Aunt Harriet's Underground Railroad in the Sky

by Faith Ringgold

Illus. in full color. Cassie, who flew above New York in Tar Beach, soars into the sky once more. This time, she and her brother Be Be meet a train full of people, and Be Be joins them. But the train departs before Cassie can climb aboard. With Harriet Tubman as her guide, Cassie retraces the steps escaping slaves took on the real Underground Railroad and is finally reunited with her brother at the story's end.

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

32 pages, Library Binding

First published November 24, 1992

Reviews

[Mariah Roze · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to one of my Goodreads' friends, I was suggested the author Faith Ringgold. My class will be reading all her picture books that my library has because they are great for our Black History Month unit.

This book had a really cool theme and was very educational. It introduced the story of Harriet Tubman in a really cute way. Then it went through how she helped slaves. The students really clung to this book as asked questions. This book was extremely well put together and very creative.

I really liked the messages and information this book shared. It gave me a lot to talk about with my students.

This is a higher level picture book.

[Robert Leabo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aunt Harriet’s Underground Railroad in the Sky, by Faith Ringgold. Published by Dragonfly Books in 1995. 32 pages.
In the book a young Faith is dreaming that she and her brother are flying. He gets lost on the “Underground Railroad,” and with Harriet Tubman’s help, must retrace a slave’s steps to find him in Canada. With the help of friends and familiar faces, Faith begins her journey! 5 stars.
2nd and 3rd grade. Lexile: 760 L; G.R: R
This book is fantastic for a cross- curricular social studies lesson on history. This could be included as part of a unit plan on US History, Slavery, and the Underground Railroad as well as how quilts are symbols and important in many cultures, including ours. For literacy, this is perfect for teaching sequence of events, because they’re particularly important for Faith and the reader to follow in search of her little brother.
3.RL.2 Recount stories; determine the central message, lesson or moral and explain how it is conveyed through key details in the text.
3.RL.5 Refer to parts in stories using such terms as chapter, scene and stanza; describe how successive parts build on earlier sections.

[Samuel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Definitely not the best book I've ever read. But still good I guess.

[Christi Dukette · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the Author of Caldecott winner Tar Beach, Faith Ringgold, this book is a magical interpretation of the inspirational strength and courage shown by Harriet Tubman.
Cassie and her brother, Be Be, embark on a magical adventure through history. They meet a woman know as Aunt Harriet for all those she cares for. Harriet is wearing a conductors uniform and is helping people on a strange train. Harriet helps Cassie to truly understand the struggles that were endured by those trying to escape slavery. Guided by Aunt Harriet's voice, she travels north interacting with people and symbols of the time such as the quilts used to communicate to one another. Cassie finally reunited with her brother in Canada where they are both truly empowered by the understanding of what freedom means to them as well as what it meant to their ancestors. The bold illustrations show the strong feelings of fear as well as determination upon the journey in the underground Railroad. Also located in the back of the book is a short biography on Harriet Tubman and a map of the underground Railroad journey.

Historical Fiction
Interest level Pre K-3, GLE 4.7, Lexile AD 760L, DRA 40, GR R

[(NS) Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cassie and Be Be are soaring among the stars far above the mountains and oceans when they come across an old ramshackled train in the sky. Be Be jumps aboard but Cassie is to late. What follows is a life changing expedition to Canada on the underground railroad with Aunt Harriet as the conductor guiding the children on a journey from slavery to freedom. Though the children are separated at the beginning of the trip they keep in contact with notes left along the way. The children are able to experience the turmoil that slaves had to go through on their trip to freedom.
The illustrations are vibrant and welcoming, and help to create the perfect picture of the journey. Faith Ringgold creates the story for children to understand without undermining the facts of slavery in America.

