Turner relates a childhood incident told to her in a 1984 interview with Tubman's grandniece o heard it from Tubman herself. At age seven, Tubman's job was to care for the baby of an unkind white woman, who whipped her. Later, the overseer of an orchard lashes her for eating an apple. "The scars last all her life." Ketter's unframed, thickly painted pictures depict the slave child's cruel working conditions and her brave escape and rescue, culminating as Tubman buys a house and plants apple trees, which produce fruit for everyone to share. The story, with its concrete details, works as both fact and metaphor, bringing the transformation full circle om the scars of suffering to the fruit of freedom.

This vignette depicts a childhood incident in which a foreman whipped Harriet Tubman after she picked and ate an apple--an event that may have served as a catalyst in the life of the Underground Railroad leader. The illustrations present far too pristine a picture of slave life on a plantation, but the slight story is an accessible introduction to Tubman.

Turner recounts the life of the legendary "conductor" on the Underground Railroad for a young audience, including a little-known fact that she learned from Tubman's great-niece. Apparently, Tubman was forced to pick apples as a slave, but was not allowed to eat them. When caught tasting one, she was whipped. She promised herself that one day she would be free to have all the apples she wanted. Sure enough, after years of guiding people to freedom, she planted apple trees on her own land and was able to share them with the townspeople each fall. The simplicity of Turner's telling does not take away from the power of the underlying issues of slavery, danger and the freedom represented by those apples. Keeter's richly colored illustrations capture the verdant landscape during Tubman's days of slavery and the deep blue of the night sky as she leads her people to safety. A satisfying addition to the already fascinating story. (Picture book. 7-9)

Gr 1-4-Based on a distant relative's recollection about the woman who would become the conductor of the Underground Railroad, this story follows Harriet from her early slave days to adulthood as a free woman. As a child, her favorite job on the plantation was picking apples in the orchard. She washed and polished them for the people in the Big House, but she was never allowed to eat any of them. When she did steal one, she was beaten. Apples became a symbol for Tubman of freedom and wealth. As an adult, she was eventually able to purchase her own house in upstate New York. On her property she planted many apple trees, the fruit of which she shared with the people in her town. Turner uses this thread to weave a larger story about a remarkable American and to provide insight into the life of a young slave. This book is an excellent introduction to a complex topic, providing children with a way to make a personal connection with a girl whose life was very different from their own. It gives parents and teachers a starting point for discussions about slavery, race, freedom, and heroism. Keeter's paintings offer an opulent backdrop with rich, thick brushstrokes and careful use of light. Faces convey depths of expression, adding volumes to the simple story.-Mary Hazelton, Elementary Schools in Warren & Waldoboro, ME Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.