Show Way

Show Way by Jacqueline Woodson, Illustrated by Hudson Talbott

2006 Newberry Honor Winner

This book is based upon quilts that were once used to show escaped slave the route to freedom, called "Show Ways".  The author & illustrator take the idea of a show way and create a metaphor for our family history and all of the things that happened before us that make us who we are.   Each page of the book is designed to look like a quilt.  Sometimes images are of various situations in the character's lives, sometimes the images are of things that were happening during a certain time in history.  For instance, the pages describing Mathis May being sold and the twins being frightened both contain a backdrop of images of symbols of those times, such as the 1960s Civil Rights movement.  Another example of "quilted" images as metaphor are the words of Civil Rights leaders that, when put together, gave strength to the movement.

One particularly effective image is that of a harsh red strip literally tearing apart the quilt of our country, North vs. South, with the slave hunt being the dividing line.  The terror, anger and hurt of those times is conveyed without words.

In addition to being a metaphor for various pieces to come together to make the whole of our history and identity, the quilts also symbolize home, family, security and a guiding force.  Several times in the book, a scared young girl must only hold onto her quilt piece, given to her by the previous generation, to feel calm, safe & secure.  It is as if the quilt piece is literally a bit of wisdom and strength that has been passed from generation to generation. As Ann tells Jacqueline,  "All the stuff that happened before you were born is your own kind of show way."  We can find strength and direction in our history & family.

This book would be most appropriate for grades 3 and up and would be particularly well suited for a read aloud.  There are many phrases that may be unfamiliar to students as well as situations in history that they may not yet have learned.