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Picture Book Biography
A Picture Book of Harriet Tubman
Harriet Tubman was born a slave. She hated being a slave, so she escaped slavery on the Underground Railroad. During her life, Harriet helped lead over 300 slaves to freedom on the Underground Railroad. This is her story.
32 pages, Library Binding
First published March 1, 1992
14 people are currently reading
247 people want to read
About the author
David A. Adler
400 books202 followersDavid Abraham Adler is an American children's author. He was born in New York City, New York in 1947. He graduated from Queens College in 1968 with a bachelor's degree in economics and education. For the next nine years, he worked as a mathematics teacher for the New York City Board of Education, while taking classes towards a master's degree in marketing, a degree he was awarded by New York University in 1971. In that same year, a question from his then-three-year-old nephew inspired Adler to write his first story, A Little at a Time, subsequently published by Random House in 1976. Adler's next project, a series of math books, drew on his experience as a math teacher. In 1977, he created his most famous character, Cam Jansen, originally featured in Cam Jansen and the Mystery of the Stolen Diamonds, which was published that year.
Adler married psychologist Renee Hamada in 1973, and their first child, Michael, was born in 1977. By that time Adler had taken a break from teaching and, while his wife continued her work, he stayed home, took care of Michael, and began a full-time writing career.
Adler's son, Michael S. Adler, is now the co-author of several books with his father, including A Picture Book of Sam Adams, A Picture Book of John Hancock, and A Picture Book of James and Dolly Madison. Another son, Edward, was the inspiration for Adler's Andy Russell series, with the events described in the series loosely based on adventures the Adler family had with Edward's enthusiasm and his pets.
As of November 2008, Adler has three sons and two grandsons. He lives in Woodmere, New York.
(source: Wikipedia)
Adler married psychologist Renee Hamada in 1973, and their first child, Michael, was born in 1977. By that time Adler had taken a break from teaching and, while his wife continued her work, he stayed home, took care of Michael, and began a full-time writing career.
Adler's son, Michael S. Adler, is now the co-author of several books with his father, including A Picture Book of Sam Adams, A Picture Book of John Hancock, and A Picture Book of James and Dolly Madison. Another son, Edward, was the inspiration for Adler's Andy Russell series, with the events described in the series loosely based on adventures the Adler family had with Edward's enthusiasm and his pets.
As of November 2008, Adler has three sons and two grandsons. He lives in Woodmere, New York.
(source: Wikipedia)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews
February 23, 2021
A picture book biography of Harriet Tubman written by David A. Adler and illustrated by Samuel Byrd.
Harriet was born a slave, in Dorchester County, Maryland, around 1820-1821. She was the sixth child of eleven born to Benjamin Ross and Harriet Green. She lived on a large plantation that had a large house with all the conveniences, of that time. However, Harriet lived in a hut with no windows and no furniture.
Harriet never liked being a slave, in fact, she hated it. She was often beaten for not doing what she was told. She saw two of her sister sold and taken away in chains.
In 1844, Harriet married John Tubman, a free man. She told her husband that she wanted to run away and wanted him to come. He said that if she ran away that he would tell her owner. Harriet ran away anyway with three of her brothers. They had no food or money and turned back, convincing
Harriet to go back, too. She left two days later, on her own.
She went to the house of a woman that had told her that she would help her. This turn out to be Harriet's first stop on the underground railroad. A network of people against slavery that help slaves travel to freedom. This woman directed her to the next house, who directed her to the next house,..., all the way to Pennsylvania.
Harriet worked many jobs between 1850 and 1860 to support herself and to finance 19 trips south to guide family and other slaves to freedom, sometimes as far as Canada. She became known as Moses, because she lead her people out of slavery.
During the civil war Harriet worked as a nurse and as a spy.
Book for children age 4 -8.
