I Want to Be Free

He is a young slave and wants his freedom, but when he tried to run he was captured and chains were slapped on his ankle. There is only one thing running through his head, he cannot escape that, but he can try to run any chance he gets. Before I die, I want to be free. But the Big man says, "You belong to me." He ran, but couldn't remove the ring. No one could help him and no one could help a motherless child left behind for the dogs and the Big man to find. He wasn't going to leave a defenseless child to perish or lose his soul to slavery. He took the child and ran to the Land of the Free. Would the young man and little boy find what they were looking for so far away from home? This is a touching and heartwarming poetic tale of an unlikely partnership and their quest for freedom. The watercolors were sweeping and poignant, one especially reminiscent of Kunta Kinte's dilemma with his chains. It's a beautiful story that shouldn't be passed up!

I am familiar with Joseph Slate's work primarily through his colorful Miss Bindergarten series, so I was surprised to see him taking on a much more serious subject, that of a runaway slave trying to escape to freedom. He succeeds brilliantly. This compelling story is told in rhythmic verse that has the ring of an African American spiritual to it. It is complemented perfectly by beautiful watercolors by E. B. Lewis. Well done, gentlemen!

A young man runs away from the bonds of slavery and the hated plantation owner. The danger of his escape is compounded by the pain of the heavy iron ring that remains locked around his leg. Despite the risk of being captured and his intense desire to seek freedom, the young man still has the courage to rescue another escaped slave, a small child who was orphaned and lost in the woods. How this child ultimately brings love and freedom into the young man's life is a source of inspiration and wonder. This powerful story, told in sparse yet bold verse, has its underpinnings in the literature of Buddha and is set to the time of slavery in the American South. Acclaimed illustrator E. B. Lewis is very effective in communicating all the emotions associated with the drudgery of slavery, the dangers of escape, and the complex emotions of a new relationship between a young man and the child he rescues. This book makes an excellent choice for parents and teachers who are seeking realistic yet age-appropriate materials to teach younger children about the institution of slavery in American history.