11/12/2022 0 Comments Henry railroad story![]() The first time my expectations got in the way. I think it’s almost stronger that this is just a slice of life story, and that the reader doesn’t kno I had to read it a second time. But, when I reread it, I felt as though I was in 5 star territory. The illustrations are gorgeous and perfectly tell this wordless story. I’d envisioned the story going over a longer period of time and covering more of what happened, and properly meeting one of the main characters. An excellent jumping off point for Civil War and Underground Railroad studies. This is what can happen when an established illustrator makes a book close to his heart. The whole book has a cinematic quality, with wide two page spreads. Details add richness and invite repeat reading. Cole’s ability to create tension and mystery (with the use of some first-rate shading work), while moving the story forward is impressive. The illustrations are created with pencil and paper – nothing more. The relationship and events that unfold don’t feel forced into a cloying racial narrative – they come off as honest. But it soon became clear that Cole was going to handle things with more subtlety than I was fearful of. There was a moment, when I first opened the cover, that I was worried Unspoken would be a story of “brave white girl rescues helpless slave – isn’t she great?”. But the visitor has left a token of gratitude. After narrowly avoiding trouble during a visit from bounty hunters, the girl returns to the barn to find it unoccupied. She soon returns to bring food to her guest. A visitor, using corn stalks for cover, hiding out from pursuers. On one Virginia farm, a girl’s routine trip to the barn reveals something unexpected. The Civil War is on and slaves are fleeing the south for freedom in the northern states. Are you ready for a late entry into the 2013 Caldecott race? Forget October – consider this your November surprise. And similar to The Invention of Hugo Cabret, the moving artwork is created entirely in pencil. Like the nearly wordless The Lion & the Mouse, Unspoken allows the illustrations to tell the tale. Henry Cole’s beautiful Unspoken: A Story from the Underground Railroad shares elements of both books. Brian Selznick did it in 2007 with The Invention of Hugo Cabret. Jerry Pinkney did it in 2009 with The Lion & the Mouse. And similar to The Invention of Hugo Cabret, the moving artwork is created entirely in Sometimes, when the stars align, an illustrator delivers a statement in the form of a book. Sometimes, when the stars align, an illustrator delivers a statement in the form of a book. ![]()
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