Summary
January's Sparrow tells the tale of the Crosswhite family, slaves owned by Master Giltner living in Kentucky during the pre-Civil War era of the 1840s. After witnessing the public lashing of close family-friend, January, the Crosswhite's escape the Giltner plantation and attempt to seek refuge in Canada.
Polacco vividly narrates the Crosswhite's escape as they cross the Ohio River and follow the Underground Railroad narrowly ahead of slave catchers looking for the family. The family soon finds themselves in Michigan, a free state, and decide to stay and rest in the town of Marshall (as many runaways have) before heading to Canada. Days turn into years as readers follow the youngest Crosswhite, Sadie, throughout the family's time in Marshall. Sadie enjoys her life in Marshall as she becomes bosom buddies with the judge's daughter and attends school.
Life in Marshall, however, is not perfect for the Crosswhite family. They stay on high alert for slave catchers and have an escape plan just in case. After four years of free-living in Michigan, Sadie's special wooden sparrow (which she left behind in Kentucky) eerily appears with a cryptic message, "I found you," and the Crosswhite's know their days living free are numbered (p. 60). Next, Master Giltner's son appears and demands to take the Crosswhite's back to Kentucky.
Luckily, the town of Marshall stands up for the Crosswhite's and the family's friend, January, appears to help the family escape to Canada. January's Sparrow ends as readers learn the Crosswhite's return to Marshall post-Civil War and live in freedom among their friends in the town that gathered together to help them in their time of need.
My Thoughts
It's confession time!
Confession #1: I've loved Patricia Polacco's books since I started teaching 8 years ago. Except, before reading January's Sparrow, I've only actually ever read one book of hers (the aforementioned Thank You, Mr. Falker.) [Insert cringe here.] Interestingly, I heard our local public children's librarian saying Polacco's books "drag on and on" just weeks before choosing the book from our reading list. For these reasons, I knew I had to read January's Sparrow.
Confession #2: I am really, really glad I read this book! Sure, for a "picture book," it is quite lengthy (just as the children's library suggested) and, at times the illustrations make the Crosswhite's appear distorted (in a I-am-not-so-sure-it's-a-good-thing way), but the book provides an intimate look at the Underground Railroad and the slave experience through words and pictures that can't possibly be unappreciated.
Confession #3: I don't know if I love this book. I love the storyline, I love the historical aspect, I love the suspenseful events, and I love the happy ending. But, truth be told, I didn't connect with Sadie, the main character, as much as I wanted to. Also, I felt the book was a bit long- I found myself struggling to complete it all in one sitting.
Below, I have included a little bit longer review excerpts than I normally do- as I work through more of what I feel for January's Sparrow, I've found the comments below helpful in deciphering my mixed-up thoughts....
What have others said?
From Horn Book Magazine (2009):
Like Polacco's Civil War story Pink and Say (rev.11/94), this long picture book is based on a true historical incident, one that illuminates the necessity and strategies of the Underground Railroad. Polacco makes the history dramatic and compelling, writing with a minimum of dialect and sentimentality (the last being the bane of Pink and Say). Save for some cartooning in the faces, the pictures for January's Sparrow reveal Polacco at her best: fluid and confident drawing, and an impressive command of the use of the page. Generally filling two-thirds of each double-page spread (occasionally, effectively, spilling across the whole expanse), the pencil and marker illustrations convey the drama through the positions of bodies, leaning in or away, running or at peace. Mood and suspense are created by perspective: right up close as the waves of the dangerous Ohio threaten their boat, and on the next spread pulling back to reveal the calm moon- and starlit shore of the welcoming Indiana riverbank. The story and images alike are sometimes brutal (such as a picture of the scarred back of a whipped man) but undeniably vivid.
And, from School Library Journal (2009):
In lightly idiomatic' language ("Hark now,' their daddy whispered. 'We is gonna cross water tonight! ), the author relates most of the tale from: the point of view of Sadie, the youngest Crosswhite, and threads the narrative with a typical depiction of strong family bonds-expanded here to include the loyally displayed by a crowd of townfolk who not only held off the paddy rollers until the Crosswhites could escape to Canada, but later paid hefty fines for defying fugitive slave laws. The illustrations, which include scenes of a bloody whipping and a heavily scarred back, have an urgent, unsettled look that fully captures file sharply felt danger and terror of Sadie's experiences. Particularly telling is the contrast between the open, mobile, well-lit faces of the Crosswhites and the shadowed, menacing miens of their pursuers. An iffy claim near the end that Lincoln "gave all slaves their freedom" aside, this moving account effectively highlights a significant instance of nonviolent community resistance to injustice.
Some ideas for the library or classroom
January's Sparrow is a must-have for all US History teachers! The book is a very accurate depiction of the Underground Railroad and is a great pairing to other slave narratives (fact and fictional). The book will best serve as a read aloud and will work great as an introduction to slavery and the Civil War. After reading aloud, teachers can engage their students in mini-research projects of topics from the book: the Underground Railroad, slave auctions, free states and slave states, the Fugitive Slave Act of 1793, and Canada's role in the Civil War.
In addition, Polacco's illustrations in January's Sparrow will compliment many an art lesson on using pencils and markers. Polacco's unique shading, coloring, and rough, yet polished illustrations are sure to spark interest and discussion. Also, students can examine Polacco's use of the color as a way to symbolize different emotions and emphasize various objects.
References
Peters, J.
(2009). [Review of the book January's
sparrow by Patricia Polacco]. School Library Journal, 55(9),
171-172. Retrieved from http://libproxy.library.unt.edu:2103/login.aspx?direct=true&db=brd&AN=518514899&site=ehost-live&scope=site
Polacco, Patricia. (2009). January’s Sparrow. New York, NY: Philomel
Books.
Sutton, R. (2009). [Review of the book January's sparrow by Patricia Polacco]. Horn Book
Magazine, 85(6), 659-660. Retrieved from http://libproxy.library.unt.edu:2103/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=brd&AN=518517359&site=ehost-live&scope=site
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