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Overground Railroad
A window into a child's experience of the Great Migration from the award-winning creators of
Before She Was Harriet
and
Finding Langston
.
As she climbs aboard the New York bound Silver Meteor train, Ruth Ellen embarks upon a journey toward a new life up North-- one she can't begin to imagine. Stop by stop, the perceptive young narrator tells her journey in poems, leaving behind the cotton fields and distant Blue Ridge mountains.
Each leg of the trip brings new revelations as scenes out the window of folks working in fields give way to the Delaware River, the curtain that separates the colored car is removed, and glimpses of the freedom and opportunity the family hopes to find come into view. As they travel, Ruth Ellen reads from Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, reflecting on how her journey mirrors her own-- until finally the train arrives at its last stop, New York's Penn Station, and the family heads out into a night filled with bright lights, glimmering stars, and new possiblity.
James Ransome's mixed-media illustrations are full of bold color and texture, bringing Ruth Ellen's journey to life, from sprawling cotton fields to cramped train cars, the wary glances of other passengers and the dark forest through which Frederick Douglass traveled towards freedom. Overground Railroad is, as Lesa notes, a story "of people who were running from and running to at the same time," and it's a story that will stay with readers long after the final pages.
A Junior Library Guild Selection
Praise for Lesa Cline-Ransome and James Ransome's Before She Was Harriet , a Coretta Scott King Honor Book and winner of the Christopher Award
* "Ransome's lavishly detailed and expansive double-page spreads situate young readers in each time and place as the text takes them further into the past."--Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review
* "a powerful reminder of how all children carry within them the potential for greatness."--Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
As she climbs aboard the New York bound Silver Meteor train, Ruth Ellen embarks upon a journey toward a new life up North-- one she can't begin to imagine. Stop by stop, the perceptive young narrator tells her journey in poems, leaving behind the cotton fields and distant Blue Ridge mountains.
Each leg of the trip brings new revelations as scenes out the window of folks working in fields give way to the Delaware River, the curtain that separates the colored car is removed, and glimpses of the freedom and opportunity the family hopes to find come into view. As they travel, Ruth Ellen reads from Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, reflecting on how her journey mirrors her own-- until finally the train arrives at its last stop, New York's Penn Station, and the family heads out into a night filled with bright lights, glimmering stars, and new possiblity.
James Ransome's mixed-media illustrations are full of bold color and texture, bringing Ruth Ellen's journey to life, from sprawling cotton fields to cramped train cars, the wary glances of other passengers and the dark forest through which Frederick Douglass traveled towards freedom. Overground Railroad is, as Lesa notes, a story "of people who were running from and running to at the same time," and it's a story that will stay with readers long after the final pages.
A Junior Library Guild Selection
Praise for Lesa Cline-Ransome and James Ransome's Before She Was Harriet , a Coretta Scott King Honor Book and winner of the Christopher Award
* "Ransome's lavishly detailed and expansive double-page spreads situate young readers in each time and place as the text takes them further into the past."--Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review
* "a powerful reminder of how all children carry within them the potential for greatness."--Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
48 pages, Hardcover
First published January 7, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 214 reviews
January 7, 2020
They left at the crack of dawn, worried that the owner of the farm would find they were leaving without his permission. The father was a sharecropper, running from a system that kept him forever indebted to the landlord. They boarded a train, headed for a better life in New York
Through poetry, Ruth Ellen tells the story of her family's Great Migration, and shares her views of the passing landscape as she occupies a seat in the "colored" car. Her traveling companions are Mama and Daddy, and a book given to her by her teacher - The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas: An American Slave.
Then, something amazing happens . . .
The porters come and move signs
waking Daddy
telling everyone in the colored section
to sit where they want.
We don't have to stay
in front behind the engine
breathing in smoke
'cause we're past the line
that divides black from white
south from north
wrong from right.
I want to move but we wait more.
Finally
Daddy takes my hand and mama stands
and we walk down the aisle
out the colored car
and through the curtain.
And, they begin their life of freedom in the North.
An absolutely beautiful book by the husband and wife team who created Before She Was Harriet.
Highly recommended.
Through poetry, Ruth Ellen tells the story of her family's Great Migration, and shares her views of the passing landscape as she occupies a seat in the "colored" car. Her traveling companions are Mama and Daddy, and a book given to her by her teacher - The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas: An American Slave.
Then, something amazing happens . . .
The porters come and move signs
waking Daddy
telling everyone in the colored section
to sit where they want.
We don't have to stay
in front behind the engine
breathing in smoke
'cause we're past the line
that divides black from white
south from north
wrong from right.
I want to move but we wait more.
Finally
Daddy takes my hand and mama stands
and we walk down the aisle
out the colored car
and through the curtain.
And, they begin their life of freedom in the North.
An absolutely beautiful book by the husband and wife team who created Before She Was Harriet.
Highly recommended.
February 14, 2020
The standard joke amongst children’s librarians is that we learn most of our American history through children’s books. But of course the unspoken suggestion there is that this is history we never learned in school. Now I don’t care how amazing your education was in the 1980s. Pretty much I can guarantee that unless you were part of the slightest sliver of students, odds are back in the day you had never heard of the Overground Railroad or The Great Migration. Heck, I only got the most superfluous smattering of information about the Underground Railroad, and most of that was due to Virginia Hamilton’s The House of Dies Drear, but I digress. Now that I have children of my own to whom I can read books like Overground Railroad by Lesa Cline-Ransome and James Ransome, it is taking all my restraint not to punctuate every other page of this book with little asides like, “Do you kids know how lucky you are to even have books like this right now?” and “Are you fully appreciating how much better your sense of history is going to be than mine ever was?” I am good. I don’t do that. I don’t do it even though I am simultaneously seething with jealousy over all the opportunities for a fuller education they’re getting while, at the same time, feeling so pleased that books like this one are being published. No series of rote facts, Overground Railroad puts you in the shoes of the ordinary people that had to leave everything and everyone they knew in search of a better life. Historical events like The Great Migration are vague. This book hands young readers not just specifics. It hands them people they can get to know and care about.
