Most Loved in All the World

by Tonya Cherie Hegamin, Cozbi Cabrera (Illustrator)

An authentic and powerful account of slavery and how a handmade quilt helps a little girl leave home for freedom.

With a poet's keen ear, Tonya Hegamin tells the account of a little girl whose mother is a secret agent on the Underground Railroad. Before sending her daughter north to freedom, the mother sews a quilt for her daughter, not only to guide her with its symbols of moss and the north star, but also to remind her always that the smiling girl in the center of the quilt is "most loved in all the world." Strikingly illustrated in unique textile collaging and expressive acrylic paintings.

Genres: Picture Books, Historical Fiction, Cultural, Childrens, Family, Historical, African American

26 pages, Hardcover

First published December 20, 2008

About the author

Tonya Cherie Hegamin is the author of the young adult novel M+O 4EVR and the coauthor with Marilyn Nelson of Pemba’s Song. She received an Ezra Jack Keats New Writer Award and a Christopher Award for her picture book Most Loved in All the World, illustrated by Cozbi Cabrera. Tonya Cherie Hegamin is the creative writing coordinator at Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn.

Reviews

[Julie Fischer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tonya Cherie Hegamin story of a mother who loves her child enough to send her away with a group of other slaves. She has stitched with her bloodied has late into the night a quilt that will guide these runaways to their freedom. This is such a touching story that which is difficult to understand for those of us who can hang on to our children in our home where they are free. Cozbi A. Cabrera's gorgeous illustration are as beautiful as the words. As a little girl I lived in a safe house. I often wondered about those families who stayed in the room behind our fireplace on the diary farm we lived on at the time. Families from all over the world experience fear which makes them sacrifice so much for the freedom we must never take for granted.

[Emily Sammartino · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little girl details her daily life with her mother as slaves. Everyday her and her mother work hard, sometimes coming home whipped and beaten, but every night her mother works on a quilt. One night the little girl is taken into the woods by her mother where she is told she will leave for freedom. Her mother does not go and stays behind to help others escape slavery. Before she leaves her mother gives her the quilt, telling her the meaning behind each image, she had this to remember her by and hold onto.
The setting of the story is on a plantation during slavery. Neither the mother nor the little girl telling the story is ever given a name. This was done intentionally and has a powerful effect. So many people during this time showed immense bravery and, in a way, sacrificed their own freedom so they could help others escape, like the mother in the story. I think the author did this to pay tribute to the brave people during this time period that did exactly what mother did in the story and who were never recognized or acknowledge for their sacrifices. Everything about this book, the illustrations and words used, reflect a powerful message and do a great job at paying tribute to the people of the time.

[Christine Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Near tears again! Third picture book in a row while I'm at work.
The love of family, the hope for a better future- all things that have always existed for humanity. I felt like this story captured the reality of slavery through a child's eyes well. The writing and illustrations were immersive. This is a really well-made picture book addressing a difficult topic. The feelings of the characters and the imagery come across well.

[charlene.librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated by Cozbi A. Cabrera, this story tells us about one mother's hope and sacrifice for her child's freedom through the underground railroad, also hinting at the amazing device of the quilt to record history and journey. The story is representative of so many unknown persons' stories that express tremendous sacrifice for others.

[Madelyn Camacho-Meyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This movie is the heartbreaking truth of what slaves had to go through. It walks through a mother who is a slave who has a young girl. The book talks about the hardships the mother goes through, such as being whipped, swollen, and having cut hands from picking cotton, etc, and wanting more for her daughter. She sends her off to freedom and she stays to help others.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars - what draws you into a book? The beautifully crafted words or the soul-stirring illustrations? This book has both and leaves the reader wanting another collaboration but also to know what happens to the mother in this book who makes such a sacrifice for the most loved in all the world

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

A girl's mom is making a quilt to help guide her way to freedom. I like the way it introduces quilt symbols and I like the art, but it's kind of "meh" overall.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The quilt. The story. The dream. It is worth the read.

[Courtneyprettimamcita Meredith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book with my 7 year old daughter, she had so many questions it opened up an intense conversation between us about the underground railroad.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

1. Title: Most Loved in All the World
2. Rating: 5 Stars
3. Review: Hegamin's simplistically descriptive poetry captures readers by saying just enough that they get the idea of the harsh conditions, but not too much that the reader is burdened. Leaving the reader thinking, the book shows the Underground Railroad's effects on mothers and children, and the enduring sacrifices and love that emerged. The quilt is symbolic of love and safety and hope, which many children will be able to relate to on a basic level.

