The Drinking Gourd: A Story of the Underground Railroad

by F.N. Monjo

Book Overview

The stars of the Big Dipper have led a runaway slave family to Deacon Fuller's house, a stop on the Underground Railroad. Will Tommy Fuller be able to hide the runaways from a search party--or will the secret passengers be discovered and their hope for freedom destroyed?

This Level 3 I Can Read book is a captivating first-person historical fiction account of the Underground Railroad, narrated by Tommy, a ten year-old Quaker boy, . With beautiful, simple prose that folds in historical facts about slavery and the Civil War, this book makes this important period of American history accessible to beginning readers. Includes an afterword from the author F.N. Monjo that explains the historical context of the Fugitive Slave Law.

Supports the Common Core Learning Standards

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0064440427
• ISBN13: 9780064440424
• Release Date: September 1983
• Publisher: HarperCollins Children's Books
• Length: 64 Pages
• Weight: 0.26 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.2" x 5.9" x 8.9"
• Age Range: 4 to 8 years
• Grade Range: Kindergarten to Grade 3

Customer Reviews

The Drinking Gourd

While studying Black History Month this book is amazing with the rich illustrations and the historical facts. The children loved when I read it to them.

Good

I liked this book. It was one of my favorite books. It was a good thing they hid in the hay. They had to go to the under ground railroad. The under ground is a secret group of people who believe slavery is wicked. We need to obey all laws this book is a bout history.

Two different Worlds

This tale of the underground railroad told from the perspective of young, mischievious Tommy Fuller, blends history with a compelling adventure story. Tommy discovers a runaway slave family hiding in his father's barn. Little Jeff is Tommy's age but has had a very different life as a Southern child of slavery. The adventure is how Tommy and his father, Deacon Fuller, help this family escape to Canada and freedom. Includes a simple discussion between Tommy and his father about the fact that they have broken a law and that sometimes laws cannot be obeyed.