Follow the Drinking Gourd

This fine story teaches even the smallest of children about the evil of slavery in pre-Civil War America. It shows a desire for freedom so strong that men, women and children risked their lives to escape on the Underground Railroad, following the largest star in the Drinking Gourd of the title (The Big Dipper). The book introduces the idea of slavery, the separation of families, the sale of human beings at auctions, and the difficulties that people endured to escape--hiding in trees to avoid hounds, sleeping by day, sometimes on empty stomachs, and walking at night, sometimes without stars to guide them. Sometimes people along the way were kind, providing bacon and corn bread to share, helping them across the Ohio River, and hiding them in the attics and barns of safe houses.The story's dramatic simplicity grasps and holds children. They fasten to it, eager to learn about the bonds that once tied African-Americans and the freedom for which they naturally yearned.The book is a song of freedom. Alyssa A. Lappen

I used this book to help fulfill a story project requirement for my Children's Literature class at Kent State University. A partner and I read this book to two second-grade classes, who listened attentively. This version of the story has less text than Bernardine Connelly's version (same title), which made it appropriate for reading aloud within a limited time. The students seemed to enjoy the repetition of the song lyrics throughout. The illustrations are striking, with interesting and unusual color choices. The skin tones of the African-American characters are quite lovely, ranging from mahogany to very dark brown. Bright purples and oranges in the illustrations also stand out. The characters are depicted in a wide range of ages, from "Old Hattie" to "Little Isaiah." We used this book in conjunction with explanations of the Underground Railroad and another book, Barefoot by Pamela Duncan Edwards, as well as poems by African-American poet Langston Hughes. The difficult topics of selling slaves at auction, running away, and the fears the runaways had are sensitively treated. At the end of the book, when freedom is reached and Old Hattie exclaims, "'Five more souls are safe!'" I heard a collective gasp of emotion from the children. These students really seemed to enjoy learning about the Underground Railroad and how slaves escaped their bondage. The fact that we usually call the Drinking Gourd constellation the Big Dipper did take some repeated explanation on the part of the storytellers.

My daughter read this book in her kindergarten class during Black history month and we loved it so much we bought a copy. It is an inspiring story of courage and triumph over adversity. The story is about a slave named Peg Leg Joe who leads other slaves to freedom by teaching them a song instructing them to "Follow the Drinking Gourd". The drinking gourd he refers to is the Big Dipper. Not only is this a great story about the Underground Railroad, it also inspired my daughter's interest in astronomy. I highly recommend it.

I read this book to my 1st grade students to teach them about Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad. The illustrations were nice and my students caught on that they were really following the constellation (the dipper). I would highly recommend this book. It was THE BEST resource I could find to tie into Black History Month.