[Haley Hardwick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Personal Reaction: I thought this was such a beautifully written story with a poetic style which makes it even better. I really enjoyed this story a lot, it was touching yet very real. My favorite part was how the pictures on the quilt represented something important and special for the young girl, and the story of the Underground Railroad unfolded very, very beautifully.

Purpose: Read aloud grades 2-4
-point of view is seen through the young girl's eyes as she tries to understand why she is being sent away
-the illustrations are very beautiful: they look like fabric and acrylic paints that really enhance the story and its meaning
-poetry of the story. the stanza's throughout really enhance the emotions and power of the entire book

Curriculum: Read aloud grades 2-4
-introducing the Underground Railroad, slavery, and the Civil War
-discussion on the concept of slavery and freedom. Is it present today?
-discussing sacrifices. Why did her mother give her up? Was this a good thing or a bad thing?
-teaching symbolism in regards to the quilt. What do you think it stands for? Why did her mother make it for her?
-introducing poetry, free verse, and stanzas. Good use for a poetry unit with a dual purpose of a history lesson as well.

[babyhippoface · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little girl tells the story of her life with her mother, a slave who works the fields and who is sewing a freedom quilt for her daughter. As the mother pieces the quilt, she repeatedly reminds her daughter of the meaning of each item pictured: a log cabin, which represents safety, a star to guide, a tree with moss growing on a certain side, a happy little girl surrounded by a tattered red heart, her mother's love. Then she wraps her daughter in the quilt and sends her to freedom with a group of escaping slaves. The illustrations are a mix of paintings and textile collage; the paintings tend to be dark as they tell the story, and the collages are made of brighter images to convey the hope the quilt represents. An author's note give additional information on the use of quilts on the Underground Railroad and the sacrifices parents often made to provide a safer future for their children. A Further Reading list is also included.

While it's not the strongest offering on this topic I've read, elementary teachers might use this to begin a study on the significance of quilts on the Underground Railroad.

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a beautiful book that made me sob with pain. It was recommended to me by Brooke Newey Shirts, a librarian friend of mine. In the wake of the horrific Mother Emmanuel shooting in South Carolina in June 2015, and as a suggested positive, active response to it, she recommended quite a few books we can read with our children to feel love and wonder and kinship with our African American sisters and brothers. I am very grateful for her reaction and suggestions. I'm very glad I read this book.

This picture book also appears to be a book about a quilt, but it is really about a mother's love and sacrifice for her daughter as well as for her people. I wonder if I could ever be as strong as this mother was.

You must read it.

"A log cabin means a place is safe. This star is brightest in the sky; it's for you to follow. The moss only grows on the side of the tree in the direction you should head. And this little girl is the most loved in all the world."

[Becky Birtha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Of the mother in Most Loved in All the World, author Tonya Cherie Hegamin writes, in the end note, "When I wrote this story, I envisioned a woman, a spy and secret agent on the Underground Railroad, a woman who valued freedom so much that she would desire her child's more than her own." In spare lines of unrhymed poetry, this painful story of love and separation, a theme all too familiar to our enslaved African-American ancestors, is told in first person from the child's point of view. The paintings are weighted by the heavy, dark colors that are typical of underground railroad picture books, but there are some bright pages in the child's life too, especially in relation to the quilt her mother stitches. Artist Cozbi A. Cabrera uses fabric art and textile collaging along with painting to depict the special bond bwtween this mother and child.

[Elfdart · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was such a good story. i just flipped through it with the intention of putting it down, but it was really touching. it is a story about a girl and her mother, both of which are slaves at the time of the black slave trade, and the story is told through the eyes of the girl, who is very young and doesnt really grasp the reality of the situation. she just knows that her mother works hard in the fields and that she helps her by rubbing some salve in them at night. her mother makes quilt patches throughout the story and at the end makes a quilt for her daughter. the story ends with the mother giving the daughter to group of people in the underground railroad so that she’ll maybe have a better life somewhere else. it was pretty sad, but good.

[Hannah Grosse · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is really good, and it is a fairly accurate picture of what slavery may have looked like. It is about a little girl and her mother, who is a slave. The whole idea of the story is really sweet and special. The quilt the mom makes for her tiny daughter is so meaningful, and it helps guide her to safety. The only thing I did not particularly like about the story is it doesn't necessarily have all-around closure. We never really find out what happened to the mom. But there is a lot of meaning behind it, and it really makes you think, and put yourself into the shoes of both the mother and the little girl during the time of slavery.

