Nat Turner and Slave Life on a Southern Plantation

November 1, 2013

Gr 3-5-Using a graphic-novel format, these titles illuminate the lives of African American heroes. The biographical information is thorough. The dialogue is fictionalized, but it is revelatory and believable. For instance, on advising slaves hiding in the woods, Harriet Tubman warns, "No matter what happens or what you hear, you must lie still and not make a sound." The format is ideal for showing period details and the heroes' key characteristics. In Frederick Douglass, for example, Douglass's public-speaking ability is depicted several times as he is shown passionately addressing crowds of people, all of whom are clad in 19th-century garb. Brief introductions, "character" lists, time lines, and glossaries are included. Illustrations are colorful and rendered in a style that blends cartoon and realism.

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