William Still and His Freedom Stories: The Father of the Underground Railroad by Don Tate - ADVISABLE

 William Still and His Freedom Stories: The Father of the Underground Railroad by Don Tate. NON-FICTION PICTURE BOOK BIOGRAPHY. Peachtree, 2020. $19. 9781561459353 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

William’s parents escaped slavery in the late 1700s – before he was born and he was brought up in the free state of New Jersey. He didn’t attend school regularly until he was 17 and almost starved to death when he moved to Philadelphia. He worked as a clerk for a group of white abolitionists, and as blacks arrived in the city, he took down their stories in hopes of reuniting them with their families – even one of his own brothers. The Fugitive Slave Act made his job even more dangerous, but he continued on. After the Civil War he published a book of the stories fugitives told him. His life’s work gave him the name Father of the Underground Railroad. 

Tate has given us a look at another black who was an important part of the Underground Railroad. We normally connect it with the Civil War directly, but it actually was operating for decades before that. Though this is a picture book, it is a must have for any school have covers the topic. 

Cindy, Library Teacher, MLS