Black History Month Read
Harriet was born a slave, in Dorchester County, Maryland, around 1820-1821. She was the sixth child of eleven born to Benjamin Ross and Harriet Green. She lived on a large plantation that had a large house with all the conveniences, of that time. However, Harriet lived in a hut with no windows and no furniture.
Harriet never liked being a slave, in fact, she hated it. She was often beaten for not doing what she was told. She saw two of her sister sold and taken away in chains.
In 1844, Harriet married John Tubman, a free man. She told her husband that she wanted to run away and wanted him to come. He said that if she ran away that he would tell her owner. Harriet ran away anyway with three of her brothers. They had no food or money and turned back, convincing
Harriet to go back, too. She left two days later, on her own.
She went to the house of a woman that had told her that she would help her. This turn out to be Harriet's first stop on the underground railroad. A network of people against slavery that help slaves travel to freedom. This woman directed her to the next house, who directed her to the next house,..., all the way to Pennsylvania.
Harriet worked many jobs between 1850 and 1860 to support herself and to finance 19 trips south to guide family and other slaves to freedom, sometimes as far as Canada. She became known as Moses, because she lead her people out of slavery.
During the civil war Harriet worked as a nurse and as a spy.
Book for children age 4 -8.
Black History Month Read
October 1, 2020
A Picture Book of Harriet Tubman describes the journey Harriet Tubman went through to later be known as a "Moses" to her people. Along with her parents, Harriet Tubman was a slave owned by Edward Brodas. She repeatedly suffered from harsh punishments and was afraid one day she would be sold to a plantation further south. From her rebellious childhood to her daring escape from slavery, Harriet Tubman was a confident, fearless woman. After heading North in search of freedom, she risked her life, again and again, to lead others out of slavery, devoting herself to guiding almost three hundred individuals along the network of safe havens known as the Underground Railroad. Called “General Tubman” for her strength and bravery, Harriet went on to work as a nurse and spy for the northern army in the Civil War. She fought tirelessly for women’s right to vote, and help to open a home for poor and elderly African Americans, to which she eventually retired. A Picture Book of Harriet Tubman is an excellent book for teachers to teach their students about social justice. Harriet Tubman was a slave that fought for her freedom. She knew she had the same rights as every individual whether they were black or white. She survived slavery because of her strong-will to make a change. Harriet Tubman is an excellent role model for students to learn about because she sends a message out through her struggles and journey that everyone has the ability to fight for what they believe is right. As a future teacher, I could use this book to introduce the discussion on slavery to my students. Introducing ordinary people, such as Harriet Tubman, will enable my students to recognize the changes an individual can make. Students can explore other individuals that contributed to the Civil Rights Movement. In groups, students can pick a person that fought for the rights of African Americans and each week one group can lead a discussion on that person. This book serves as an excellent introduction to how the Civil Rights Movement started. I would recommend this book for 2nd-3rd graders.
July 11, 2018
This book is clearly written while still being dramatic enough to hold the attention of a five year old who actually prefers dinosaurs to humans. It gives a thorough history of Tubman and how awesome she was, and plenty of background about American slavery.
My one complaint is that there are a few places where the sentence construction is unnecessarily passive, e.g. "The slaves worked hard all day, but they weren't paid." or "Harriet saw two of her sisters taken away in chains." Some writers might feel that admitting who chose to do these things is too intense for kids, but I disagree. It creates an absence in history if we can't write "White slaveowners forced their slaves to work hard all day, but didn't pay them," or "White slave traders put two of Harriet's sisters in chains and took them away." Failing to tell kids the truth about history isn't doing them any favors.
Still, overall this is a great book and I was glad to read it to my kid.
My one complaint is that there are a few places where the sentence construction is unnecessarily passive, e.g. "The slaves worked hard all day, but they weren't paid." or "Harriet saw two of her sisters taken away in chains." Some writers might feel that admitting who chose to do these things is too intense for kids, but I disagree. It creates an absence in history if we can't write "White slaveowners forced their slaves to work hard all day, but didn't pay them," or "White slave traders put two of Harriet's sisters in chains and took them away." Failing to tell kids the truth about history isn't doing them any favors.
