A superb book on the life of Harriet Tubman who is a woman who has been so mythicized for child audiences. I’ve read a number of Lesa Cline-Ransome and loved the books she’s written on history and beloved figures of the African Diaspora. This one frames Harriet Tubman’s story through the different names and roles she’s had throughout her life. Growing up, I didn’t know she was a spy and a general--only in recent years has all this information been elaborated on. In this book, she’s not just Moses a conductor on the Underground Railroad, she was also Araminta a young slave girl whose father taught her how to read the stars and navigate the woods. The artwork here is just beautiful--soak it all in--gorgeous painted(?) illustrations that by James E. Ransome, add to visualizing this story of this amazing woman.

There’s a brilliant page of Harriet,seated at the front of a boat, a red scarf tied on her head as General Tubman. Her boat filled with slaves freeing what chained them, the night sky blue and black with fires in the background. There’s an immensely profound page of her as a child--the cover image--a face young and curious looking up with the moon behind her, creating a striking profile. This book flesh out the history of one of America’s most interesting women and reminds us that all great minds start out as children. If you’re looking for kidlit on Black women by Black women--this is a great one, especially if you’re looking for books that touch up on history of the past and Black Historical legends.