It’s early in the morning when they leave. Ruth Ellen, Mama, and Daddy. “We left in secret before Daddy’s boss knew.” Just the three of them with just a couple of bags, leaving everyone and everything they’ve ever known. Joining throngs of other people on the trains, going North. On the train they get some seats for a journey that’s going to be long. In the South they have to sit up front. In the North they move to seats farther back in the train. All the while they eat the food packed for them, listen to Ruth Ellen read from her book Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, and dream of the future. Dream until they arrive in New York City, “bright lights tall buildings shimmering against a sky bright as a hundred North Stars.”
Something happened to Lesa Cline-Ransome and James Ransome. These guys have been making children’s books for years and years and years. They’re not newbies by any stretch of the imagination. Twenty years ago they were doing a picture book biography of Satchel Paige and they haven’t stopped since. But at some point in the last three years their collective career just took off like a shot. For my part, I’d always liked their books but Before She Was Harriet was the game changer. With that book, Cline-Ransome tipped the whole notion of a biography on its head. She told Harriet Tubman’s story all right, but she told it backwards in the context of each job that hero had ever held. It was unique, interesting, riveting, and deserving of more awards than it received. Overground Railroad doesn’t muck with timelines the same way Harriet did, but there’s something mesmerizing in the way it uses each stop on the train line as a method of marking the journey. Even if a kid doesn’t know the difference between Rocky Mount and Washington D.C., they pick up on the pertinent details. It also allows for all kinds of different discussions With this book I was able to explain to my kids the difference between making black people sit at the back of a bus verses making them sit at the front of a train and why, in both cases, it was awful.
I took my time examining precisely how James Ransome put together this art, and the stylistic choices he made to support the narrative. According to the publication page this book consists of paper, graphite, paste pencils, and watercolors all working together. Of course, the very first thing about this book that you see, aside from its cover, are the front endpapers. Split into four quadrants, Ransome shows the different methods black people had to take to go North, including walking, the bus, the train, and by car. You might miss on an initial glance the fact that overshadowing all these scenes, laid over them, is a cotton plant. It sticks out, touching every possible aspect of these four pictures, giving the impression that what these people are escaping is how that cotton has wormed its way into every aspect of their lives. The cotton is rendered very simply. It is present, but it is easy to miss if you’re not looking for it. There’s even a cotton plant featured on the book’s dedication page before the story starts and a field of them in the foreground of the page featuring the Author’s Note and a train escaping out of sight. For the rest of the book, Ransome keeps his images realistic. I loved the peachy pink of the early morning skies and when the artist chose to make something a bold block of color, patterned fabrics, or fine details. There is also a shot of Ruth Ellen and her family walking through a dining car past white people that I can’t stop staring at. The white people are made of a different shade of paper, often crudely cut out. They almost all stare, and there is a side-eye Ruth Ellen’s mama gives them that makes it clear that she is perfectly aware of the situation and is monitoring it.
By complete coincidence this is not the only book out in 2020 with this title. Coming out at pretty much the exact same time is the adult work of history Overground Railroad: The Green Book and the Roots of Black Travel in America by Candacy Taylor. All of this dovetails with what I’m seeing my own kids learn in elementary school these days. The Great Migration has gone from footnote in a child’s history book (if you’re lucky) to its own expanded unit. And children’s literature has done what it could to provide additional books and resources on this topic. Overground Railroad pairs beautifully with Jacqueline Woodson's, This Is the Rope or Eloise Greenfield’s, The Great Migration. One detail I would have loved Ms. Cline-Ransome to include, though, is dates. The Author’s Note at the end spells out clearly how the owners that operated tenant farms exploited the sharecropping system. What it does not say is when in history The Great Migration took place. If I’m a kid and I see this book then I could be forgiven for believing it takes place right after the Civil War, and we know this is not the case. It didn’t have to be an extensive timeline or anything, but just a quiet mention of dates could save a bit of confusion on the part of the child readers (and, let’s face it, plenty of adults as well). As it stands, the sole indication is a newspaper someone reads during the story that declares the date to be May 15, 1939.
You don’t have to look very far to find contemporary stories of people fleeing oppression, heading North to look for a better life. The dates have changed but the reasons remain the same. The creators of this book draw no direct line between migrant stories and Great Migration tales, but there is one little sentence at the end of the Author’s Note that gives the reader a chance to think. She writes, “Overground Railroad is inspired by just one of the many stories of people who were running from and running to at the same time…” We teach our children history so that they can understand current events better. So that they will develop a sense of empathy and compassion and understanding for the ones who came before. So many of these stories have been lost to us, so I find great comfort in the storytellers that imbue them with new life. If you don’t read Overground Railroad you’ll continue your merry way, not knowing what you’ve missed. But of course, if you’ve read this far into the review, you do know. Now you can’t claim ignorance. And, all things being equal, neither will any of the children that are fortunate enough to get a chance to read this book. Unavoidable, necessary history.
For ages 4-7.
It’s early in the morning when they leave. Ruth Ellen, Mama, and Daddy. “We left in secret before Daddy’s boss knew.” Just the three of them with just a couple of bags, leaving everyone and everything they’ve ever known. Joining throngs of other people on the trains, going North. On the train they get some seats for a journey that’s going to be long. In the South they have to sit up front. In the North they move to seats farther back in the train. All the while they eat the food packed for them, listen to Ruth Ellen read from her book Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, and dream of the future. Dream until they arrive in New York City, “bright lights tall buildings shimmering against a sky bright as a hundred North Stars.”
