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January's Sparrow (2009)

by Patricia Polacco(Favorite Author)

4.48 of 5 Votes: 6

ISBN

0399250778 (ISBN13: 9780399250774)

languge

English

genre

Historical Fiction

publisher

Philomel

review 1: When my grand daughter excitedly told me that her fifth grade class was reading this book, she used this as a teaching/reading lesson to me. She loves to pretend she is a teacher, and I loved listening to the inflection and excitement in her voice as she read January's Sparrow with/to me.Using vivid illustrations, Polacco begins the book with the injustice of, and brutal beating of January Sparrow, a man who was welcomed into the Crosswhite family when he was taken from his mother and sold into slavery when he was a young man. As the bond grows, young Sadie is particularly fond of January, and, as a gift he hand carves a beautiful sparrow. Now, as an adult, January rebels against the cruelty of the plantation owners. Attempting to flee to the north, he is caught and return... moreed. He is severely beaten as the Crosswhite family is forced to observe. Slavery is quite a difficult subject, and as Kayla spoke of the horror of the beating, I heard a catch in her voice and saw tears in her eyes.When the Crosswhite family learned that the next day their sons were to be sold and taken from the family, they chose to flee. The beauty of the underground railroad shines through in this book as the Crosswhite's flee to the free state of Michigan.Landing in the home of a gentle, kind woman who sheltered and fed the family, they decided to take a break and live in Marshall, Michigan for a spell. Still, they lived under the fear that their owners would hunt them down. While there were free states, the law was that anyone harboring slaves would be prosecuted. When the plantation owners track and hunt down the Crosswhites, attempting to retrieve their property, there is a peaceful, non-violent protest of the members of Marshall. Fleeing to Canada, the Crosswhites, eventually find safety. After the Civil War, they return to the community that saved and nurtured them and lived their days in peace.Told from the voice of Sadie, the young daughter of the Crosswhite family, the story is more meaningful as she processes the horror and abject unfairness of slavery. And, as Sadie grows to trust, she and her family land of safe ground.Highly recommended for children and adults!
review 2: Sadie Crosswhite is a young slave growing up in 1840s Kentucky. After January, her adopted older brother, is brutally beaten and left for dead, Sadie and her family journey to Marshall, Michigan in search of freedom. When the paddy rollers arrive to take the family back to Kentucky, the whole town turns out to support them.Based on true events, this is a well-done rendering of an important story. The narrative unfolds through the eyes of January and Sadie, and Polacco makes liberal use of an authentic-sounding dialect to establish their voices. Expressive, double-page illustrations accompany the text.While this is a beautiful and worthwhile story, it is packaged as a 94-page picture book which might limit its appeal to its intended audience. Open-minded tween readers who pick up this book will be treated to a moving slice of American history, but teachers and librarians may need to work a little harder to get this book into the hands of the right readers.The addition of a historical note would have been greatly appreciated. less

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