From Publishers Weekly
A courageous slave girl plays an unusual part in the Underground Railroad; in a starred review, PW said, "This first-rate book is a triumph of the heart." Ages 5-10. Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 3-- Clara, a young slave, works as a seamstress and dreams of freedom. Overhearing drovers talk of escaping North enables her to make a patchwork map of the area. When she escapes, she leaves the quilt behind to guide others. Based on a true event, this is a well-written picture book. Ransome's oil paintings, however, are perhaps too smooth and rich for the story they tell. The world depicted is too bright, open, and clean. For example, in the first scene Clara has been put to work in the cotton fields. Supposedly too frail to last long at such work, she is pictured as a slim, serious, yet sturdy girl. The bright yellow sky and the charming smile of the boy with her belie the realities of the back-breaking work. In another scene, young Jack, who has been brought back the day before from running away, looks solemn, but not distressed, and is wearing what appears to be a freshly ironed white shirt. Again, the image distances viewers from the realities of the situation. Clara's escape to Canada, too, is marvelously easy, although she does say, "But not all are as lucky as we were, and most never can come." It is not easy to present the horrors of slavery to young children; thus, even though Ransome's illustrations, and to some extent the text, err on the side of caution, this is an inspiring story worth inclusion in most collections. --Karen James, Louisville Free Public Library, KYCopyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Kirkus Reviews
When Sweet Clara, not yet 12, is taken from her mother and sent from North Farm to Home Plantation as a field hand, she's put in the care of ``Aunt Rachel,'' not ``my for-real blood aunt, but she did her best.'' Fearing for Clara's health, Rachel teaches her to sew and is lucky enough to get her a place in the Big House, where Clara listens, learns, and saves scraps that she eventually pieces into a map-quilt showing the way to the Ohio and freedom. The troubles Clara escapes are so muted here that her accomplishment seems almost too easy; in a straightforward narrative flavored with dialect, she mentions that recaptured slaves might be beaten and describes her grief at leaving her mother, but Ransome's moving depiction of the hug when the two are reunited on the way north is a more poignant clue to the pain of their separation. What's emphasized are Clara's resolve and creativity and the accomplishment of winning her freedom; in the same vein, Ransome depicts the characters as sturdy, purposeful, and mutually supportive and sets them in colorful landscapes eloquently proclaiming the earth's beauty. A well-told, handsomely illustrated story that effectively dramatizes young Clara's perseverance and courage. (Young Reader/Picture book. 5- 10) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.


Review
"A particularly effective way to introduce the subject to younger children, adding a trenchant immediacy to their understanding of a difficult but important chapter in the country's past."--(starred) Horn Book.

"This first-rate book is a triumph of the heart."--(starred) Publishers Weekly.  


Review
"A particularly effective way to introduce the subject to younger children, adding a trenchant immediacy to their understanding of a difficult but important chapter in the country's past."--(starred) Horn Book.

"This first-rate book is a triumph of the heart."--(starred) Publishers Weekly.  

ANNOTATION

A young slave stitches a quilt with a map pattern which guides her to freedom in the North.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Illus. in full color. As a seamstress in the Big House, Clara dreams of a reunion with her Momma, who lives on another plantation—and even of running away to freedom. Then she overhears two slaves talking about the Underground Railroad. In a flash of inspiration, Clara sees how she can use the cloth in her scrap bag to make a map of the land—a freedom quilt—that no master will ever suspect. "A particularly effective way to introduce the subject to younger children, adding a trenchant immediacy to their understanding of a difficult but important chapter in the country's past."—(starred) Horn Book. "This first-rate book is a triumph of the heart."—(starred) Publishers Weekly.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

A courageous slave girl plays an unusual part in the Underground Railroad; in a starred review, PW said, ``This first-rate book is a triumph of the heart.'' Ages 5-10. (Sept.)

Children's Literature - Susie Wilde

A first book by Hopkinson, Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt, commemorates an African-American girl's making of a freedom quilt during the time of the Underground Railroad. Powerful illustrations by Ransome punctuate this compelling story.

Children's Literature - Deborah Zink Roffino

The powerful collaboration of storyteller and artist stitches together the true story of young Clara's courageous plan to map the route to the Underground Railroad in the squares of her quilt, providing a path to freedom for hundreds of slaves. It's a beautiful book of deep love and faith that will impress and inspire young readers.

Children's Literature - Jan Lieberman

When Clara is separated from her momma on the plantation, she vows to be reunited with her some day. With the help of Rachel, an older slave, Clara learns to sew and learns about runaway slaves, Canada, and the value of maps. Her idea is to use her stitching talent to make a quilt that will serve as a guide for escape. This book presents a little-known story of daring and adventure with paintings that equal the power of the story. 1995 (orig.

School Library Journal