Interest Level: K - 3

[Rebecca Ashley Teague · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aunt Harriet’s Underground Railroad in the Sky tells the story of two young siblings, Cassie and Be Be, who are traveling the Underground Railroad to freedom, just like generations before them did. The two are separated and Cassie, with the help of Harriet Tubman, has to trace her brother’s steps in order to find him. Along the way, Cassie takes the same journey that generations before her did. In the end, Cassie and her brother are reunited. The story is very imaginative, but at the same time gives a lot of historical information that allows children to better understand what slaves went though. I would use this story when teaching about Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad. This book would also reinforce sequencing and understanding the different parts of a story. Also, this book would help students recognize and understand the different story elements.

[Shu M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cassie flew to the sky on top of New York City with her brother, Be Be. They were departed when the train drove away before Be Be could hop on the train. Cassie was trying to escape as a slave. She listened to Harriet Tubman's guidance and escaped her life as a slave. She met her brother once again and flew up to the sky at the end of the story. I think this book is very informational that could help children to understand how life was like as a slavery. I would recommend it for k-2 children.

[Caitlyn Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aunt Harriet's Underground Railroad in the Sky is a great historical fiction, picture book to use in classrooms whether it be for Black History Month or a book to read during a Civil War Unit. This story features a little girl named Cassie who was soaring the sky with her brother, Be Be, until they found a train in the sky with hundreds of people boarding it. Be Be is curious about the train and hops on it but it leaves quickly, and Cassie is left behind. Harriet Tubman offers to help guide Cassie on a long journey to the North where she can reunite with her brother. Cassie is educated on the struggle’s slaves face and the harsh journey that they took to earn their freedom. This book features beautiful paintings that shows the challenges slaves faced and Cassie's determination to be reunited with her brother. This book is also a great way to introduce the concept of slavery in an elementary classroom.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book for children about the Underground Railroad. It's very well written and easy to understand. I highly recommend this book.

[Mendell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aunt Harriet's Underground Railroad in the Sky is an adorable book about two young siblings who are lost. With the help of Harriet Tubman and the underground railroad, they are reunited. I believe this is a great book for grades 1-3. If you're introducing the concept of slavery, and slave escapes to students then this is a good way to do it. The illustrator does a great job at using bright, bold and exaggerated colors. Students are sure to wish they were flying high in the sky. When I first read this, I had two different thoughts on what I was reading. 1.) Were these two siblings two slave children on the underground railroad with their parents, and this was how they got through it all. A bold story with flying and help from Harriet Tubman. I'm sure it would be a stressful time and traveling with children in any situation is enough to generate a story. If so, I think this is truly amazing perspective. The 2.) Was just like my review, the story is a great way to introduce students to the concept of slavery. Either case, this a fantastic book. Paired with "A Picture Book of Harriet Tubman" make great for in class discussions.

[Rachel Dooley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aunt Harriet’s Underground Railroad in the Sky gives a nice twist on Harriet Tubman’s road to freedom. Cassie and her brother Be Be are separated, but with the assistance of Harriet and the Underground Railroad, Cassie and Be Be are reunited and fly up to the sky at the end. This fantasy is wonderfully imaginative, with full colored illustrations that children will love.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aunt Harriet’s Underground Railroad by Faith Ringgold received the Jane Addams Children’s Book Award in 1993 for publishing a book that advances the causes of peace and social equality. I really enjoyed learning about the historical event of the Underground Railroad from a young child’s view point, Cassie, as she flew through the sky with Harriet Tubman guiding her way as the conductor of the train. I felt like the book presented a complicated topic, slavery, in a manner that this age group could comprehend. I believe this book is a great educational resource for teaching historical fiction about Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad to the intended age group. As a picture storybook, the reader learns through the imaginary journey of two siblings, Cassie and Be Be, the risks and hardships of slaves that escaped or tried to escape by using the Underground Railroad to be free. Through my observations, Ringgold uses flat, primitive paintings in her illustrations. This flatness is especially noted in the appearance of the main characters, Cassie, Be Be and Harriet Tubman. Ringgold also has powerful images of slaves in bondage and others for sale, which brings an awareness to the fear and danger of trying to be free as a slave and stirs intense emotions in the reader. Ringgold’s use of a double page spread at the end of the story, one of Niagara Falls and one of black women dressed in white, symbolizing freedom for the slaves and the end of their journey. Also, as an artist, Ringgold uses borders which helps the reader to focus more on the illustration and to use these pictures to help make meaning from the text. The contrasting colors of darks and bright hues make your eyes focus on the main characters, who are wearing bright colored clothing, while the background colors are more solid greens, greys, and blues. This helps the reader to follow the characters like Cassie and Harriet Tubman as they travel through the sky. As a teacher, I would use Aunt Harriet’s Underground Railroad to teach about slavery. I would have the students use map skills to learn the route of the Underground Railroad