Still, overall this is a great book and I was glad to read it to my kid.
November 20, 2018
A Picture Book of Harriet Tubman is a perfectly executed book about the one and only heroic Harriet Tubman. Harriet Tubman’s life is one of strength and courage and a story that every young child deserves the opportunity to hear. This book brings to life her story in simple and easy to understand way that I believe most age groups would be able to follow and understand through the use of simple and straightforward language. Moreover, the illustrations use deep colors and lots of detailed lines to bring to life the saddening reality of the times that Harriet was alive. This woman lived through so much and fought every day for what she knew was right. There were many themes throughout the picture book including; family, ethics, slavery, love, and courage. These themes that appear in any work of literature written about Harriet Tubman’s life is what I believe made this book so powerful.
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December 10, 2015I read this story with my reading buddy and I really enjoyed how well it was able to capture Harriet Tubman's life in few pages. It had a lot of facts and information that could even be used for a biography project. The pictures were beautiful and they were a visual representation of what Tubman's life was like. The issues of slavery, abolition, civil war, and faith were brought up and it made it easy to discuss this with the student. I was amazed at the pages that were specifically dedicated to describe Tubman's faith, the author must of thought that this was very important and he implied that this drove her to lead many slaves to freedom. I think I would have enjoyed reading this book when I was younger because I used to love biographies and the civil rights movement. I think this is a great resource for students in the future and I know that it will inspire students.
November 26, 2019
Summary: From birth to death, Harriet Tubman's incredible life is shared in this beautifully illustrated book. In her youth, Harriet Tubman conducted the Underground Railroad, and in later in life she joined the suffragist movement. Harriet Tubman accomplished many incredible and daring feats throughout her life.
Review: I enjoyed reading about Harriet Tubman in this picture book. The words flowed throughout the pages and provided a lot of information, including several details that I did not know about and do not remember learning in school. The author does a wonederful job presenting Harriet Tubman as a symbol of courage and inspiration.
Connect/Pair with: Before She was Harriet by Lesa Cline-Ransome; Henry's Freedom Box by Ellen Levine; Unspoken by Henry Cole; Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt by Deborah Hopkinson
Delicious Quote/Use: I would use the following quote to represent the social justice issue of slavery. This quote speaks volumes as to the determination of Harriet Tubman to be a free human being- "'I had a right to liberty or death,' she said after her escape. 'If I could not have one, I would have the other.'"
Review: I enjoyed reading about Harriet Tubman in this picture book. The words flowed throughout the pages and provided a lot of information, including several details that I did not know about and do not remember learning in school. The author does a wonederful job presenting Harriet Tubman as a symbol of courage and inspiration.
Connect/Pair with: Before She was Harriet by Lesa Cline-Ransome; Henry's Freedom Box by Ellen Levine; Unspoken by Henry Cole; Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt by Deborah Hopkinson
Delicious Quote/Use: I would use the following quote to represent the social justice issue of slavery. This quote speaks volumes as to the determination of Harriet Tubman to be a free human being- "'I had a right to liberty or death,' she said after her escape. 'If I could not have one, I would have the other.'"
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November 29, 2019Summary: A picture Book of Harriet Tubman is written by David A. Adler and illustrated by Samuel Byrd. This book tells of the life of Harriet Tubman. Harriet was born to slavery parents and was in slavery until she was old. Harriet hated slavery and she wanted to be free. She married John Tubman, a free man. Harriet runs away by Underground Railroad and getting to a free state. Harriet works as a cook, dishwasher, and cleaning woman. She goes back and frees other slaves. Harriet helps many former slaves, fights for women's vote in the U.S.
Evaluation of Illustrations and Text: The illustrations fill the page with detail and color. The text is around the illustrations. The text is small and in bold, short paragraphs.
Strategies for Use in the Classroom:
It is important to know the history of slavery and the many people who fought and survived.
