd night because I couldn't stop reading.

This might be scary for a younger child. But 4th grade and up should definitely be able to handle it. Discussions around slavery and the underground railroad.

One day I'd like to More...

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Mar 12, 2010

Sarah rated it:

I'm not a huge Patricia Polaoco fan, her books are usually too long for me, and some seem repetitive. This book is much like her other works, very long--really at the highest end of a picture book. It was listed as Illustrated Fiction in Kirkus, where I requested it from. I did like that when the family escapes through the underground railway they don't use the quilt shortcut to explain the different signs that were given. That is something that historians have questioned, and Polaoco shows how More...

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Feb 04, 2011

Rosie rated it:

While I liked this book for the most part, I think this is a little bit of a hard book to sell because of its size and format. It looks like a picture book, but the content and pictures are much too frightening for small children. Unfortunately, older children may not want to read it because it looks like a picture book. The pictures did a good job of communicating the hardships and brutality runaway slaves faced. I also wish there had been an author's note or recommended reading, so that I coul More...

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Mar 03, 2011

Marcie rated it:

I reread this in order to booktalk it. It is a little too long for a Elementary School read aloud, but packs the emotional punch of all of Polacco's books. The personal connection for the author and researcher Mary McCafferty Douglass make the book useful for students as a model for the importance of research in writing historical fiction. The telling it from the standpoint of Sadie "the youngest Crosswhite" is the stroke of Genius Polacco is known for. As I think about it, I just c More...

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Sep 18, 2010

Marcia rated it:

This is a hard book to pigeon hole. It is a picture book, but it is 96 pages long. It is the story of slaves running to freedom on the Underground Railroad that is told in a harrowing, gut wrenching way. The illustrations of the brutal beating that open the book are graphic and unsettling. It is a great story from one of the best storytellers in childrens' literature. Definitely best used by a teacher with a class or a parent sharing it with their child. Polacco's body of work continues to be i More...

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Oct 01, 2009

Virginia rated it:

Longer than a picture book at 95 pages, this is still a lavishly illustrated story about a family of runaway slaves that settles down in somewhat dubious security in a Michigan town. They are welcomed there, but the danger of being reclaimed by bounty hunters is real. This is a sometimes harrowing story about the evils of slavery, the cruelty of some white people along with the generosity of others, and the resilience of the African American people who lived through it.

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Jan 27, 2010

Jennifer rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

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Nov 28, 2009

Jane rated it:

Much longer than your average picturebook, focused on an older audience than you'd normally think of for a picturebook, in the same vein as Pink and Say. I don't believe any of us can truly begin to feel what it was like to be a slave/runaway slave but Polacco does a fine job here of making the story feel personal enough to stir the imagination. That it is based on a well researched family's experience makes it all the more effective. Liked it a lot.

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Jul 29, 2011

Sandybear76 added it

Another great book by Polocco. It is a little long for a picture book and some to the pictures were unpleasant. But a great story. A slave family has a friend that runs away, is caught, returned to the plantation where he is beaten to death. The slave family runs away too but make it to a small town in the North, where they have a tiny farm and the kids go to school. The slave catchers find them in the town and a surprise ending happens.

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Feb 01, 2010

Karen rated it:

The horrors of slavery, the terror of fugitive slaves and the compassion of the people on the Underground Railroad are masterfully told from the point of view of young Sadie in this moving picture book. It's longer than most of Polacco's books, but would make an excellent read-aloud over the course of a few days. The illustrations are wonderful. It's ultimately inspiring and uplifting and is based on a true story.

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Feb 08, 2012

Linda rated it:

For older students, maybe 9 & up as a read aloud & a serious conversation, a beautifully inspiring story during slavery time, Underground Railroad time, and escape to a slave free state time. Polacco's words and pictures tell a scary story that includes anxious moments as well as heroic ones. One of the best things about the book is that it's based on the truth of the town of Marshal, Michigan.

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Oct 26, 2010

Krista the Krazy Kataloguer rated it:

I believe this is the longest book Polacco has written to date. This story, however, was such that it deserved a lengthier telling. Sadie and her slave family escape to Michigan and think they are safe--until the paddyrollers find them! This story was full of suspense, pathos, and warmth. Polacco spared nothing in her illustrations, depicting the horrified looks on the children's faces as they're forced to witness the beating of a slave friend, whose body lay bleeding and broken on the groun More...

7 comments like (2 people liked it)

May 07, 2011

Fatima rated it:

A beautiful and real story of the Crosswhite family's who run away from the slanvry to live a free life. I love true story as well as children in grade fouth. It gives children a background about families who were slaved and what kinds of challanges they faced to have freedom. I think, schools should have these kinds of valuable books available.

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Jan 29, 2010

Julia rated it:

Slavery is a difficult topic to cover in a picture book for children. It is difficult to get the tone and horror of the events without placing an undo burden of fear. Polcco's book hits just the right notes. She is a craftsman of words and pictures and her years of work truly culminates in this work.

2 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jul 23, 2011

Debra rated it:

When the Crosswhite family escaped from their Kentucky slavery, they ended up in Marshall Michigan where the local residents protected them. A true story, this is told with great emotion and strong illustrations. Although it looks like a picture book, not really meant for younger readers.

1 comment like

Jun 24, 2011

Kelly rated it:

Another excellent book from Patricia Polacco. January's Sparrow is a quick but moving read that illustrates what life was like for runaway slaves. Polacco's storytelling is so vivid that I felt fear, anger, and desperation along with the characters. I think this book would be a perfect read-aloud for elementary school students learning about the Underground Railroad and how the Civil War began long before the first shots were fired at Fort Sumter.

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Oct 27, 2011

Crista rated it:

What an emotional and moving story about slavery and escape. The graphic images in the beginning pull the reader into the story and demand that the little girl be safe on her journey.

I love the intertwisted fates and complicated plot. The graphic images and violence make this story definitely suited for an older audience.

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