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

This children book captivated me in the sense of informing me about Slavery, Underground Railroad for children, the illustration, and the different messages included into the picture in terms of severity of what Slaves were risking with Harriet Tubman.

Even though I wish slavery did not existed, I am grateful that it happen in a period where I did not existed because many people today proclaim they would have defended African Americans and slaves when in reality that would not seem likely because of the time period and consequences of helping a black person.

I find it important for children to learn about slavery and civil rights because it is important to teach them how at one point we treated people horrible just because of the color of their skin. They need to learn how to accept each other for their differences and at the end of the day we are one of the same.

I found this book perfect in terms of introducing the topic of slavery and the Underground Railroad and I love the illustrations by Faith Ringgold. This book is meant for children but anyone could enjoy the beautiful storytelling and the magnificent flow of her writing. One amazing example is in almost every illustration there is a white man in the background lurking in the surrounding and I found it perfect showcasing that when slaves escape to Canada, no matter how far they would run, they would suffer that paranoia that the white man is right behind their trail, always one step closer to capturing them.

I found this story best pictured as a dream for Cassie and it brings back the lovely characters from Tar Beach. Cassie and her brother fly up into the clouds and finds the Underground Railroad in the sky and Be Be gets on the trail. After he ignores Cassie's orders, she must follow him to Canada and experience what slaves and Harriet Tubman had to accomplish in order to achieve Freedom.

I love Faith Ringgold, and she's my new favorite illustrator and children writer and I highly recommend this book for children who want a simple understanding of the Underground Railroad.

[Israel Graves · Rating 3 out of 5]

(historical picture book)
This picture book connects children with the fantasy of being able to fly and history as they follow Cassie, her little brother Be Be and Harriey Tubman on the journey to learn about slavery, Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad. Many times children can get bored with the idea of history but this book most certainly takes the boredom out of learning history! Cassie's little brother Be Be is curious about the train that they encounter during this flying journey so he boards the train and before Cassie can get him off the train begins to move toward freedom. Cassie meets Harriet Tubman or Aunt Harriet as they call her, and she learns what it is like to have to use the underground escape route to get to freedom with the help of Aunt Harriet and others who are involved. Once Harriet reaches Niagra Falls she is free again! And through her journey she learned just how tough it was for people of color during slavery times. This book does have some concepts such as death, severe punishment,religion etc. that younger children may not understand so this book may work best as a picture book for older readers. Possibly best for intermediate grades when they are being introduced to the history of slavery and important historical figures of the time. Pictures in the book fill the entire page of every page in the book. The illustrations are full of color mostly dark colors, and have little detail. The illustrations though bright and nicely placed would not be able to stand alone to tell the story without the text. Therefore the illlustrations are dependant on the text. Some of the extra features in this book include a short autobiography on Harriet Tubman, a map illustrating some of the underground railroad trails as well as a reference list for further readings.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

