Author: Heather Henson Illustrator: Bryan Collier Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books September 2016
Synopsis (From Publisher):
Welcome to Mammoth Cave. Itโs 1840 and Stephen Bishop is the perfect guide.
By the light of his lantern, the deepest, biggest cave in all of the United States is revealed. Down here, beneath the earth, heโs not just an enslaved person. Heโs a pioneer. He knows the caveโs twists and turns. It taught him to not be afraid of the dark.
And watching all the visitors write their names on the ceiling? Well, it taught him how to read
CWR Review:
Stephen Bishop, slave-explorer, takes you on a journey through Mammoth Cave the renown underground world that once provided gun powder to desperate soldiers during the war of 1812; But by 1825 it was a busy tourist attraction. You, the reader, arrive for your tour in 1840, and though Stephen shares his discoveries of the cave, his focus is on telling you of his state as a slave, as one who is owned, you know โsame as an ox or a mule, bought and soldโ. He shares how tourists who wrote their name using candle smoke on the ceiling of the cave actually taught him how to write (which was against the law for slaves). He also shares with you the proof he found that shows that a pioneer man was not the first discoverer, for he had discovered moccasins that showed others found that cave long before the one who got credit for it. His discoveries of albino crawcads and their brave crosses of โuncrossableโ waters, Stephen ends your tour with his unknown, unrecorded, very young death.
Told from the view of a slave the vocabulary is simple, yet engaging. Henson has Stephen speak in first person, adding โno sirโ here and there as a reminder that a slave is speaking, yet the text is not riddled with what has come to be known as slave talk ( ex. โI gon be aiight massaโ). Stephen is dignified and not bitter. He tells his story simply and plainly, his love for the cave and pride in his accomplishments as a tour guide are evident, but he doesnโt have the slight bit of boasting. The most in depth education of Mammoth Cave comes at the end in the authors note and is worth your 5 minutes.
Illustrations-
Bryan Collier is a four-time Caldecott Honor recipient for a reason yโall! The same watercolor and collage you find in Trombone Shorty are found in this beautiful story. The illustrations tell the story of Stephenโs life and unbroken dignity right along with the text.
Eloquent, encouraging, genuine, get yours here or here.
Themes- African American history, slavery, Mammoth cave, dignity in the face of humiliation
Leave a Reply