Make predictions in the story - The students can write down or talk about what will happen as the story is being read to them.
November 16, 2017
I would also read A Picture Book of Harriet Tubman, which is the biography of Harriet Tubman. This book is written in the form of a picture book, and has some element of a story line, but focuses more on facts and vocabulary words. Within the book, it will use a word and explain it in the sentence. It is teaching just as much, if not more, than it is telling a story. An example of this is when they used the word abolitionist. The word was defined within the story. This book also has information at the back of the book for reference. I would have my students compare and contrast how the two books share their information and if one book has certain aspects that the other doesn't (examples being: a glossary at the back, a timeline of events, more of a storyline, etc).
December 4, 2017
A Picture Book of Harriet Tubman is a wonderful biography of Harriet Tubman and her life. It's a great book to use as you introduce the concept of slavery to students. Throughout the book there is a focus on specific vocabulary words, that allow students to use it in a sentence. The illustrator does a beautiful job capturing images, and as I read I could see how students would be drawn in. It makes the perfect pair to "Aunt Harriet's Underground Railroad." I believe the two books together provide students with a great story to admire, and the foundational information to guide their continued learning of American Slavery, the underground railroad, and African American list in the U.S. post slavery. I recommend this book to students in grades 3-5.
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December 5, 2019A Picture Book of Harriet Tubman is by David A. Adler where he talk about a great leader Harriet Tubman who she is and what she did. It talks about the topic like slavery and underground railroad and civil wars and other american history. It shows how brave she was to help escape many slaves through railroad. This book is a diverse learning book where students will get to see women in color leading a group of people. It has some amazing pictures that helps to visual the heavy topics that he book talks about. For the class room use, I would ask student to look up the name of the leader who does not look like them and share something about them.
November 29, 2017
This biography is a wonderful story that tell of Harriet Tubman’s personal struggle with slavery. The beautiful pictures are great in helping to visualize her experiences, and give great insight to how it was back then. Alder also provides a lot of information and facts about slavery that will benefit students to understand the concepts of abolition, civil war, and the underground railroad. This picture book really captures the fortitude of Harriet Tubman, and her passion to lead those like her to freedom.
March 19, 2019
'A Picture Book of Harriet Tubman' would be appropriate to read with 1st through 5th grade students. This book could be read aloud to the entire class or students could read the book independently to learn about the life of this remarkable woman. The book tells about the life of Harriet Tubman as a narrative picture book. It tells of her difficult life as a slave and how she fought to free slaves. Students could use this book to do a report or project on Harriet Tubman. This book could be read during a unit on slavery or during Black History Month or Women's History Month.
July 11, 2022
I like the “Picture Book of…” series because they are great introductions to important people in history. This one about Harriet Tubman is no exception. It offers information not only about Tubman herself, but about slavery in general and as it related to her. For example, the fact that families were not kept together, and even Harriet had siblings sold away to other places. Adler captures important parts of Tubman’s life, and even though it is a fairly simple picture book, readers come away better knowing about her.
November 10, 2025
I really enjoyed reading this book. I think the author did a great job giving the reader as many details as possible without extensively filling the pages with words. This book has great illustrations and many important facts about Harriet Tubman's life. This would be a great resource in a social studies classroom when talking about the Underground Railroad and/or slavery. I really enjoyed this book and it made me more knowledgeable.
April 2, 2019
This picture book about Harriet Tubman life and what she did for his people was very amazing and how she faced so many problems to get freedom back! It's was an inspiring story.
August 19, 2019
From her early life, born into slavery, to a husband who threatened to turn her into her master if she tried to run away, to her work as the Moses to her people.
December 8, 2019
Good book on Harriet Tubman’s life.
January 22, 2020
It’s pretty tough to see her holding a gun against people too afraid to continue on the trail. I look forward to seeing the movie.
July 8, 2020
3.5⭐️ I listened to this by audio and enjoyed learning about Harriets life!