With stunningly vibrant illustrations, this picture book allows readers to follow a possible route to Canada as slaves sought freedom. Cassie, the protagonist of Tar Beach, and her brother meet Harriet Tubman while they are flying through the sky. Be Be climbs aboard the train to freedom that Harriet is conducting. While following him, Cassie gets a history lesson from the woman who came to be called Moses because of her ability to bring some of her people to freedom or Canada, which some came to call the Promised Land. After telling Cassie about the evils of slavery, she also gives her tips on how to escape as well as how to find and follow the stops on the Underground Railroad. She must pay attention to signs in nature such as what side of the tree moss is growing and look for houses where quilts are hanging to indicate possible safe houses. By the time the siblings are reunited, both have experienced an important piece of history, on which the back matter expands. While I might not use this picture book as the sole text for introducing the Underground Railroad, it adds important knowledge to young readers' perceptions about slavery and Tubman's accomplishments. Include it in a collection with Carole Boston Weatherford's Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom and Jacqueline Woodson's Show Way for added depth and different perspectives on these secret journeys. Depending on the audience, this picture book may be too harsh in painting the realities of those who desperately sought freedom while others may find that it isn't hard enough. Read it and decide for yourself.

[Stephanie Koerner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grade/interest level: preK-3rd
Reading level: 760L
Fountas and Pinnell: R
Genre: Historical Fictions

Main Characters: Cassie, Be Be, Harriet Tubman
Setting: in the sky along the path of the Underground Railroad, 1949 (the 100 year anniversary of the Underground Railroad)
POV: Cassie's

Summary:
In this book, Cassie and her younger brother, Be Be, are flying with the stars one night and see an old railroad and train. Be Be’s youthful curiosity gets the best of him and he hops aboard, but Cassie big sister wisdom causes her to refuse to hop aboard even after Harriet Tubman announces where the train is headed. Cassie follows the train one stop behind to be reunited with Be Be. Cassie follows the stops of the Underground Railroad and relives the fears and obstacles her great-great-grandparents had to face 100 years ago. All the while Aunt Harriet is guiding her along the past of the Underground Railroad. When Cassie finally makes it to Canada she is reunited with Be Be and Harriet Tubman and they celebrate their freedom.

Classroom Use:
I think this story is best suited for younger children because it portrays a less graphic version of what slaves had to struggle through to gain freedom. This book would also be a nice add in for a Black History Month read aloud to remind children what slaves had to face. I do not think older students would appreciate this book as much as students from preK-3rd grade.

[Melissa Cellini · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aunt Harriet’s Underground Railroad in the Sky by Faith Ringgold allows you to delve into a time period with main character Cassie Louise Lightfoot, who experiences the dangers and challenges associated with traveling on the Underground Railroad. One evening, Cassie and her younger brother Bebe, decide to take a break and fly in the sky. During their journey, they come across a train that is run by conductor, Harriet Tubman. The train is taking African American slaves to the North to be freed from slavery in the south. While trying to understand why the train is reenacting the Underground Railroad that Harriet Tubman used to help escape over 300 slaves in 1860, Bebe gets on the train without Cassie. Cassie. The final destination for the train is Canada, known as the promise land. While the train with Bebe and the other slaves head for Canada, Harriet guides Cassie as she travels on foot to meet them there.
This book is an ideal read for educational purposes, slave abolishment, and black literature. It acknowledges historical figures such as Harriet Tubman, and describes the Underground Railroad process, something that every student should be familiar with in terms of the concept and ideas surrounding it.
I really did enjoy reading this book because of its content and imagery. The illustrations were beautiful and really helped with reading the story. They gave you a sense of what Cassie was enduring and show her journey rather than just reading about it.

[Maribel Galvez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grade/interest level: Primary (K-2)
Reading level: 4.7 (Lexile 760L)
Genre: Historical Fiction, Fantasy

Main Characters: Harriet Tubman, Cassie, Be Be
Setting: Various southern states
POV: Cassie

As Cassie and her baby brother fly through the sky, they see a ramshackled train. Be Be decides to jump on the train to join a tiny woman in a conductor’s uniform. Cassie wants Be Be to come back and is afraid her parents will never forgive her for letting him go. Suddenly, Harriet Tubman introduces herself to Cassie as Aunt Harriet, who tells her she has carried hundreds of men, women, and children to freedom on the Underground Railroad without ever losing a passenger. Aunt Harriet proceeds to tell Cassie about slavery and takes her on a journey to meet the people who helped many slaves escape. Throughout her journey, Cassie finds some of her brother’s belongings and wonders if she will see him again. As Cassie arrives in Canada, she is reunited with her brother and has a new understanding of what it means to be free.

