Runaway Jack

by Stewart Lees

When Isaac discovers a little wooden horse among his grandfather's treasures, he longs to find out where it comes from. Set in the American South, the story tells of Isaac's great-great-great-grandfather, Jack, and Jack's sister, Molly, who are sold into slavery on a tobacco plantation. Jack gives Molly a little wooden horse as a keepsake before he is sold on downriver to a cotton plantation. Soon Jack is forced to flee for his life, hiding in the marshlands before stowing away on a Mississippi paddle-steamer. Eventually it is the little wooden horse that reunites him with Molly, in a dramatic and poignant story that takes an unsentimental look at the life of runaway slaves.

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Abigail Cruz]

I’m not exactly sure how I feel about this book. On one hand, I do think that Lees did a good job introducing the matter of slavery and how people were affected by it without being too explicit. He made sure to restore humanity and specifity, so I really appreciated that. But it’s the ending that gets me, I feel that I would have felt more satisfied with it if he would have acknowledged that not everybody’s story ended like Jack’s. Overall, this book has a pretty good plot that keeps children interested.

[Haley Whitehall]

This was one of the best slavery picture books I've read! Steward Lees did a brilliant job writing and illustrating Runaway Jack. This book follows the story of a Jack a slave boy who is sold down South to work in the cotton fields, separated from his sister and then his escape on the Underground Railroad with the help of some Quakers. The realistic illustrations are beautiful and the prose is equally as realistic while being appropriate for children. The escape was very suspenseful. I think children will love this book.

[Chena Bean]

Historical Fiction