October 21, 2020
This book is a great way to show students the life of Harriet Tubman. She is an important person in America’s history, she was born a slave where she then escaped on the Underground Railroad.
February 8, 2022
Read this with my grandson for Black History Month. Another well-written and illustrated book in this series that examined the life of Harriet Tubman.
March 20, 2022
Great introduction of Harriet Tubman. The book includes enough historical background for students to understand the time period.
February 5, 2023
This is a perfect biography to read aloud to introduce children to Harriett Tubman.
September 30, 2024
A good picture-book biography of Harriet Tubman Davis!
A timeline's included at the back of the book.
A timeline's included at the back of the book.
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February 26, 2017Great book with a lot of detail and nice illustrations. This is a book for older elementary students- a good amount of words per page and some of the information is a little advance (Tubman being abused and using a gun to keep run away slaves from turning around back to the south).
April 19, 2014
This biography on Harriet Tubman is ideal for grades 2-4. It tells of Harriet's life, from birth to death, with illustrations that match the paragraphs on each page. Interesting facts are given throughout this book, for example; it told that Harriet had a deep cut on her forehead that never healed, causing her bad headaches all of her life. Knowing unusual facts about the person connects the reader to the story more.
This story touched on the topic of slavery and the underground railroad. While it didn't describe slavery throughout the whole book, students do get a little glimpse of it. I think it could of went into the topic a little further, but this being a biography, it did go in the right direction of focusing on Harriet's life. It also did describe the underground railroad, but only a little bit.
One thing that I didn't enjoy in the book was how it talked about Harriet pointing a gun to slaves heads to scare them. It said, "When slaves were too scared to go on, Harriet pointed a gun at their heads and said, "You'll go on, or you'll die." While, what she is saying is true, I don't think it's age appropriate to include in a biography picture book for younger students. I don't think students will understand the deeper meaning behind what she is saying, and they will just hear the words and see the picture of her and the gun.
I would recommend this book for a social studies lesson. Not only does it talk about Harriet Tubman's life, the Underground Railroad, and slavery, it also includes other important leaders like John Brown, who is a leader who wanted to end slavery, and Abraham Lincoln. The book also includes an "Important Dates" section in the back, which is a timeline that could be used in class.
This story touched on the topic of slavery and the underground railroad. While it didn't describe slavery throughout the whole book, students do get a little glimpse of it. I think it could of went into the topic a little further, but this being a biography, it did go in the right direction of focusing on Harriet's life. It also did describe the underground railroad, but only a little bit.
One thing that I didn't enjoy in the book was how it talked about Harriet pointing a gun to slaves heads to scare them. It said, "When slaves were too scared to go on, Harriet pointed a gun at their heads and said, "You'll go on, or you'll die." While, what she is saying is true, I don't think it's age appropriate to include in a biography picture book for younger students. I don't think students will understand the deeper meaning behind what she is saying, and they will just hear the words and see the picture of her and the gun.
I would recommend this book for a social studies lesson. Not only does it talk about Harriet Tubman's life, the Underground Railroad, and slavery, it also includes other important leaders like John Brown, who is a leader who wanted to end slavery, and Abraham Lincoln. The book also includes an "Important Dates" section in the back, which is a timeline that could be used in class.
November 28, 2011
Picture Book Biography
This is the biography of Harriet Tubman in a picture book format. It tells her life story, from birth to death. It explains how she was born into slavery but hated being a slave and was always getting into trouble. It also tells of how she escaped, and how she traveled back south once she was free to guide more than three hundred slaves to freedom. She became an important conductor on the Underground Railroad, and earned the nickname “Moses” for leading so many of her people out of slavery.
The illustrations are very realistic, which would help students understand that Harriet Tubman was a real person. They are very helpful in showing what is happening in the text, and one could look at the pictures in this book and understand the basic important facts of Harriet Tubman's life.