I would use this book in a primary classroom as a part of a unit about slavery. Specifically, I would use this book to introduce Harriet Tubman to students and how she helped the slaves escape to the north.

[Casey Koch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cassie, who flew above New York in Tar Beach, now soars among the stars with her little brother Be Be. They come across a mysterious freedom train in the sky and meet its conductor Harriet Tubman. While Be Be hops aboard the train right away, Cassie holds back and has to trail the train on foot, following the path of her slave ancestors, who took the Underground Railroad north to freedom. Aided by Tubman's whispering voice, Cassie escapes from a plantation, hides in the woods and swamps, and learns to recognize safe houses where people will help her. Finally, she flies over Niagara Falls to Canada and freedom, where she is reunited with Aunt Harriet and Be Be. If the best way to understand others is to walk a mile in their shoes, Cassie learns her people's history well; so will readers of this impressive picture book. Ringgold's surrealistic but dynamic paintings combine historical fact with strongly realized emotions. One powerful double page spread, based on a recurring dream of Tubman's, shows Aunt Harriet and Be Be flying toward each other within a circle of women dressed in white. Two pages of historical notes on Tubman and the Underground Railroad, including a map and bibliography, round out the volume.

[Ashleigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is beautifully illustrated and is a wonderful way to have young children begin to understand what went on during slavery in America. Faith Ringgold uses beautiful words that create strong imagery and that stretch our imaginations as the reader. This would be a wonderful book to have children create a mobile or some visual representation of what they have learned from the story (e.g. characters, themes, plot, etc.) I also like that at the end Ringgold offers suggestions for further reading about Harriet Tubman and slavery.

Illus. in full color. Cassie, who flew above New York in Tar Beach, soars into the sky once more. This time, she and her brother Be Be meet a train full of people, and Be Be joins them. But the train departs before Cassie can climb aboard. With Harriet Tubman as her guide, Cassie retraces the steps escaping slaves took on the real Underground Railroad and is finally reunited with her brother at the story's end.

[Haleigh Easterling · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary -- Cassie and her brother are flying through the sky. They come across a train full of people, and her brother Be Be decides to join them. Before Cassie can catch him he is aboard the train. With Harriet Tubman as her guide, Cassie has to retrace the steps of slaves that escaped to the Underground Railroad. By doing this she is soon reunited with her brother at the end of the story.

Evaluation -- I think this book is a very interesting story. It allowed students to follow a story of what it was like to be a slave in that time. It was suspenseful, and kept them on their toes looking forward to what the next obstacle would be.

Teaching Point -- I would absolutely introduce this book to my class. It was a very interesting book that took us through what it would be like to be a slave in the time of the Underground Railroad, the trials they went through, and the ways they escaped.

[Lindsay Bunchman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a great resource for teachers who are discussing Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad. Student readers will be able to get a glimpse into what it was like to travel under cover and constantly at risk. This book is especially useful since the story introduces the Underground Railroad and then the last few pages explain the real story of Harriet Tubman, further clarify what the Underground Railroad was, and provide a map showing the paths from south to north. The end even provides additional reading ideas that can be combined with this book, possibly for a literature circle or book club in class. For a discussion question, a teacher might ask the students to reflect on the character's celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Underground Railroad, since 1949 was still not a free time for blacks in the United States.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting depiction of how Harriet Tubman helped the Underground Railroad through the story and illustration of Faith Ringgold. It is a dreamlike experience as the girl travels the dangerous route to freedom that her great great great grandparents took from slavery. Ringgold based the story off of the strange dreams Harriet Tubman had of flying to freedom while she was ill and near death. The use of actual stops or “stations” to meet the next conductor really gives the reader a clear idea of what it was like to move along the Underground Railroad. At the end, information is also included about Harriet Tubman in order for the reader to connect her character in the story to the real life person in history.

