Winner of a Newbery Honor!
Soonie's great-grandma was just seven years old when she was sold to a big plantation without her ma and pa, and with only some fabric and needles to call her own. She pieced together bright patches with names like North Star and Crossroads, patches with secret meanings made into quilts called Show Ways -- maps for slaves to follow to freedom. When she grew up and had a little girl, she passed on this knowledge. And generations later, Soonie -- who was born free -- taught her own daughter how to sew beautiful quilts to be sold at market and how to read.
From slavery to freedom, through segregation, freedom marches and the fight for literacy, the tradition they called Show Way has been passed down by the women in Jacqueline Woodson's family as a way to remember the past and celebrate the possibilities of the future. Beautifully rendered in Hudson Talbott's luminous art, this moving, lyrical account pays tribute to women whose strength and knowledge illuminate their daughters' lives.
On sale: September 8, 2005
Age: 4-8 years
Grade: Preschool - 3
Page count: 48 Pages
ISBN: 9780399237492
Reading level: Lexile: AD650L
Jacqueline Woodson (jacquelinewoodson.com) received a 2023 Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship, a 2023 E.B. White Award, a 2020 MacArthur Fellowship, the 2020 Hans Christian Andersen Award, the 2018 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, and the 2018 Children’s Literature Legacy Award. She was the 2022 Kennedy Center Education Artist-in-Residence, and was the 2018–2019 National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. Her
New York Times bestselling memoir,
Brown Girl Dreaming, won the National Book Award, the Coretta Scott King Award, a Newbery Honor, and an NAACP Image Award. Her dozens of books for young readers include Coretta Scott King Award and NAACP Image Award winner
Before the Ever After,
New York Times bestsellers
The Day You Begin and
Harbor Me, Newbery Honor winners
Feathers,
Show Way, and
After Tupac and D Foster, and
Each Kindness, which won the Jane Addams Children’s Book Award. She lives with her family in Brooklyn, New York.
Hudson Talbott (HudsonTalbott.com) also wrote and illustrated Schneider Family Honor winner
A Walk in the Words, as well as
Picturing America,
River of Dreams,
From Wolf to Woof,
United Tweets of America, and
It’s All About Me-ow, and illustrated numerous picture books, including Newbery Honor winner
Show Way (by Jacqueline Woodson) and
Leonardo’s Horse (by Jean Fritz), an ALA Notable and VOYA Honor Book.
* "One of the most remarkable books of the year."
—Kirkus Reviews, starred review* "Show Way is a sophisticated book that introduces readers to the passage of time, family traditions, and the significance of quilts and their patterns in African-American history. The gorgeous, multimedia art includes chalk, watercolors, and muslin. An outstanding tribute, perfectly executed in terms of text, design, and illustration."—School Library Journal, starred review
* “Will move many readers to explore their own family roots.”—Booklist, starred review