Something happened to Lesa Cline-Ransome and James Ransome. These guys have been making children’s books for years and years and years. They’re not newbies by any stretch of the imagination. Twenty years ago they were doing a picture book biography of Satchel Paige and they haven’t stopped since. But at some point in the last three years their collective career just took off like a shot. For my part, I’d always liked their books but Before She Was Harriet was the game changer. With that book, Cline-Ransome tipped the whole notion of a biography on its head. She told Harriet Tubman’s story all right, but she told it backwards in the context of each job that hero had ever held. It was unique, interesting, riveting, and deserving of more awards than it received. Overground Railroad doesn’t muck with timelines the same way Harriet did, but there’s something mesmerizing in the way it uses each stop on the train line as a method of marking the journey. Even if a kid doesn’t know the difference between Rocky Mount and Washington D.C., they pick up on the pertinent details. It also allows for all kinds of different discussions With this book I was able to explain to my kids the difference between making black people sit at the back of a bus verses making them sit at the front of a train and why, in both cases, it was awful.
I took my time examining precisely how James Ransome put together this art, and the stylistic choices he made to support the narrative. According to the publication page this book consists of paper, graphite, paste pencils, and watercolors all working together. Of course, the very first thing about this book that you see, aside from its cover, are the front endpapers. Split into four quadrants, Ransome shows the different methods black people had to take to go North, including walking, the bus, the train, and by car. You might miss on an initial glance the fact that overshadowing all these scenes, laid over them, is a cotton plant. It sticks out, touching every possible aspect of these four pictures, giving the impression that what these people are escaping is how that cotton has wormed its way into every aspect of their lives. The cotton is rendered very simply. It is present, but it is easy to miss if you’re not looking for it. There’s even a cotton plant featured on the book’s dedication page before the story starts and a field of them in the foreground of the page featuring the Author’s Note and a train escaping out of sight. For the rest of the book, Ransome keeps his images realistic. I loved the peachy pink of the early morning skies and when the artist chose to make something a bold block of color, patterned fabrics, or fine details. There is also a shot of Ruth Ellen and her family walking through a dining car past white people that I can’t stop staring at. The white people are made of a different shade of paper, often crudely cut out. They almost all stare, and there is a side-eye Ruth Ellen’s mama gives them that makes it clear that she is perfectly aware of the situation and is monitoring it.
By complete coincidence this is not the only book out in 2020 with this title. Coming out at pretty much the exact same time is the adult work of history Overground Railroad: The Green Book and the Roots of Black Travel in America by Candacy Taylor. All of this dovetails with what I’m seeing my own kids learn in elementary school these days. The Great Migration has gone from footnote in a child’s history book (if you’re lucky) to its own expanded unit. And children’s literature has done what it could to provide additional books and resources on this topic. Overground Railroad pairs beautifully with Jacqueline Woodson's, This Is the Rope or Eloise Greenfield’s, The Great Migration. One detail I would have loved Ms. Cline-Ransome to include, though, is dates. The Author’s Note at the end spells out clearly how the owners that operated tenant farms exploited the sharecropping system. What it does not say is when in history The Great Migration took place. If I’m a kid and I see this book then I could be forgiven for believing it takes place right after the Civil War, and we know this is not the case. It didn’t have to be an extensive timeline or anything, but just a quiet mention of dates could save a bit of confusion on the part of the child readers (and, let’s face it, plenty of adults as well). As it stands, the sole indication is a newspaper someone reads during the story that declares the date to be May 15, 1939.
You don’t have to look very far to find contemporary stories of people fleeing oppression, heading North to look for a better life. The dates have changed but the reasons remain the same. The creators of this book draw no direct line between migrant stories and Great Migration tales, but there is one little sentence at the end of the Author’s Note that gives the reader a chance to think. She writes, “Overground Railroad is inspired by just one of the many stories of people who were running from and running to at the same time…” We teach our children history so that they can understand current events better. So that they will develop a sense of empathy and compassion and understanding for the ones who came before. So many of these stories have been lost to us, so I find great comfort in the storytellers that imbue them with new life. If you don’t read Overground Railroad you’ll continue your merry way, not knowing what you’ve missed. But of course, if you’ve read this far into the review, you do know. Now you can’t claim ignorance. And, all things being equal, neither will any of the children that are fortunate enough to get a chance to read this book. Unavoidable, necessary history.
For ages 4-7.
December 8, 2020
All around me
everybody leaving for the North
talks in Bible words
Exodus
Egypt
Canaan
hoping that
Chicago
Detroit
and New York City
are
The Promised Land
Ruth Ellen boards the New York bound Silver Meteor in North Carolina with her mama and daddy. Next stop Rocky Mount! Next stop Norfolk, Virginia! Next stop Alexandria, Virginia! Next stop Washington, D.C.! No more Whites Only car now. Next stop Baltimore, Maryland! Next stop Newark, Delaware! Next stop Philadelphia, Pennsylvania! Last stop New York City, Penn Station! Along the way Ruth Ellen reads 'The Narrative Life of Frederick Douglass' and we all see how her trip overground parallels the many who previously had to make the journey north underground. I loved the illustrations with fabric motifs scattered throughout. This author/illustrator team is consistent in their high quality picture books with loads of substance. Highly recommended for classroom read alouds!
everybody leaving for the North
talks in Bible words
Exodus
Egypt
Canaan
hoping that
Chicago
Detroit
and New York City
are
The Promised Land
Ruth Ellen boards the New York bound Silver Meteor in North Carolina with her mama and daddy. Next stop Rocky Mount! Next stop Norfolk, Virginia! Next stop Alexandria, Virginia! Next stop Washington, D.C.! No more Whites Only car now. Next stop Baltimore, Maryland! Next stop Newark, Delaware! Next stop Philadelphia, Pennsylvania! Last stop New York City, Penn Station! Along the way Ruth Ellen reads 'The Narrative Life of Frederick Douglass' and we all see how her trip overground parallels the many who previously had to make the journey north underground. I loved the illustrations with fabric motifs scattered throughout. This author/illustrator team is consistent in their high quality picture books with loads of substance. Highly recommended for classroom read alouds!