[Beth Schencker · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully illustrated story that follows an imaginary journey of a young brother and sister, Cassie and Be Be who discover the Underground Railroad with Aunt Harriet at the wheel. Be Be jumps on the train and Cassie must continue on foot from plantation to freedom. Aunt Harriet’s Underground Railroad in the Sky is a great treat of the imagination that shows in a subdued way the journey thousands of slaves bravely took to reach the Northern States and Canada to freedom. The images of the white men chasing after Cassie, as she journeys north are spooky and evil. I thought the biographical information about Harriet Tubman at the end of the book were helpful if using this book as a reference.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cassie and Be Be, the brother and sister from Tar Beach, take a magical trip on the Underground Railroad experiencing firsthand what slaves endured in their pursuit of freedom.

Acrylic paintings are haunting, especially the ghost-like faces in the backgrounds of many images and really help to make the experience authentic.

A brief bio of Harriet Tubman follows the story. Also included is a further reading list and a map of the Underground Railroad.

This book serves as an accurate/authentic introduction to what it meant to be a slavery and to the experience of the Underground Railroad. Though the text is fairly lengthy, it could work as a read aloud with upper elementary school audiences.

Recommended for grades 4-6+.

[Sabrynna Vasaure · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aunt Harriet's Underground Railroad in the sky was such a magical book. Besides providing, a lot of historical content, the author told the story in such a beautiful way. The author, Faith Ringgold was also the illustrator of the book. She uses acrylic paints to capture the essence of each moment in the book. The streaks of paint, the colors, and the shading are used to enhance our senses of reading. It was an interesting choice of illustration. Meanwhile, the story tells us of through the eyes of two siblings Bee Bee and Cassie. Conflict in the story results in Bee Bee being taken by the train, causing his sister to chase after him. With the help from a very special person, no other than Harriet Tubman.

[Michelle Dunlap]

Aunt Harriet's Underground Railroad by Faith Ringgold is a Historical fiction story that talks about the the Underground Railroad, except this time the train is flying through the sky. The train takes off before Cassie can get on and she has to retrace the steps slaves took when they escaped the real Underground Railroad. Cassie uses Harriet Tubman as her guide in hopes of reuniting with her brother.

This book is illustrated in color with acrylic paintings. The text of the story is complemented by the illustrations as they convey the tone and setting of the book. The illustrations make the reader want to engage in the fantasy while learning about a historical period of time. This book is best read aloud to students of grades 2 and up.

[Marlene Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is one that uses bold bright colors to portray the story of Be Be who rides the train in the sky while his sister follows after him. She is afraid to get on the train as well as her parent's reaction to her brother boarding. Cassie is guided stop by stop by the voice of Aunt Harriet through the experiences, sights, sounds and feelings of those who made the dangerous trek to freedom on the Underground Railroad. Cassie goes through many emotions as she continues on the trail of her brother. The story ends with the sibling's reunited and the celebration that ensues for the 100th anniversary of the Underground Railroad.
Vivid pictures and descriptions make this story of historical fiction come alive.

[Caitlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story shares some details about what Harriet Tubman experienced as she helped people escape from slavery. The story is unique in the way that it is told from a little girl’s perspective through way of a dream. Cassie and her brother climb on board the “train” and go through the life of Harriet in the course of a dream and gets to see glimpses of what life was like for Harriet as she ran the underground railroad. Cassie and Bebe’s eyes are opened to all that Aunt Harriet did for African Americans. Ringgold does a great job engaging the reader through her paintings and does a great job helping her readers to feel the emotion in the story. Great book to help students understand more about the underground railroad!

[Terri D. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was looking for a good story to introduce my daughter (6) to the ideas of slavery (they were taught on President's Day that Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves! Yay! What a hero! But they were not taught what a slave was or who was enslaved). I guess this provided the opening, but overall, the book stunk. 1. The idea was to present the underground railroad as a dream that Harriet Tubman once had involving, yes, a flying railroad. That basically confused Isabel, who was clearly skeptical about the reality of the story. 2. The preachiness broke up the narrative too much for both of us. We enjoyed the historical note at the end more than the story, as it was clear and honest.