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Jacqueline Woodson

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Show Way Hardcover – Picture Book, September 8, 2005

by Jacqueline Woodson (Author), Hudson Talbott (Illustrator)

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Winner of a Newbery Honor!

Soonie's great-grandma was just seven years old when she was sold to a big plantation without her ma and pa, and with only some fabric and needles to call her own. She pieced together bright patches with names like North Star and Crossroads, patches with secret meanings made into quilts called Show Ways -- maps for slaves to follow to freedom. When she grew up and had a little girl, she passed on this knowledge. And generations later, Soonie -- who was born free -- taught her own daughter how to sew beautiful quilts to be sold at market and how to read.

From slavery to freedom, through segregation, freedom marches and the fight for literacy, the tradition they called Show Way has been passed down by the women in Jacqueline Woodson's family as a way to remember the past and celebrate the possibilities of the future. Beautifully rendered in Hudson Talbott's luminous art, this moving, lyrical account pays tribute to women whose strength and knowledge illuminate their daughters' lives.

Reading age

4 - 8 years
Print length

48 pages
Language

English
Grade level

Preschool - 3
Lexile measure

AD650L
Dimensions

9.31 x 0.39 x 11.88 inches
Publisher

Nancy Paulsen Books
Publication date

September 8, 2005
ISBN-10

0399237496
ISBN-13

978-0399237492
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Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Starred Review. Kindergarten-Grade 5–Soonie's great-grandma was only seven when she was sold away from her parents in Virginia and sent to South Carolina. All she had was a piece of muslin from her mother, two needles, and bright red thread. She was raised by Big Mama, who cared for the plantation children and at night whispered stories of freedom. Big Mama taught great-grandma how to sew messages and directions into quilt patterns, a Show Way. The quilt-making tradition is passed down through successive generations of women in the family. Finally, readers meet the narrator, who grew up to become a writer and tell the stories of many people's Show Ways. A poignant trail at the end of the book shows eight generations of women and the author's baby painted against the background of quilt patterns. Show Way is a sophisticated book that introduces readers to the passage of time, family traditions, and the significance of quilts and their patterns in African-American history. The gorgeous, multimedia art includes chalk, watercolors, and muslin. An outstanding tribute, perfectly executed in terms of text, design, and illustration.–Mary N. Oluonye, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Gr. 3-5. A Show Way is a quilt with secret meanings, and the image works as both history and haunting metaphor in this exquisite picture book. Based on Woodson's own history, the unforgettable story tells of African American women across generations, from slavery and the civil rights movement to the present. The cut-out jacket design is impressive, as is Talbott's mixed-media artwork inside, which extends Woodson's clear poetic narrative with beautiful collages that make use of big triangles, squares, and curves to emphasize portraits and landscapes and show connections and courage. The first double-page spread is of anguished separation when Soonie's great-grandmother is sold "without her ma or pa." Growing up on a plantation in South Carolina, Soonie learns from Big Mama about children "growing up and getting themselves free," and also how to sew quilts with signs that show the way to freedom. Time passes: Soonie's granddaughter, Georgiana, has twin girls who march for freedom in the 1960s. The final glorious spread shows Georgiana's granddaughter, Jacqueline Woodson, laughing at home with her own beloved daughter, Toshi Georgiana, whose picture is embedded in a quilt, connecting her with those who came before. A must for the classroom, this story will move many readers to explore their own family roots; link it to the Booklist interview with Woodson [BKL F 1 05], in which she talks about what she owes to those who came before her. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

* "One of the most remarkable books of the year."—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

* "Show Way is a sophisticated book that introduces readers to the passage of time, family traditions, and the significance of quilts and their patterns in African-American history. The gorgeous, multimedia art includes chalk, watercolors, and muslin. An outstanding tribute, perfectly executed in terms of text, design, and illustration."—School Library Journal, starred review

* “Will move many readers to explore their own family roots.”—Booklist, starred review

About the Author

Jacqueline Woodson (www.jacquelinewoodson.com) is the recipient of a 2023 Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship, a 2020 MacArthur Fellowship, the 2020 Hans Christian Andersen Award, the 2018 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, and the 2018 Children’s Literature Legacy Award. She was the 2018–2019 National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, and in 2015, she was named the Young People’s Poet Laureate by the Poetry Foundation. She received the 2014 National Book Award for her New York Times bestselling memoir Brown Girl Dreaming, which was also a recipient of the Coretta Scott King Award, a Newbery Honor, the NAACP Image Award, and a Sibert Honor. She wrote the adult books Red at the Bone, a New York Times bestseller, and Another Brooklyn, a 2016 National Book Award finalist. Born in Columbus, Ohio, Jacqueline grew up in Greenville, South Carolina, and Brooklyn, New York, and graduated from college with a B.A. in English. She is the author of dozens of award-winning books for young adults, middle graders, and children; among her many accolades, she is a four-time Newbery Honor winner, a four-time National Book Award finalist, and a three-time Coretta Scott King Award winner. Her books include Coretta Scott King Award winner Before the Ever After; New York Times bestsellers The Day You Begin and Harbor Me; The Other Side, Each Kindness, Caldecott Honor book Coming On Home Soon; Newbery Honor winners Feathers, Show Way, and After Tupac and D Foster; and Miracle's Boys, which received the LA Times Book Prize and the Coretta Scott King Award. Jacqueline is also a recipient of the Margaret A. Edwards Award for lifetime achievement for her contributions to young adult literature and a two-time winner of the Jane Addams Children's Book Award. She lives with her family in Brooklyn, New York.