August 17, 2020
Ruth Ellen and her family are heading to a new life in the North, leaving behind a life as sharecroppers in the South. They are aboard the train, termed the Overground Railroad, as they escape the difficulties of life in the southern part of the US and go to obtain new opportunities in the northern part of the US.
February 7, 2020
Overground Railroad features a crucial aspect of African American history that is rarely unknown. A must read.
Read
February 4, 2021All around me
everybody leaving for the North
talks in Bible words
Exodus
Egypt
Canaan
hoping that
Chicago
Detroit
and New York City
are
The Promised Land
Ruth Ellen boards the New York bound Silver Meteor in North Carolina with her mama and daddy. Next stop Rocky Mount! Next stop Norfolk, Virginia! Next stop Alexandria, Virginia! Next stop Washington, D.C.! No more Whites Only car now. Next stop Baltimore, Maryland! Next stop Newark, Delaware! Next stop Philadelphia, Pennsylvania! Last stop New York City, Penn Station! Along the way Ruth Ellen reads 'The Narrative Life of Frederick Douglass' and we all see how her trip overground parallels the many who previously had to make the journey north underground. I loved the illustrations with fabric motifs scattered throughout. This author/illustrator team is consistent in their high quality picture books with loads of substance. Highly recommended for classroom read alouds! *Reviewed by Darla from Red Bridge*
everybody leaving for the North
talks in Bible words
Exodus
Egypt
Canaan
hoping that
Chicago
Detroit
and New York City
are
The Promised Land
Ruth Ellen boards the New York bound Silver Meteor in North Carolina with her mama and daddy. Next stop Rocky Mount! Next stop Norfolk, Virginia! Next stop Alexandria, Virginia! Next stop Washington, D.C.! No more Whites Only car now. Next stop Baltimore, Maryland! Next stop Newark, Delaware! Next stop Philadelphia, Pennsylvania! Last stop New York City, Penn Station! Along the way Ruth Ellen reads 'The Narrative Life of Frederick Douglass' and we all see how her trip overground parallels the many who previously had to make the journey north underground. I loved the illustrations with fabric motifs scattered throughout. This author/illustrator team is consistent in their high quality picture books with loads of substance. Highly recommended for classroom read alouds! *Reviewed by Darla from Red Bridge*
April 23, 2020
An important and gorgeously illustrated picture book about the 'Overground Railroad' during the Great Migration as it follows a family traveling by train to leave the oppression of sharecropping for the greater opportunities in the north.
June 2, 2025
Wonderfully produced, short, audiobook. Great cast, music, and sound effects.
July 9, 2020
"All aboard the New York-bound Silver Meteor" with Ruth Ellen and her family as they journey past Blue Ridge Mountains, rivers, and fields, traveling north towards a place where hopes and dreams might possibly live. Leaving the rural south meant saying goodbye to precious loved ones but it also meant an end to working someone else's land. It meant better jobs and a better way of living. It didn't really matter how long the train ride would be. They had food from Grandma packed with love and care. Ellen had a book that her teacher had given her; one that she would read to her parents. While she read about the life of Frederick Douglas and his pursuit of freedom, the train zipped along towards a liberation of their own.
Until I read this book I'd never heard any reference to the Overground Railroad. The author's note explains that "The Overground Railroad refers to the railway system that carried millions of Blacks who left the South during the Great Migration." Overground Railroad gives the reader a glimpse of what the experience may have been like for many. This would be the perfect book to pair with Lesa Cline-Ransome's historical fiction middle grade book, Finding Langston, as well as its companion novel, Leaving Lymon.
I agree with the age recommendation of 4-8 but as with many profound picture books like this one, it would be a great book for any reader that you plan to teach the Great Migration to.
Until I read this book I'd never heard any reference to the Overground Railroad. The author's note explains that "The Overground Railroad refers to the railway system that carried millions of Blacks who left the South during the Great Migration." Overground Railroad gives the reader a glimpse of what the experience may have been like for many. This would be the perfect book to pair with Lesa Cline-Ransome's historical fiction middle grade book, Finding Langston, as well as its companion novel, Leaving Lymon.
I agree with the age recommendation of 4-8 but as with many profound picture books like this one, it would be a great book for any reader that you plan to teach the Great Migration to.
Read
October 4, 2020This is wonderful. I can't think of another picturebook I've seen that actually explicitly speaks to the violence of sharecropping and how the post-Juneteenth American South wasn't really much more "free" than slavery was. It's also got a great rhythm to the poetry that matches the pace of the train.
December 18, 2020
Really really lovely. It's an incredibly readable, personal story about the Great Migration. The illustrations are incredible. James Ransome uses some beautiful collage elements, plus his classic paint and pencil, and taken all together it's remarkable. He's such a talented illustrator and this combination of narrative and visuals is really lovely. Highly recommended.
November 28, 2023
The story of Overground Railroad follows a family's journey from their southern home to New York City during the era known as the Great Migration when many African Americans left the South. This was also a period when slavery was still happening. The main character, Ruth Ellen, and her family board a train heading north. Ruth reads a book her teacher gave her that chronicles Frederick Douglass' life while on the trip. As she reads, Ruth discovers similarities between her life and the life of Frederick Douglass. As Ruth delves deeper into the book, she discovers that she and Frederick Douglass faced similar challenges and obstacles in their quest for freedom and equality. The book highlights Douglass' escape from slavery, his relentless fight against oppression, and his unwavering determination to educate himself. Ruth becomes inspired by Douglass' resilience and begins to question the injustices she witnesses in her own life. The book acts as a catalyst for Ruth's awakening, fueling her desire to make a difference and fight for social justice. She started participating in protests, joining local organizations, and educating herself on various social issues. Frederick Douglass inspired Ruth to become an advocate for equality. She used her voice and resources to uplift marginalized communities. The book's impact on Ruth's life is profound, as she realizes the power of education, determination, and perseverance in the face of adversity. Through her activism, Ruth honors Douglass' legacy and strives for equity. The Overground Railroad book highlights the resilience and determination of enslaved individuals who sought freedom. The book tells their stories vividly, depicting their courage in the face of unimaginable hardships and their unwavering commitment to escape the bonds of slavery. Furthermore, the author sheds light on the role of abolitionists and allies who risked their lives to aid in the dangerous journey toward liberation.
