Follow the Drinking Gourd: An Underground Railroad Story

Night Sky Stories

by Cari Meister, Robert Squier (Illustrator), David Burgess (Consultant Editor)

"The song Follow the Drinking Gourd is an American folk song. In 1928 the Texas Folklore Society first published the song. Lee Hays also published a version of the song in 1947. We have used Hays' lyrics in this book."--Editor's note.

Genres: History, Picture Books, Childrens, Music, African American, Nonfiction

24 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2012

About the author

Cari Meister lives on a small farm in Minnesota with her husband, four sons, three horses, one dog and one cat. Cari enjoys running, snowshoeing, horseback riding, and yoga. She loves to visit libraries and schools!

Reviews

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fascinating true story that serves as an introduction to the underground railroad for youth. But, this story has been told in many picture books (sometimes in a better way).

[Shay Kendrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Follow the Drinking Gourd tells a story about the Underground Railroad. The sailor, Peg Leg Joe does his best to free the slaves by teaching them a song about the drinking gourd, in other words, the Big Dipper. Peg Leg Joe's plan was to teach each of the slaves working on the plantation the song that would show them the way to freedom. Once the song was learned, he would move to another plantation and teach the song again. When one of the slaves got sold to another master, his family remembered the song that Joe had taught them. The family set out for freedom and followed the stars of the drinking gourd. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and the message that it sends and informs the readers that read it. I think this is something to be very aware of when we are teaching because it is a great historical event.

[Melissa Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part of a series, this book strays from the others by providing a more current constellation story. The look of the book appeals greatly to my 5-6 year old crowd, but the story is a bit much for that age group. It uses a mix of dialogue and Lee Hays' song lyrics to retell this folklore. Amazon appropriately rates it at Age Range: 7 - 9 years, Grade Level: 2 - 3. My middle schoolers enjoyed it very much as well. It is a nice refresher to other children's drinking gourd stories they have read in the past.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great biographical picture book for children to learn about the underground railroad. There is even a glossary at the back of the book to help them understand some words that may be unfamiliar.

[mg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Secret codes and high-risk escapes often make for a real page-turner. Combine those elements with true events, and history becomes exciting!

The Underground Railroad is a fascinating topic for kids, especially when they learn about the many different "secret codes" that slaves used to tell other slaves how to safely escape to freedom. This book walks through the song verse by verse and explains the various codes within "Follow the Drinking Gourd," which slaves supposedly sang in the nineteenth century. While the illustrations are digitally produced and lack a certain historical accuracy, young readers are still apt to find them enticing.

This is cataloged in our easy-to-read section, but teachers and students of intermediate grades could also benefit from the content of this book. It would make an especially memorable lesson paired with a version of the song "Follow the Drinking Gourd" (such as the one on the album "Shakin' a Tailfeather"). Additional resources (as well as a glossary) are also listed in the back of the book for further study.

[Charli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Booklist review:

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." - Booklist Online

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 5 out of 5]

During the time of slavery in the US, there was a man called Peg Leg Joe who travelled from plantation to plantation in the South doing work and talking to slaves. He taught them a freedom song to help them escape by using the Big Dipper (drinking gourd) and the North Star for direction. Lovely illustrations for this story.

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

beautiful illustrations! Loved how it breaks up the song into pieces, and explains lines, bit by bit. An excellent resource for any elementary aged student... either as an introduction into slavery/Underground Railway/Civil War... or as a glimpse into the workings of the underground railway.

[Liz Green]

underground railroad....great for lower readers too.

[Karla Woodard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book with great illustrations. A good introduction to the underground railroad and slavery for children.

[Robin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Glad they included this in the Sky Stories series, but there are other, much better, picture books about this song. Ages 5-7.

[Gina Hott · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun and interesting way for yor family to learn history.