[Adriel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the saddest children's book ever. It is the story of a girl who's mother is a field slave and who is sent by the mother onto the underground railroad with a handmade quilt to help guide her way and to remember that her mother loved her. I cried. In context is is a fascinating book of love told to children who's parents cannot care for them, giving them hope that the parents wanted better for their children then what they had to offer. The quilt pieces and dark, rich illustrations lend to the heartbreaking nature of the story.

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely beautiful and heartbreaking story! I couldn't imagine giving up my child, yet so many slaves did give up their children during this time in the hopes that their child would know freedom! The illustrations are gorgeous, so touching, especially the ones of the mother sitting in front of the fire stitching a quilt for her daughter after working from sun up to sun down picking cotton. Genre-historical fiction. C-2008

[Jessi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations, tremendously sad subject matter (obviously.) Slavery is hard to talk about with kids of any age, really, and there are some books out there that present the issue in a light that very small children can both comprehend (at least the historical aspect- can any of us really comprehend the atrocity of slavery?) and not be too frightened by, but this is not one of those books. I would recommend it to older elementary kids, even though it is a picture book.

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little girl’s mother helps her escape slavery on the Underground Railroad. Gorgeous illustrations and poignant spare verse text tell of a woman’s sacrifice to save her daughter. Story reminds me a bit of Jacqueline Woodson’s Show Way.

Just presenting this book at the CSL meeting made me go teary-eyed.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exquisite, touching book about a mother and her daughter and the amazing quilt and chance for freedom she gives her daughter. I've cried every time I've read the book...even to a group of 3rd graders! The illustrations are wonderful and the story heart-wrenching and extremely touching. This is one I want to own....

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read several books about the Underground Railroad involving quilts, but this one, where the mother sends her child away to freedom while she stays behind, and the quilt she makes showing a happy girl surrounded by a big red heart made from her mother's shirt - got me a little choked up at the reference desk! The art is beautiful - paintings and fabric. Really, really touching and lovely.

[Tanya Wadley · Rating 5 out of 5]

At first I didn't think this was a 5 star read... but after reading it 3 times, it definitely is. The kids loved it and it gave us an opportunity to talk about slavery and the underground railroad.

This is a Beehive Nominee for 2011 (Children's Literature Association of Utah) in the picture category.

[Marilyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful story of a mother who is a slave in the South that sends her little girl on the underground railroad without her. This after she makes her a quilt with symbols on it of how much she loves her. Very tender. Jac looked up at me, "If you were a slave and tried to send me away to be free, I'd say, "No way, I'm staying right here." ;)

[Bethe · Rating 4 out of 5]

wow - how did I not read this when it arrived in the book order? Powerful story of a brave slave mother sending her beloved daughter away to freedom. The mixed media illustrations, acrylic and fabric, lend feeling and authenticity to the story. There is a thoughtful author note at the end, accompanied by further reading. Add to your Civil War/Underground Railroad lessons.

[T Crockett · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is painfully beautiful. There's quilting, embroidery, painting and writing that just sings. I don't know quite what age the book would be ideal for, since it deals with some of the violence/realities of slavery and the Underground Railroad, yet it's a picture book. As an adult I loved it

[Maggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ezra Jack Keats Book Award for New Writer (2010)

Powerful story about a mother, a black slave, sending her daughter off to freedom to be saved. The quilt motif hearkens to the tradition of quilting in slavery, and means that this book could be paired well with Tar Beach as a sort of "slavery through the ages" lesson. The back has references and a note for parents and educators.

[Jen Slabaugh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about a girl and her mother who are slaves. The mother makes a quilt for her daughter which hides clues for her to escape to freedom. This story shows how much a mother loves her child and brings awareness to some of the heart-wrenching stories that were a reality for African Americans at one time.

[Shauna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet story. We have been studying American History . . . great opener to talk of the Underground Railroad. My girls decided that it was too sad to get very many stars . . . their mother cried a couple of times during the read aloud! I loved it!

[Lea · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has a powerful message of love. It paints a picture of slave life for a mother sending her child to freedom and the symbolism of the quilt.
I also enjoyed the "for parents and educators" section at the back.