This theme is significant because it showcases the indomitable spirit of the enslaved individuals and highlights their agency in actively pursuing freedom. By emphasizing their resilience and determination, the book challenges the narrative of passive victims and portrays them as active agents in their liberation. Furthermore, by acknowledging the role of abolitionists and allies, the theme underscores the importance of collective action and solidarity in the fight against slavery. The book "The Overground Railroad" falls under the historical fiction genre. It is categorized as such because it encompasses two significant historical events: the Great Migration and slavery. Reading this book allowed me to gain insight into the struggles and perseverance of African Americans during a critical period in American history. The author skillfully blends factual historical events with fictitious characters, creating an engaging story that sheds light on the experiences of those who lived through this tumultuous time. Furthermore, the novel offers a thought-provoking analysis of the long-lasting effects of slavery and its connection to the Great Migration, revealing the complexities and outcomes of these interrelated historical phenomena. This book was a WOW book for me because it gave me a lot of information about how segregation was and how some families left the South to have a better living situation. This book had a lot of great information, and I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to have more knowledge about this historical period!
A few literary devices the author included in her book were point of view, plot, and dialogue. Throughout the story, the author includes dialogue from Ruth to her mother and father. An example is when Ruth is about to start reading the book that the teacher gave her and her mother says, “Read to me, Ruthie”. First-person point of view was used by the author because the story is being told by Ruth. Lastly, the plot of the story was included in the book because Ruth is explaining the events that are happening and why they are happening. I would consider this book to be an example of an anti-bias book because the author speaks about the African American culture and what they experienced in the 1900s.
This theme is significant because it showcases the indomitable spirit of the enslaved individuals and highlights their agency in actively pursuing freedom. By emphasizing their resilience and determination, the book challenges the narrative of passive victims and portrays them as active agents in their liberation. Furthermore, by acknowledging the role of abolitionists and allies, the theme underscores the importance of collective action and solidarity in the fight against slavery. The book "The Overground Railroad" falls under the historical fiction genre. It is categorized as such because it encompasses two significant historical events: the Great Migration and slavery. Reading this book allowed me to gain insight into the struggles and perseverance of African Americans during a critical period in American history. The author skillfully blends factual historical events with fictitious characters, creating an engaging story that sheds light on the experiences of those who lived through this tumultuous time. Furthermore, the novel offers a thought-provoking analysis of the long-lasting effects of slavery and its connection to the Great Migration, revealing the complexities and outcomes of these interrelated historical phenomena. This book was a WOW book for me because it gave me a lot of information about how segregation was and how some families left the South to have a better living situation. This book had a lot of great information, and I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to have more knowledge about this historical period!
A few literary devices the author included in her book were point of view, plot, and dialogue. Throughout the story, the author includes dialogue from Ruth to her mother and father. An example is when Ruth is about to start reading the book that the teacher gave her and her mother says, “Read to me, Ruthie”. First-person point of view was used by the author because the story is being told by Ruth. Lastly, the plot of the story was included in the book because Ruth is explaining the events that are happening and why they are happening. I would consider this book to be an example of an anti-bias book because the author speaks about the African American culture and what they experienced in the 1900s.
April 23, 2024
The Overground Railroad is not just a children’s book, but a wonderful account of the hopeful journey of a young African American family escaping the Jim Crow South during the Great Migration. In this book, we get to follow a young family’s journey north for a better life and opportunities through the perspective of their young daughter. I thought this book did an incredible job of telling the journey in a way that is easy to follow along, with excellent descriptions of especially the subtle discrimination that African Americans faced during their trip to the north. The major themes of the book were perseverance, new opportunity, and freedom, especially when the train conductor signifies this as he removes the “white only” sign for the train cars in Virginia, and now people are free to move about the train as they wish. New opportunity is shown throughout the book, as both parents were determined to make a better life for their family, not telling anyone in the south including their jobs that they were leaving to avoid scrutiny, and only bringing with them what they could carry on the train. This family persevered and made it the entire trip, with the author giving us updates at each stop of where their next destination was, all the way until their last stop of New York. Even though they arrived tired, hungry, and unsure, their hearts and minds were determined to create a better, more fruitful life for themselves. The genre of this book was historical fiction, as it follows a fictional family that resembles what would have been thousands of real families during the true historical event of Great Migration during the mid-20th century. Children reading this book could learn about a very true and often under-taught part of history, The Great Migration, while also taking away the core concepts of determination and perseverance through hardship and taking a leap of faith to achieve a better life or new opportunities. The Overground Railroad was a WOW book for me because it was the first time I had seen a children’s book about such an important historical topic, written in an easy-to-follow and interesting way.
Lisa Cline-Ransome writing craft in this book really emphasized the length and duration of the journey, further signifying the theme of perseverance. She achieved this by stating each stop along the railroad by pausing the story to state each stop saying “Next Stop: Baltimore” for example. The author also enhanced the message of the discrimination that African Americans faced on their journey, by describing how when the family finally walked freely through the train cars, they were met with “stares with eyes that said, keep moving” or “hands that took up empty seats”. However, even despite the hostility, the family “kept walking until they found smiles from new neighbors,” showing their determination. I would consider this book to be anti-bias, because not only does it share the very untold stories from people of the Great Migration, but it also tells it from the perspective of a child. This allows children to better relate to the book and sympathize with the children of that time, maybe thinking of how they would have felt facing such a great challenge.