Hudson Talbott
"Travel is one of my greatest joys- whether its by land, sea, air - or cyberspace. Last year, for example, I found myself in Amsterdam, Holland, at the Institute of War Documentation, the place where they keep the few records that the Nazis didn't burn. I needed to go there for research on my newest book, Forging Freedom. From there I flew to Wales for a conference about King Arthur and the Holy Grail, research for my King Arthur series. It was great fun to be with a group of Arthurian scholars, in Arthur's homeland. From there I crossed the Irish Sea to Dublin, where I directed a wonderful cast of Irish actors in a taped dramatization of my book O'Sullivan Stew. My latest journey took me to Kenya, in east Africa, to visit Dr. Jan Grootenhuis, a wildlife expert I had met in India last year. When he invited me to work on a book together with him about the wildlife of Africa how could I say no? I sent email reports back to several schools in the States when we were on safari. It was wild to be sharing my safari experiences as they were happening! In fact, I think the thing I love most about travel is sharing it with others- through a book, a recording, an email report, or a website."
Hudson Talbott was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky, the youngest of four children. From the time he could pick up a pencil, he has been interested in drawing and creative expression, and he considers himself extremely fortunate to have had family and teachers who encouraged his talents.
After graduating from the Tyler School of Art in Rome, Hudson remained in Europe, first staying in Italy, and then living for two years in Amsterdam. He then worked in Hong Kong and traveled throughout southeast Asia for a year before moving to New York, where he has lived and worked since 1974. In his ten years as a freelance illustrator, his work was commissioned by such clients as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Bloomingdale's, and New York Magazine. Hudson's first book for young readers, called How to Show Grown-ups the Museum, was commissioned by New York's Museum of Modern Art in 1985. Since then he has written and illustrated more than twelve books for the child in all of us. Hudson's interest in other cultures and his genuine appreciation for all types of people have contributed enormously to the development of his work as both artist and story-teller.
Hudson Talbott is the author/illustrator of more than twelve books for young readers, including We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story, which was adapted into an animated film by Steven Spielberg.
Hudson also collaborated with Stephen Sondeim on a illustrated book version of the composer's musical Into The Woods. His illustration and design work have been used by The Metropolitan Museum and The Museum of Modern Art, among others. He has also developed two animated television series commissioned by Universal Studios.
Hudson frequently travels for his book projects. For his ongoing series of The Tales of King Arthur he traveled throughout England and Wales researching the subject. For Amazon Diary he went into the heart of the Amazon Rainforest by dugout canoe and stayed in the villages of the remote stone-age indigenous tribe known as the Yanomami.
For his latest book, O'Sullivan Stew, he wandered through Ireland, absorbing the culture. In Dublin he directed a splendid cast of Irish actors for an audiotape version of the book.
Hudson lives in New York City and ,on weekends, in a farmhouse near the town of Hudson, N.Y.
copyright 2000 by Penguin Putnam Books for Young Readers. All rights reserved.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Nancy Paulsen Books; First Edition (September 8, 2005)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 48 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0399237496
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0399237492
Reading age ‏ : ‎ 4 - 8 years
Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ AD650L
Grade level ‏ : ‎ Preschool - 3
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.06 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 9.31 x 0.39 x 11.88 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #213,938 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #693 in Children's Black & African American Story Books
- #713 in Children's Multigenerational Family Life
- #1,232 in Children's Books on Girls' & Women's Issues

Customer Reviews:
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Jacqueline Woodson

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Jacqueline Woodson's memoir BROWN GIRL DREAMING won the 2014 National Book Award and was a NY Times Bestseller. Her novel, ANOTHER BROOKLYN, was a National Book Award finalist and an Indie Pick in 2016. Among her many awards, she the recipient of the Kurt Vonnegut Award, four Newbery Honors, two Coretta Scott King Award, and the Langston Hughes Medal. Jacqueline is the author of nearly thirty books for young people and adults including EACH KINDNESS, IF YOU COME SOFTLY, LOCOMOTION and I HADN'T MEANT TO TELL YOU THIS. She served as Young People's Poet Laureate from 2014-2016, was a fellow at The American Library in Paris, occasionally writes for the New York Times, is currently working on more books and like so many writers - lives with her family in Brooklyn, New York.

