Now Let Me Fly: The Story of a Slave Family

by Dolores Johnson, Dolores Johnson (Illustrator)

Overview

Now Let Me Fly: The Story of a Slave Family is Dolores Johnson brutal, truthful, and important work depicting history.

A young girl describes how she once heard the sound of warning drums in Africa signaling the coming of horror. Kidnapped, made to march while chained, and taken to America to be sold at an auction, she undergoes the brutalities of slavery in this tale of a strong-willed girl who lives in harsh surroundings.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780689809668
Publisher:	Aladdin
Publication date:	01/01/1997
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	1,077,948
Product dimensions:	7.75(w) x 10.00(h) x 0.10(d)
Lexile:	860L (what's this?)
Age Range:	5 - 10 Years

About the Author

Dolores Johnson is the talented author-illustrator of many books for children, including Now Let Me Fly, What Will Mommy Do When I'm at School?, and Seminole Diary. A graduate of Boston University, Ms. Johnson was born and raised in New Britain, Connecticut. She now lives in Inglewood, California.

Dolores Johnson is the talented author-illustrator of many books for children, including Now Let Me Fly, What Will Mommy Do When I'm at School?, and Seminole Diary. A graduate of Boston University, Ms. Johnson was born and raised in New Britain, Connecticut. She now lives in Inglewood, California.

Editorial Reviews

In a starred review, PW called this story of an African girl who is sold into slavery "powerful [and] heartbreaking," adding that Johnson's illustrations "underscore the anguish and sadness of her story." Ages 5-10. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Gr 1-4-This ambitious picture book tells the life of a woman who was captured as a child in Africa and became a slave on an American plantation. As an adult, Minna relates the grim threads that have woven the story of her life. Sickness, hunger, and backbreaking labor are ameliorated only by the love and support of a fellow slave who becomes her husband, and by her four children. Her happiness is short-lived, however, for first her husband and then her eldest son are sold to other plantations. Minna's second child, after being whipped for teaching herself to read, escapes to freedom. The third child attempts to go north to join his sister; he does not make it that far, but is taken in by a Seminole Indian family. Finally, Minna is left with only her youngest child, who remains working in the Big House. Johnson's personalization of the facts is an effective device for conveying an overview of the tragedy of human slavery, but by condensing so much into one family's life, the author is unable to maintain her characters' individuality, and they become icons instead. The handsome illustrations are formally posed and somewhat blurred, adding to the sensation that this one family stands for all slaves. Still, this book is a beginning for teaching a painful part of America's history.-Anna DeWind, Milwaukee Public Library

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