Lisa Cline-Ransome writing craft in this book really emphasized the length and duration of the journey, further signifying the theme of perseverance. She achieved this by stating each stop along the railroad by pausing the story to state each stop saying “Next Stop: Baltimore” for example. The author also enhanced the message of the discrimination that African Americans faced on their journey, by describing how when the family finally walked freely through the train cars, they were met with “stares with eyes that said, keep moving” or “hands that took up empty seats”. However, even despite the hostility, the family “kept walking until they found smiles from new neighbors,” showing their determination. I would consider this book to be anti-bias, because not only does it share the very untold stories from people of the Great Migration, but it also tells it from the perspective of a child. This allows children to better relate to the book and sympathize with the children of that time, maybe thinking of how they would have felt facing such a great challenge.
December 4, 2024
This was a WOW book for me! After reading this book, I felt more connected with the characters and had a real connection and understanding of what the journey of leaving the South during the time of segregation and enslavement of Black people was going on in the South and when the North banned the enslavement of Black people, so they were leaving the South to go up north to the bigger cities to find more opportunities and a chance to get a shot at life where they were independent and free. I've connected this story to my previous knowledge of Jim Crow laws and how many African Americans left the South during this great migration period for a better future up north. Through the author's eye, I've witnessed a bittersweet journey of a family, out of many, leaving the only place they knew as home to search and find freedom and opportunities. This was a story of making sacrifices and taking risks to pursue and find something better. The author focused on themes like resilience and hope as the author took us through a journey that symbolizes hope and a better future and showed us the readers the true determination of all the African Americans who were leaving the South to migrate to the North for a better life.
This book fits in the historical fiction genre as it felt like a blend of telling a historical moment and real-life experience, also using poetry. This book had detailed illustrations that created a more engaging experience for the readers and made the readers feel and understand exactly what was going on in the story and what the characters were going through and walking through the journey with them. Through the story, we saw how the author was able to show us a different perspective of this historical moment through a child's perspective. Imagery in the book, like the phrase “bright as a hundred North Stars,” vividly reflects Ruth Ellen’s sense of hope and wonder, bringing her life journey to life. The book her teacher gives her, a narrative of Frederick Douglass, symbolizes her family’s journey, connecting their struggles to past stories of resilience. The author shows the difference between the harsh realities of the South and the hope of the North, showing the balance between struggle and hope. When it comes to the social, political, and cultural context, I think this book handled bias perfectly, making sure that it brought light to the systemic problems of racism and slavery without targeting a certain group by focusing on the character's personal experience without being insensitive to both sides. Over the Overground Railroad is a powerful story that connects the past and present, showing the strength of hope and the value of understanding history. It's a journey and understanding everyone should experience.
April 29, 2024
This book is about a young girl’s trip with her family to gaining their freedom. She and her family are on a train that is heading North. In the beginning of the book, it tells us about her leaving and the restrictions that are in place. As the train moves closer to the North, the restrictions are lifted, and we are told of the freedom and excitement the little girl feels about starting a new life. The theme of this book is bravery and hardship. We get a glimpse of the sorrow that Ruth’s family feels when they leave, the difficulty they faced where they lived, and bravery they had to have to start a new life in the North. The love of the family is what kept them together and going. The genre of this book is historical fiction. If I were to read this book to children, I would use it as the introduction to my history lesson. It would be a good way to introduce the topic at hand. It would offer them beginners’ education on the topic of slavery. It covers the sadness, difficulty, and the excitement few families felt when reaching their freedom during this time. This book is a WOW Book for me because I believe the story is well told through the eyes of a little girl. We get a small glimpse of a story and emotions that so many lived. The words are not the only thing telling the story. The illustrations are detailed and beautiful and add depth to the story. The author has craft in this story when she includes Ruth reading her book: Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. We are reading a narrative of Ruth’s journey while she is reading Frederick’s. She makes connections about her life with the book. The illustrations also play a part here by connecting with the words and being symbolic. I believe this story is free of bias because it was telling the story of a life that one too many lived. It gave the truthful sorrows that one felt and the fear they were facing if they searched for freedom. This story was a real-life event that was told at the level children could understand.
November 28, 2022
“The Overground Railroad” by Lesa Cline-Ransome is a historical fiction book about a young girl named Ruth Ellen who gets on a train to move north away from the south with her mother and father. The book includes reflections on her and her family’s experiences in the south, and the author also includes a bit of information and comparison to Frederick Douglas. One major theme throughout this book is racial injustice. One moment of reflection in the book that I really liked was when Ruth was on the train heading north, but looks out the window to see people working in fields as her father used to do. The story is about a family moving to gain freedom, but the solemn nature of the racial inequities going on does not escape the author. This is a great book for children to learn about what people of color had to do to simply live freely at the time. This book is a wow book for me because although I had heard of and learned about the underground railroad, I had never learned about the over ground railroad. It gave me more perspective on the history of migration from north to south for people of color, and I enjoyed the method in which the author told the story.
Although the topic of this book revolves around racial inequity and racial identities, the book is as free from bias as possible because of the multiple point of views in the story. The narrator is Ruth Ellen, but her parents, grandparents, and other people on the train are all considered. Although there are complex ideas about race written in this book, the overarching message is about gaining freedom. The social, political, historical, and cultural contexts discussed in this book are what make the book so unique and are why it is written so well. The author touches on each one carefully as she crafts her story about Ruth and her family.
Although the topic of this book revolves around racial inequity and racial identities, the book is as free from bias as possible because of the multiple point of views in the story. The narrator is Ruth Ellen, but her parents, grandparents, and other people on the train are all considered. Although there are complex ideas about race written in this book, the overarching message is about gaining freedom. The social, political, historical, and cultural contexts discussed in this book are what make the book so unique and are why it is written so well. The author touches on each one carefully as she crafts her story about Ruth and her family.
November 28, 2022
Overground Railroad is a historical fiction book that educates readers about significant figures in the underground railroad and the discrimination of colored people in the south.
