Overground Railroad by Lesa Cline-Ransome

An author’s note gives readers historical context, placing the story in the era of the Great Migration, inspired by just one story of the many who were, 'running from and running to at the same time.'' - School Library Journal, Starred Review ★ 'Ransome’s beautiful illustrations feature detailed and expressive faces and layers of bright patterned paper that add colorful accents to the muted palette. A beautiful portrayal of a historic and arduous family journey northward.' - Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review Cotton bolls throughout the images accentuate cotton's economic dominance in the sharecropping system. ★ 'Ransome's watercolor-and-collage illustrations effectively capture both the historical setting and the trepidation of a family who though not enslaved, nevertheless must escape as if they were.

The journey is seen through the eyes of richly developed characters drawn with care and sympathy.'- Publishers Weekly, Starred Review ★ 'Warm portraiture and vivid writing by married collaborators Cline-Ransome and Ransome ( Before She Was Harriet) mark this story of a family’s journey north during the Great Migration.

Overground Railroad is, as Lesa notes, a story 'of people who were running from and running to at the same time,' and it's a story that will stay with readers long after the final pages.Ī New York Public Library Best Book of the YearĪ School Library Journal Best Book of the Year James Ransome's mixed-media illustrations are full of bold color and texture, bringing Ruth Ellen's journey to life, from sprawling cotton fields to cramped train cars, the wary glances of other passengers and the dark forest through which Frederick Douglass traveled towards freedom. As they travel, Ruth Ellen reads from Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, reflecting on how her journey mirrors her own- until finally the train arrives at its last stop, New York's Penn Station, and the family heads out into a night filled with bright lights, glimmering stars, and new possiblity. Stop by stop, the perceptive young narrator tells her journey in poems, leaving behind the cotton fields and distant Blue Ridge mountains.Įach leg of the trip brings new revelations as scenes out the window of folks working in fields give way to the Delaware River, the curtain that separates the colored car is removed, and glimpses of the freedom and opportunity the family hopes to find come into view. A window into a child's experience of the Great Migration from the award-winning creators of Before She Was Harriet and Finding Langston.Ĭlimbing aboard the New York bound Silver Meteor train, Ruth Ellen embarks upon a journey toward a new life up North-one she can't begin to imagine.

Overground Railroad by Lesa Cline-Ransome