ALA Booklist

The tension of a runaway slave trying to elude his pursuers is shown from the viewpoint of the small woodland animals that watch him run and help him escape. There is no anthropomorphism: it is their animal behavior that warns him and protects him against his predators, and the story and pictures show that the runaway is part of the natural world. A mockingbird's song tells him it is safe. A frog's croaking tells him there is fresh water. A nibbling mouse shows him the berries are safe to eat. Then a heron's cry warns him that the Heavy Boots are closing in on him. The movement of a deer distracts his pursuers. Fireflies light up the quilt that is the secret sign of a safe house on the Underground Railroad. The text is terse, and the dark, powerful pictures in acrylic and colored pencil show individual creatures in a shadowy nighttime world. The narrative has an intense focus as the human presence gradually emerges from feet to whole body to upright figure and then, on the last page, to individual face. Finally there is a person, a young boy, looking out. (Reviewed February 15, 1997)

Horn Book

This story of a slave's escape is told through a curious device: as the 'Barefoot' runs, he is (unknown to him) helped by various animals. Although the nighttime scenes from ground-level perspective are intriguing, the language and concepts are too sophisticated for this format; the anthropomorphizing of the animals' actions and the depersonalization of the humans results in an odd blend of fantasy and fact.

Kirkus Reviews

The story of one slave's escape to freedom via the Underground Railroad, as seen from the perspective of the watchful creatures of the night who speed him on his way. The Barefoot'' refers to the slave who has taken flight through dark woods,fearful of what lay before him [and] terrified of what lay behind.'' Heron, squirrel, mouse, deer, and frog see and hear the slave, and close behind, the Heavy Boots who pursue him. The creaking frog leads the Barefoot to fresh water, a hungry field mouse shows him which berries to eat. Finally he comes to a stop'' on the Underground Railroad—a cabin he recognizes by the quilt that is hanging out front. Readers will need some suspension of disbelief to determine whether the night creatures arehelping'': Mosquitoes bite only the Heavy Boots, the deer leads the pursuers far away, lightning bugs show the Barefoot the quilt when the moon goes under a cloud. Nevertheless, Edwards and Cole (Some Smug Slug, p. 528, etc.) create a moving story that conveys the terror that drove slaves to flee plantations, risking their lives for freedom. (Picture book. 5-9)"

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

A taut, involving narrative and dramatic, shadow-filled full-spread art"""" adopt woodland animals' perspectives to tell of a runaway slave's flight, said PW. Ages 5-9. (Jan.)

School Library Journal

K-Gr 3--Another outstanding collaboration by the duo responsible for Some Smug Slug (Harper, 1996). Here the tone is serious. The Barefoot is an escaping slave whose flight is aided by the wild animals of forest and swamp. The frog's croak guides him to water, while a nesting squirrel leads him to cover himself with leaves. When the Heavy Boots--slave catchers--draw near, mosquitoes swarm heavily around them and a deer leads them away into the forest. Fireflies light the Barefoot's way to a house on the Underground Railroad and safety while the animals are still alert for another Barefoot. Edwards's spare text builds suspense while Cole's paintings gradually reveal more of the slave and his pursuers. At first, only feet are seen. Though more and more of his body is depicted, it is only in the penultimate double-page spread that readers see the young man's face. Cole's nocturnal illustrations are suitably dark yet they are not difficult to see, and they use light effectively to focus viewers' eyes on specific parts of the picture. Readers will feel as if they are in the swamp with the runaway, their eyes gradually becoming aware of nuances of the scene as they adjust to the darkness. The generous-sized, handsome white typeface is easy to read against the dark background. Teachers will want to use this title with such books as F. N. Monjo's The Drinking Gourd (Harper, 1970) when teaching about slavery and the Underground Railroad, while in public libraries Barefoot will be perfect for programs on African-American history.--Louise L. Sherman, Anna C. Scott School, Leonia, NJ