ALA Booklist

Based on true events, this story from a debut author imagines scenes from Frederick Douglass' childhood in 1820s Maryland. Even though she is a slave on a plantation 12 miles away from her son, Harriet Bailey, Douglass' mother, regularly walks through the night to see him. Bootman's beautiful, double-page watercolor spreads show mother and son together in the candlelit kitchen, Bailey as a strong woman at work in the cornfields, and finally on her long, tough, moonlit journey, during which, she tells her son, each mile is special. The first mile is for forgetting how tired she is, for example, and she focuses on the forest noises, looks at the stars, and prays that they will be free. An afterword fills in facts about Harriet Bailey, who did not live to see Douglass escape and become a great leader. Starting with the boy's elemental question, "Mama, why can't I live with you?," the words and pictures tell the family separation story in all its heartbreak and hope.

Horn Book

This poignant story, based on Frederick Douglass's childhood, tells how his mother, a slave, would walk twelve miles at night for a brief visit with her son. Soothing text describes how she overcomes the monotony and loneliness through songs (joyful and sad), the solace of prayer, and love. Emotional paintings capture moods, especially the joy of reunion that wipes away weariness.

Kirkus Reviews

Frederick Douglass' mother imparts 12 lessons, one for each mile she walks on her clandestine nighttime visits to him. The author has taken as her inspiration the line from Douglass' writings in which he remembers his mother teaching him that he was "somebody's child." Douglass was in fact separated from his mother as an infant and rarely saw her. She died when he was 7. In this story, she walks the 12 miles from plantation to plantation and shares with him what each means. The first mile is for forgetting about being tired, and the following miles are for praying, giving thanks to God, singing, smiling, hoping to live together as a family, dreaming about freedom and loving her son, among others. In this, her debut effort, Armand focuses on the positive aspects of maternal devotion and a mother's dreams of greatness for her son. The full-page watercolor paintings capture the nighttime setting and depict a loving mother and child with no overt signs of the horrors of slavery. Unfortunately, the text is sometimes difficult to read on the dark background. Share this with young readers as a series of homilies on dreams and a family love strong enough to overcome any adversity. (afterword) (Picture book. 3-6)

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

Inspired by the childhood of Frederick Douglass, Armand-s debut reveals a

School Library Journal

K-Gr 2 As a young child, Frederick Douglass was separated from his mother and sent to live on another plantation. From this slight piece of history, Armand weaves a story that illuminates a mother's love and amplifies the power of the human spirit. As historical fiction, the freedom exists to speculate on what Harriet Bailey would be thinking as, after working in the fields all day, she walks 12 miles at night to see her son. Harriet and Frederick go over the miles like a mantra: forgetting, remembering, listening, looking up and seeing, wondering, praying, singing, smiling, giving thanks, hoping, dreaming, and loving. Harriet shares her life with Frederick as she explains the importance of each mile. Without frames or white space, the spreads are completely infused with deep colors. Readers are in the night with Harriet and Frederick, almost as if nothing exists outside of their warmth. While the visual images are effective, the small font sometimes makes the text difficult to read. Although Harriet probably would not have had permission to leave her own plantation, this account is not about escape, tracking dogs, or slave hunters. As an ode to the love a mother has for her son, it is sweetly successful. Lucinda Snyder Whitehurst, St. Christopher's School, Richmond, VA