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zak

Student Review!!

Reviewed in the United States on March 1, 2023

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I teach 8th Grade English and I asked my students to review picture books related to slavery in the US as part of our unit on “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave.” The following review was written by some of my students.

4.5/5 star rating
“Show Way'' is an amazing, inspiring book. The only downside to it would be that the language in it could be hard to understand at times. This book tells the story of the author’s (Jacqueline Woodson) family and how they endured slavery, discrimination, and hate for her to be where she is today. Woodson starts the story by telling you about a girl (Soonie’s great great grandmother) who was sold away from her family during the time of slavery. This beginning hooks you immediately and makes you want to keep reading. As the book progresses they start to talk about how even as enslaved people they were able to find a little happiness but that all came crumbling down when Mathis May (Soonie’s great grandmother) was sold away. This part shows you how ruthless white enslavers were towards the enslaved people of that time. What was amazing though was that even through all the hardship Mathis May was able to give others hope by making quilts that would lead them to safety. Once again this shows us how we can always help others even if it is even just giving them a compliment or helping them across the street. The book continues down the family line until we get to Caroline and Anne who had to endure segregation through their life and that they fought against it showing that age doesn’t matter, you can still make a difference in the world. The book ends with Jacqueline saying how lucky she is to be alive right now and to have a baby to love and share this story with.
Overall this book is an amazing and sentimental story that gives us true insight on how far we have gotten but it also reminds us how far we have to go.
-Thanks!

2 people found this helpful

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Northern New Yorker--Retired teacher

An outstanding book, treating a difficult subject

Reviewed in the United States on June 29, 2021

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Lovely book, gently telling a story of slavery through the words of a three times removed grandchild. The illustrations are outstanding, and the symbolism can be another avenue for discussion.
As a reading specialist with over 35 years in classroom instruction, I would recommend this content for 4th graders. It's an age that children are developing a more mature awareness of fairness and right/wrong. Another book that reinforces those concepts is "The Big Lie : A True Story". by Isabella Leitner, if you can get a copy through used books sites.

4 people found this helpful

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Dr MB Edmunds

Great Book for Equity

Reviewed in the United States on December 15, 2022

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What a wonderful book! It makes for a great read aloud.

One person found this helpful

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Tori Leigh Kelley, Ph.D.

A Powerful Account of History and Resiliency

Reviewed in the United States on July 31, 2020

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Words and pictures come together to tell a true story of courageous family history. I admire the author's bravery and generosity in sharing this personal story. Spanning six generations, Ms. Woodson paints a perilous journey of African American slavery and their resolve to overcome. Should be required reading for all. Read this book and then give it a hug.

One person found this helpful

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Jean

Keep reading!

Reviewed in the United States on March 7, 2022

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Don't miss hearing this book read by the author!

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J

Poignant autobiography

Reviewed in the United States on August 19, 2020

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Jacqueline Woodson cannot write a bad book. At least I've never read one. This is a gorgeously illustrated, beautifully written, and heartbreaking autobiographical book about Woodson's lineage of strong women who refused to be broken. Powerful and poignant.

One person found this helpful

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elmicam

Show Way

Reviewed in the United States on June 17, 2014

Verified Purchase

I liked the book and will find it useful in the classroom. I will use it with my quilt project on the family ties that bind us together.

One person found this helpful

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LemonSpringGirl

A poetic and beautifully illustrated story of African American ancestry. Can be appreciated by anyone who loves family.

Reviewed in the United States on May 4, 2014

Verified Purchase

An intriguing, moving, and rhythmic narrative of female slave ancestors and their descendants who sewed quilts that served as maps to freedom. Captures the imagination and hearts of young and adult readers. Readers will love the ending of the story and hate that the story ends. You will want to "love your babies up, yes love your babies up" regardless of their current ages and yours. All literate persons should experience this story.

One person found this helpful

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Nelly Kunze

Spannt Bogen zwischen Vergangenheit und Gegenwart

Reviewed in Germany on September 7, 2015

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Jaqueline Woodson erzählt wie in ihrer Familie über Generationen von Frauen das Wissen weiter gegeben wurde, wie über Quilte Geschichten und Informationen weiter gegeben werden, insbesondere das Wissen über den Weg in die Freiheit für versklavte Menschen, die Tapferkeit von Menschen und die Hoffnung auf ein besseres Leben.

Insbesondere in Deutschland ist die politische Dimension von Quilts oft unbekannt.

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nanoupatch

très belle histoire!

Reviewed in France on July 6, 2015

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A partager avec des enfants , c'est vraiment beau ! Je connaissais l'histoire de l'underground railroad et ce livre si joliment illustré complète vraiment bien cette histoire qui lie patchwork et route des esclaves en quête de liberté !

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Suet

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 18, 2015

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brilliant african american book

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