I would use this book with third through fifth grade students while talking about slavery, the Civil War, and the Underground Railroad. This would work as a read aloud, or possibly for students to read in small groups. It could also work as individual reading. This is a very informative and interesting book, and I would definitely like to have it in my classroom library.
This is the biography of Harriet Tubman in a picture book format. It tells her life story, from birth to death. It explains how she was born into slavery but hated being a slave and was always getting into trouble. It also tells of how she escaped, and how she traveled back south once she was free to guide more than three hundred slaves to freedom. She became an important conductor on the Underground Railroad, and earned the nickname “Moses” for leading so many of her people out of slavery.
The illustrations are very realistic, which would help students understand that Harriet Tubman was a real person. They are very helpful in showing what is happening in the text, and one could look at the pictures in this book and understand the basic important facts of Harriet Tubman's life.
I would use this book with third through fifth grade students while talking about slavery, the Civil War, and the Underground Railroad. This would work as a read aloud, or possibly for students to read in small groups. It could also work as individual reading. This is a very informative and interesting book, and I would definitely like to have it in my classroom library.
February 28, 2010
Example #2 Harriet Tubman is holding a gun to a man’s head
Book Information Title: A Picture Book of Harriet Tubman; Author: David A. Adler; Illustrator: Samuel Byrd; Place of Publication: USA; Date: 1992; Pages: 30+
Evidence for Evaluation: The illustrations are beautiful showing several different scenes Harriet Tubman likely encountered. The picture of her holding a gun up to a slave was quite surprising. Although it appears violent, Harriet was doing what was in his best interest. This slave was scared to move on and threatening to turn around. Harriet knew he could make it and gave him no option but to press on. This illustration shows how strong of a woman Harriet Tubman was. She did not let anything or anyone stand in her way. The illustrator paints a picture of her looking serious and determined with a fearless heart. The young reader is able to absorb the feelings and emotions as he/she reads the texts and takes in the artwork.
Book Information Title: A Picture Book of Harriet Tubman; Author: David A. Adler; Illustrator: Samuel Byrd; Place of Publication: USA; Date: 1992; Pages: 30+
Evidence for Evaluation: The illustrations are beautiful showing several different scenes Harriet Tubman likely encountered. The picture of her holding a gun up to a slave was quite surprising. Although it appears violent, Harriet was doing what was in his best interest. This slave was scared to move on and threatening to turn around. Harriet knew he could make it and gave him no option but to press on. This illustration shows how strong of a woman Harriet Tubman was. She did not let anything or anyone stand in her way. The illustrator paints a picture of her looking serious and determined with a fearless heart. The young reader is able to absorb the feelings and emotions as he/she reads the texts and takes in the artwork.
October 26, 2011
This was an informative picture book that introduces the important facts about the life of Harriet Tubman from her birth until her death. It gives details about her rebellious childhood, her family, her part as a conductor of the Underground Railroad, the way she helped the north during the Civil War, and how she continued to help after the war. It goes through her life story and experiences as she was treated badly as a slave, wanted dead or alive by slaveholders, and finally respected and admired as the “Moses” to her people. Even though Adler covers over ninety years to bring Harriet’s life alive to readers, he makes sure to only include the important events that show how she became the brave and courageous hero she is known for today instead of filling it with a lot of details that would make the picture book too long. The pages are filled with many words, but the full bled pictures give the reader a feeling of being in the story with Harriet as she is on her journey.
May 4, 2021
This book does a great job of presenting history in an age-appropriate way for children. Harriet Tubman is a very well-known story, but this book does a great job of giving detail to it in an easy-to-understand way. Some of these details include the songs she would sing, her participation in the Underground Railroad, and the tactics she used to keep 100% of the slaves she freed safe. I wouldn't keep this in a kindergarten class, but I would keep it in a middle-school classroom. This would be great to use in a history class. Having students summarize what happened in the book would be a good activity to do. Having students write as if they were Harriet would be a good activity for English or Writing classes too. I would definitely use this in my classroom!
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