The story was placed around the year 1917 and took the reader through the journey of Ruth Ellen and her family. Ruth and her family were farmers who left the south to start a new life in the North, one without the influence of Jim Crow Laws. Throughout their journey in the Overground Railroad, the author explains the struggles of African Americans in the south during that time, and what opportunities the north can offer them. Towards the end of the book, the sections of the train that separated white and black people. This gave Ruth Ellen and her family a glimpse of their new life in the north.
One thing that I enjoyed throughout the book was how the author taught the reader about the history of the Underground Railroad as well as how the author put the story in Ruth Ellen’s perspective. I believe that her perspective helped make the story more immersive.
Throughout this book, it is important for the reader to learn about discrimination in the early 20th century. This book taught me about the struggle that every black person in the south went through in order to find a new life in the North, as well as educated me about Fredrick Douglas.
I believe this book is anti-bias because the author focuses on the struggles of African Americans in the early 1900s. The author educates the reader on important black history by taking us through a journey with Ruth Ellen and her family.
The story was placed around the year 1917 and took the reader through the journey of Ruth Ellen and her family. Ruth and her family were farmers who left the south to start a new life in the North, one without the influence of Jim Crow Laws. Throughout their journey in the Overground Railroad, the author explains the struggles of African Americans in the south during that time, and what opportunities the north can offer them. Towards the end of the book, the sections of the train that separated white and black people. This gave Ruth Ellen and her family a glimpse of their new life in the north.
One thing that I enjoyed throughout the book was how the author taught the reader about the history of the Underground Railroad as well as how the author put the story in Ruth Ellen’s perspective. I believe that her perspective helped make the story more immersive.
Throughout this book, it is important for the reader to learn about discrimination in the early 20th century. This book taught me about the struggle that every black person in the south went through in order to find a new life in the North, as well as educated me about Fredrick Douglas.
I believe this book is anti-bias because the author focuses on the struggles of African Americans in the early 1900s. The author educates the reader on important black history by taking us through a journey with Ruth Ellen and her family.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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November 28, 2022The book starts out following an African American family leaving the south during the great migration during 1960 and 1970. Hoping to find a better life, an African American girl on a train going from North Carolina to New York. The girl talks about her journey on the train and goes over the life they left behind in North Carolina, leaving their house and their jobs in hopes of making a way in New york. The girl sees more African Americans as the train stops to pick up more people and sees people like her and her family in search of the same opportunity as they are, which is a new life. The girl also recalls the racism they faced on the train as whites would not allow them to sit with them or even show them a friendly face. With each stop the different smells and people of the train are described and paints a great picture of the environment on the train all the way until they reach their destination, and signals the start of their new life. The main point I got from this book is change, the lesson of change can be used to teach kids that they have a choice and if things are not the best for them they can change things to have a different outcome. This book can also be used to teach kids about the history of the great migration which was African Americans leaving the south to go find jobs in the cities up north and could also be used for adults to teach kids about racism as the book mentions what happened during the time period. This book was a WOW book for me because it shows the history behind the American dream and how much changing your environment can change your life.
October 15, 2020
There is zero question that I learn so much about history from kids' books.
I remember getting about 30 seconds of information about the Great Migration in school and as an adult it's been one of those things that I'm aware of and have read of occasionally in books (I hear The Warmth of Other Suns is awesome, it's not a book I've ever been able to find time for) but my knowledge of it is very limited. I had no idea that people had to sneak away because their employers would find ways to make it so they couldn't leave...I mean, that's my own blindness and naivete of course.
This is lovely, the illustrations are totally fabulous but the thing I really love about it is it is 100% accessible for all ages. I'm 41, I read it to my 2-year-old, I learned something and, well, it's a cool and not super wordy book about a train, he was all for it. The connection between this journey and the Underground Railroad is there but it doesn't hit you over the head, and in the same way it's also not hidden in back matter for you to dig out only if you want to. It's just there. Very well crafted book.
I remember getting about 30 seconds of information about the Great Migration in school and as an adult it's been one of those things that I'm aware of and have read of occasionally in books (I hear The Warmth of Other Suns is awesome, it's not a book I've ever been able to find time for) but my knowledge of it is very limited. I had no idea that people had to sneak away because their employers would find ways to make it so they couldn't leave...I mean, that's my own blindness and naivete of course.
This is lovely, the illustrations are totally fabulous but the thing I really love about it is it is 100% accessible for all ages. I'm 41, I read it to my 2-year-old, I learned something and, well, it's a cool and not super wordy book about a train, he was all for it. The connection between this journey and the Underground Railroad is there but it doesn't hit you over the head, and in the same way it's also not hidden in back matter for you to dig out only if you want to. It's just there. Very well crafted book.
December 8, 2024
Have you ever wanted to teach children about segregation and Jim Crow laws? Overground Railroad is a historical fiction book that describes a family of color taking the train up to the North to escape the South. The major themes in this book were segregation and slavery, because as the train goes by each stop, they see and interact with things that relate to the themes in the book, such as slaves picking cotton and tobacco from a plantation and reading Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglass. Through reading this book, children could learn how people of color were treated before the Civil War and how the Northern side of America at the time was trying to abolish slavery. This book was a WOW book for me because of how detailed the book explained the times of the 1800's to children and how people of color were treated while being simple enough to get the idea.
Two of the literary devices the author used writing this book were imagery and allusion. These two literary devices enhanced the book by describing the scenery outside the train alongside the illustrations and the allusion that the train is the Underground Railroad, which is why the book is called Overground Railroad. I would consider this book to be an anti-bias book because it talks about what happened back in the 1800's and everything that is talked about is true.
Two of the literary devices the author used writing this book were imagery and allusion. These two literary devices enhanced the book by describing the scenery outside the train alongside the illustrations and the allusion that the train is the Underground Railroad, which is why the book is called Overground Railroad. I would consider this book to be an anti-bias book because it talks about what happened back in the 1800's and everything that is talked about is true.
