Culture 2: African American Literature - Jerry Pinkney

BIBLIOGRAPHIC DATA:

Schroeder, Alan. 1996. MINTY: A STORY OF YOUNG HARRIET TUBMAN. Ill. by Jerry Pinkney. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers. ISBN 0803718888

PLOT SUMMARY:

In this amazing depiction of Harriet Tubman’s childhood, Schroeder tells the tale of a brave and spirited young Harriet Tubman as she dreams of achieving freedom from slavery. Based in part on actual facts, Schroeder gives readers a unique account of what childhood was like for Harriet Tubman, or Minty as she was called in childhood. Minty endures unimaginably cruel treatment as she is whipped for freeing a trapped muskrat and has her beloved doll taken from her for accidentally knocking over a pitcher of cider. Headstrong and determined to attain freedom and a quality life, Minty plans to run away and begins to learn as much as she can to survive an escape through the wilderness from her father. A failed attempt at escape does not hold Minty back, and the reader is left making the connection between Minty’s childhood and Harriet Tubman’s future success as a leader of the Underground Railroad that freed hundreds of slaves.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS:

The characters are based on actual people, lending some authenticity and believability to the story. Schroeder does a great job of portraying Minty as a feisty and very likeable child that children and adults alike will sympathize with. As a child reading Bible stories to her beloved rag doll, Minty will touch readers’ hearts. The unique names of characters in the story, such as Minty’s parents “Old Ben” and “Old Rit,” serve as a cultural marker for the story.

Language also serves as a major cultural marker for this story. Key words and phrases, such as “master,” “overseer,” “Missus,” and “the big house,” place the story in the historical context of slavery. The characters’ speech and dialect provide further historical and cultural insight into the story, such as the words and phrases “ol’,” “nothin’,” and “a little ‘un.”

The setting for this story is a Maryland plantation in the 1820s, and the setting is key to readers’ understanding of the plot and the struggles that Minty faced as a child. Schroeder does a good job of showing how the unimaginably difficult environment that Minty grew up in shaped her into the brave woman she grew up to be.

Jerry Pinkney’s beautiful illustrations accurately portray the cultural characteristics of the characters in the story. Pinkney devotes immaculate attention to detail with the skin tone and hair of the characters in the story, and his illustrations can stand alone to function as another important cultural marker for the story. The richly detailed illustrations also capture the emotions of the characters and the plot of the story with ease.

MINTY: A STORY OF YOUNG HARRIET TUBMAN is a great historically based story that gives readers insight into what one of America’s bravest women might have been like as a child. Schroeder’s careful attention to cultural details combine with Pinkney’s gorgeous and carefully constructed illustrations to make this a great story to share with children. The book includes an author’s note at the beginning describing how Schroeder came to write this story and an author’s note at the end giving the reader more factual information about Harriet Tubman’s life.

REVIEW EXCERPTS:

From HORN BOOK starred (September 1996):
“A fictionalized account based on fact details the early life of Harriet Tubman, whose "cradle name" was Araminta, and who would later become a conductor on the Underground Railroad. Quick action and dialogue create a taut story and clearly depict Minty's strong-willed nature and her desire for freedom. Pinkney's watercolors provide detail and depth in this intriguing and emotional portrait.”

From KIRKUS REVIEW starred (1996):
“Told in rhythmic prose and colloquial dialogue, the plot has actual events that are small, but it is rich with melodrama, suspense, pathos, and, of course, a powerful vision of freedom. Pinkney's illustrations exhibit, characteristically, his refined draftsmanship; the complicated compositions convey psychological aspects of slavery and make the individual characters even more distinct. This exquisitely crafted book resonates well beyond its few pages.”

CONNECTIONS:

1997 winner of the Coretta Scott King Award

Pair this story with other biographies about Harriet Tubman, particularly those that include a look at Tubman’s adulthood and what she came to be famous for. Suggestions include HARRIET TUBMAN: HERO OF THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD by Lori Mortensen and MOSES: WHEN HARRIET TUBMAN LED HER PEOPLE TO FREEDOM by Carole Boston Weatherford.

Use this story as a springboard to a discussion on the Underground Railroad. Students can research more about the Underground Railroad and even map the route that Harriet Tubman took as she led escaped slaves to freedom. The following website is a great way to begin a unit of study on the Underground Railroad: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/railroad/index.html.

Since Jerry Pinkney’s illustrations play a major role in this story, students might be interested in reading other picture books illustrated by Pinkney, such as GOIN’ SOMEPLACE SPECIAL by Patricia McKissack and JOHN HENRY by Julius Lester.