Show Way by Jacqueline Woodson

Woodson, J., & Talbott, H. (2005). Show way. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons.

Jacqueline Woodson brings us back in time, telling us a story of her ancestry and culture that is still very much alive in her family today in her wonderful picture book.   Soonie, who is the main character of this story, tells us the tale of her great grandmother of being sold into slavery and learning the trade of quilt making.   Little did slave masters know, Soonie's great-great grandmother, Big Mama,  had taught her great grandmother how to make maps out of her quilts.   This is what is called a Show Way, which was a map for slaves to follow to the North: to Freedom.  This tradition was passed on Woodson's family all the way to her, making it through slavery and the Civil Right's Movement.  

This is an empowering story for women and African Americans alike, allowing for the culture to be enriching for young minds. 

Show Way is a great book for students in kindergarten to second grade, and would be great to parallel with a history lesson. 

Woodson gives us another beautiful story to celebrate her culture and family, as well as providing quality text to younger generations.  African American heritage is held strong with this title, and really shows the intelligence and perseverance that slaves possessed to endure this horrible time in history.   The characters are based off of actual people, so the story telling is natural to the reader.   This is an accurate rendition of what happened with slavery through the eyes of the slaves, which I feel makes it extremely personal to any reader.  Hudson Talbott does a beautiful job illustrating the book, really giving it an authentic feel to the time periods being portrayed and the stories being told. 

What's inside?
Woodson uses repetition quite often throughout this piece, really driving home certain phrases that may have meant a lot to her and her family. 

Loved that Soonie up so. 
Yes, she loved that
Soonie up. 

Allusion:
The Civil Right's Movement isn't obviously mentioned in the book, but from context clues and illustrations, we able to recognize this prolific event. 

And Caroline and Ann grew up tall and straight-boned. TURNED SEVEN walking in a line to change the laws that kept black people and white people living separate. 

Foreshadowing:
Woodson introduces the beginning of her lineage, using repetition for each family member and what they are doing and how they are connected back in time in their history. 
By the end of the piece, a reader would be able to predict that the last piece of the puzzle would be using the Show Way somehow in their life.  Which is true!  The last character is Woodson herself, talking about her daughter Toshi!!!

Hudson Talbott encompasses Woodson's theme of the show way, incorporating quilt squares as each page of the book.  You can see the history on the pages and feel like you are a part of Woodson's story by looking at the beautiful illustrations on each page. 

How can we use this?

This book is a great resource for having children understanding repetition.    Challenge your students to write a history sonnet using some form of repetition.  Use Jacqueline as a mentor of how picking certain lines as a point of emphasis can enrich your writing and really grab your reader.