December 6, 2021
I reviewed "Overground Railroad" on Epic Library. I found this picture book on the Brightly Blog: Colorful Poetry: 22 Diverse Poetry Picture Books for Kids. I would use this book for students aged 4-8. Although it was an electronic version of the book, the reader was able to view and appreciate the beautiful illustration. They were colorful watercolors. They had beautiful bright and contrasting colors on each page. On the pages, they would have quotes on what conductors would say specifically, while the rest of the journey is written in poetry. If you clicked on the words, you would get a definition and pronunciation of the word. When reading this, you are able to learn the perspective on the Great Migration. What made people move, why, and the impact it had on families. You are able to see that although there was not segregation in the North, there was still racism and mistreatment of African Americans. This is a beautiful story of the Great Migration that should be in everyone's library.
October 11, 2020
Overground Railroad is featured on The Horn Book Inc. magazine review (hbook.com). I read the book in a digital format on libbyapp.com
Overground Railroad is a historically fictionalized story of an African American family that relocates from their home in the sharecropping south to the bright lights of New York City during the Great migration in the early-mid 20th century. The family travels on the Silver Meteor, a train that picks up the family in North Carolina, and the plot revolves around the different experiences and insights that the daughter in the family has on the journey to New York City.
Throughout the journey, she gains insight from the places that she sees along the way, such as crop fields of the south, the “crooked shacks” of Virginia, and the tall buildings of New York City. Along the way she is also making continuous connections between her journey and the story of Frederick Douglass, as she fills a portion of her time on the train reading from his biography. The story touches on several themes including human migration, racial injustice, and opportunity.
Overground Railroad is a picture book. The illustrator, James E. Ransome, combines the text of each page with mixed-media illustrations. The text is incorporated directly into the illustrations themselves which add to the effect of the mixed media. The illustrator also provides a vivid setting for each of the girls' insights from the different locations that the train passes through, experiences on the train itself as well as and the flashbacks into the life of Frederick Douglass. Lesa Cline-Ransome also provides an “author’s note” at the end of the book, in which she describes the historical basis for the story through descriptions of the sharecropping south as well as the causes and effects of the overground railroad and The Great Migration as a whole.
Overground Railroad is recommended for readers in the 3rd grade and below. The simple descriptions and vivacious illustrations help younger students begin to understand the notion of perceiving life through the eyes of people from different backgrounds. This story touches on historical policies that will be very surprising to some students, such as the idea that African Americans had to sit in specific areas of the train, and will undoubtedly spark questions and discussion within the classroom. This story is also useful in sparking interest while introducing historical events such as the Great Migration or modern African American history as a whole.
Overground Railroad is a historically fictionalized story of an African American family that relocates from their home in the sharecropping south to the bright lights of New York City during the Great migration in the early-mid 20th century. The family travels on the Silver Meteor, a train that picks up the family in North Carolina, and the plot revolves around the different experiences and insights that the daughter in the family has on the journey to New York City.
Throughout the journey, she gains insight from the places that she sees along the way, such as crop fields of the south, the “crooked shacks” of Virginia, and the tall buildings of New York City. Along the way she is also making continuous connections between her journey and the story of Frederick Douglass, as she fills a portion of her time on the train reading from his biography. The story touches on several themes including human migration, racial injustice, and opportunity.
Overground Railroad is a picture book. The illustrator, James E. Ransome, combines the text of each page with mixed-media illustrations. The text is incorporated directly into the illustrations themselves which add to the effect of the mixed media. The illustrator also provides a vivid setting for each of the girls' insights from the different locations that the train passes through, experiences on the train itself as well as and the flashbacks into the life of Frederick Douglass. Lesa Cline-Ransome also provides an “author’s note” at the end of the book, in which she describes the historical basis for the story through descriptions of the sharecropping south as well as the causes and effects of the overground railroad and The Great Migration as a whole.
Overground Railroad is recommended for readers in the 3rd grade and below. The simple descriptions and vivacious illustrations help younger students begin to understand the notion of perceiving life through the eyes of people from different backgrounds. This story touches on historical policies that will be very surprising to some students, such as the idea that African Americans had to sit in specific areas of the train, and will undoubtedly spark questions and discussion within the classroom. This story is also useful in sparking interest while introducing historical events such as the Great Migration or modern African American history as a whole.
February 21, 2020
Picked this one up from my library after a friend recommended it on Twitter. This is a beautifully written and illustrated picture book about train travel during the Great Migration. It tells the story of a family “running from and running to at the same time.” The author’s note at the end will help student readers the connection between the Underground and Overground Railroads. Highly recommend.
January 1, 2021
It was great to read this book right after Leaving Lymon. This is a great picture book. The author’s note conveyed really important history about landowners keeping sharecroppers in poverty. The connection she makes to the Underground Railroad is profound. Since so much is communicated through the author’s note and the pictures- I’m a bit perplexed as to why this book is on some Newbery watch lists.
March 6, 2020
A plain and simple story that illuminates a part of history I was scarcely familiar with. I listened for, and was delighted to hear, the narrator's own voice in frequent points in the storyline. Strong portrayal of the dignity and vision of those courageous enough to participate in the Great Migration.
March 8, 2020
Instead of the underground railroad, this sharecropping family takes the overground railroad when they sneak away at night from their home before the lease is up. The dramatic graphite, paste pencil and watercolor paintings depict close ups of people's faces and long views of the train as it travels north.
July 31, 2020
A story of the Great Migration for children. This did an excellent job of explaining the reasons and need for leaving the south, tying it both to the underground railroad of the past, and to the present. The illustrations set the scene and the time period, but we're also striking and relevant.
February 1, 2020
Nice to have an African American experience that isn’t about slavery.
October 5, 2020
Using this book for Black History Month.
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January 18, 2021For upper elementary and middle school classrooms. Lesa Cline-Ransome dedicates this book to Isabel Wilkerson.
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