Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Unavailable
    William Still and His Freedom Stories: The Father of the Underground Railroad
    Unavailable
    William Still and His Freedom Stories: The Father of the Underground Railroad
    Unavailable
    William Still and His Freedom Stories: The Father of the Underground Railroad
    Ebook44 pages1 hour

    William Still and His Freedom Stories: The Father of the Underground Railroad

    By Don Tate

    4.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    From Ezra Jack Keats Award-winning author-illustrator Don Tate comes a remarkable picture book biography of William Still, known as Father of the Underground Railroad. Essential for black history collections.

    ★ “Brings deserved attention to the life of a man who dedicated himself to recording the lives of others.” ―Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW

    ★ “An illuminating picture book biography of a lesser-known hero.” —Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW

    ★ “Inspirational.” ―School Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW

    William Still’s parents escaped slavery but had to leave two of their children behind, a tragedy that haunted the family. As a young man, William went to work for the Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society, where he raised money, planned rescues, and helped freedom seekers who had traveled north. One day, a strangely familiar man came into William’s office, searching for information about his long-lost family. Could it be?

    Motivated by his own family’s experience, William Still began collecting the stories of thousands of other freedom seekers. As a result, he was able to reunite other families and build a remarkable source of information, including encounters with Harriet Tubman, Henry “Box” Brown, and William and Ellen Craft.

    Award-winning author-illustrator Don Tate brings to life the incredible, stranger-than-fiction true story of William Still, a man who dedicated his life to recording the stories of enslaved people fleeing to freedom. Tate’s powerful words and artwork are sure to inspire young readers in this first-ever picture book biography of the Father of the Underground Railroad.

    Awards:

    Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Book —Chicago Public Library
    Eureka! Nonfiction Children’s Book Award Silver Honor —California Reading Association
    Best of Picture Books —Kirkus Reviews
    Children’s Crown Award (Nominee) —National Christian School Association
    Golden Kite (Finalist, Nonfiction Text for Younger Readers) —Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators
    Kansas State Reading Circle Recommended Reading List (Intermediate) —Kansas National Education Association

    Also available from Don Tate:
    Carter Reads the Newspaper
    Poet

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPeachtree Publishers
    Release dateJul 1, 2020
    ISBN9781682632772
    Unavailable
    William Still and His Freedom Stories: The Father of the Underground Railroad
    Author

    Don Tate

    Don Tate is an award-winning author and illustrator of many books for children, including The Cart That Carried Martin by Eve Bunting, Whoosh! Lonnie Johnson's Super-Soaking Stream of Inventions by Chris Barton, and Poet: The Remarkable Story of George Moses Horton, which he also wrote. He lives in Austin, Texas. Visit him online at dontate.com and on Twitter @Devas_T.

    Related to William Still and His Freedom Stories

    Related ebooks

    Children's Biography & Autobiography For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      The Emperor’s New Robe

      Sep 1, 2019

      Legend has it that Leizu, the wife of China’s Yellow Emperor, was sipping tea under a mulberry tree one day when . . . PLOP! A white cocoon landed in her cup. As Leizu fished it out, it unraveled into a long thread. She collected more cocoons and wov

      3 min read

    • Article

      Prying Apart Colors

      Nov 1, 2021

      Prying Apart Colors
      3 min read

    • Article

      Nu Wa And The Yellow Clay

      Feb 1, 2019

      Nu Wa And The Yellow Clay
      3 min read

    • Article

      67 Ways To Celebrate Birds

      Apr 30, 2020

      67 Ways To Celebrate Birds
      5 min read

    • Article

      Matthias And The Dragons

      Sep 1, 2021

      Matthias And The Dragons
      3 min read

    • Article

      Death Of A Radical Rewilder

      May 20, 2020

      Death Of A Radical Rewilder
      4 min read

    • Article

      Yuliya’s Fawn

      Nov 1, 2019

      Yuliya’s Fawn
      4 min read

    • Article

      Forfeit

      Jan 1, 2021

      Forfeit
      7 min read

    • Article

      Dig, Dog, Dig!

      Mar 1, 2021

      Dig, Dog, Dig!
      1 min read

    • Article

      Make a Mask

      Nov 1, 2021

      Need a mask for a costume in a play? Cut a paper plate in half. Ask a grown-up to help you cut out two circles for eyes. Color your plate. Make ears, beaks, or noses out of paper or pom-poms and glue them on. Tape a pencil to one side of the mask, an

      1 min read

    • Article

      Hailstone Numbers

      Nov 1, 2021

      Hailstone Numbers
      2 min read

    • Article

      Bringing to Light Dark Matter: The Story of Vera Rubin

      Jul 1, 2022

      Bringing to Light Dark Matter: The Story of Vera Rubin
      9 min read

    • Article

      Sunflowers in Skagway

      Jan 1, 2023

      Sunflowers in Skagway
      4 min read

    • Article

      Space Jam-packed

      Nov 14, 2021

      Space Jam-packed
      1 min read

    • Article

      How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin?

      Jul 1, 2020

      How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin?
      3 min read

    • Article

      Kittens Next Door

      Oct 1, 2021

      Kittens Next Door
      3 min read

    • Article

      Green Tree Python

      Feb 20, 2020

      Green Tree Python
      1 min read

    Reviews for William Still and His Freedom Stories

    4.5/5

    9 ratings2 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      This is a wonderful story about a little-known Black man born into freedom in 1821 who grew up determined to help enslaved blacks escape to the North.William’s parents were originally enslaved in Maryland. His father purchased his freedom and went North. His mother escaped along with their two girls, leaving their two boys behind. They started a new life in New Jersey, eventually having fifteen children. The youngest was William. When William was eight, he helped an escaped slave get to safety; William knew every corner of the woods. The author writes, “The experience defined the rest of his life."Growing up, he got a job in Philadelphia, at the Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society, eventually working his way up to manager. William sought out travelers on the “Underground Railroad” - i.e., escaped slaves from the South, and welcomed them into his home, which became a “station” on the Underground Railroad. One evening a “passenger” arrived at his office - an elderly man - and it turned out to be his long-lost older brother Peter.The author recounts:“Peter’s story was sad. Tragic. Miraculous. And extraordinary. And Peter’s story restored his family.”William wondered, could other people’s stories help reunite families torn apart by slavery? He started to record every detail escaped slaves could provide to him, and in 1872 published The Underground Rail Road, a collection of those stories from his journals. (Photographs of pages from Still’s journal are shown on the front endpapers, with transcriptions of them featured on the back endpapers.) Tate writes:“William Still’s records, and the stories he preserved, reunited families torn apart by slavery.”Back matter includes a timeline, an author’s note about the book’s inspiration, and a bibliography.The author, also a noted illustrator, used his warm illustrations and variations in font to help tell the story.Evaluation: This inspiring history for ages 6 and up shows how one person, starting in the worst of circumstances, can work hard and make a difference. I also love that he brings much-needed attention to other African Americans besides the names everyone knows, like Harriet Tubman, who worked so hard to help slaves gain their freedom.
    • 5/5
      This was a wonderful story about a figure from American history that is rarely taught in school. William Still is known as the father of the Underground Railroad. He kept records, told stories, and fought to have Black citizens seen as equal members of the community. Sometimes this story gets a bit long winded, but overall it works, and is a great addition to any history class for young kids.