Bibliography
Schroeder, Alan. 1996. MINTY. Ill. Jerry Pinkney. New York: Dial Books. ISBN 0803718888
Summary
Set during the 1820’s on a plantation in Maryland, Minty is a fictional story written about Harriet Tubman’s childhood. Minty was a young little girl who loved playing with her doll and dreamed of being free one day. Because she was still a child, Minty worked inside the Brodas’ home. But when Minty spills a pitcher of cider at the Brodas’ dinner table, the mistress sends Minty to work in the fields.
While working in the fields, an overseer puts Minty in charge of checking the muskrat traps in the river. Instead of capturing the muskrats, Minty releases them back into the waters. Minty is brought back to the plantation and whipped for disobeying the overseer. After Minty is whipped, her father begins teaching her how to survive in the woods. He teaches her how to follow the North Star, run through the woods without making a sound, and how to swim.
Minty makes several attempts to escape, but her fear keeps her from leaving. It is not until she became an adult that Minty was courageous enough to make her daring escape.
Critical Analysis
Schroeder portray’s Harriet Tubman as a strong character. From the first page, the reader is able to tell that Harriet is a little defiant. As Mrs. Brodas calls for Minty to come in, Minty giggles, sticks out her tongue and thinks to herself, “I’ll come when I’m good and ready”. She also defies orders from the overseer when she rescues the muskrats from the traps in the water. Minty is whipped for disobeying his orders.
Many cultural markers can be identified throughout the story and illustrations. Minty is referred to as “gal and girl”, Minty calls Mrs. Brodas “Missus” and Minty’s parents are “Old Ben and Old Rit.” Several phrases used are authentic to this time period. Mrs. Brodas tells Minty “I had a mess of peas that needed shelling” and when she throws Minty’s doll into the fire she says “That’ll learn you”. When Minty is sent to work in the field, she meets a lady named Amanda. Amanda tells Minty that she will need to wear a bandanna so she won’t fry her brains out. Also, many illustrations depict Minty not wearing any shoes. She even warms them one night in her cabin by sticking them in the ashes at the end of the pit.
The reader is able to gather from the illustrations that Minty and her family live in a very small cabin. In each illustration, the entire family gathers together in one small room. They all sit on the floor and sleep close together at night. Pinkney uses pencil, colored pencils, and watercolors to create beautifully landscaped full page illustrations. Minty’s feelings come through in her facial expressions. When Minty’s mother is tending her wounds from being whipped, Minty is biting down on a hickory stick and one single tear falls from her face. The reader can also tell how Mrs. Brodas is feeling in the illustrations. Her anger is evident when she has Minty’s doll in her hands.
Although this story is written only about Harriet Tubman’s childhood, Schroeder provides an author’s note at the end of the story that shares how Harriet Tubman makes her escape and her heroic efforts to go back and save many others.
Reviews
1997 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award Winner
Publishers Weekly review: “Schroeder's (Ragtime Tumpie; Carolina Shout!) choice of lively vignettes rather than a more traditional biography is a wise one. With color and feeling he humanizes a historic figure, coaxing readers to imagine or research the rest of the story. Pinkney's (John Henry) full-bodied watercolors evoke a strong sense of time and place. Laudably, Pinkney's scenes consistently depict young Minty's point of view, giving the harshness of her reality more resonance for readers.”
School Library Journal review: “Pinkney's illustrations are outstanding, even when compared to his other fine work. His paintings, done in pencil, colored-pencils, and watercolor, use light and shadow to great effect, and his depictions of Minty are particularly powerful and expressive. This is a dramatic story that will hold listeners' interest and may lead them to biographical material such as David A. Adler's A Picture Book of Harriet Tubman (Holiday, 1992) and Ann McGovern's Wanted Dead or Alive (Scholastic, 1991).”
Kirkus Reviews: “Told in rhythmic prose and colloquial dialogue, the plot has actual events that are small, but it is rich with melodrama, suspense, pathos, and, of course, a powerful vision of freedom. Pinkney's illustrations exhibit, characteristically, his refined draftsmanship; the complicated compositions convey psychological aspects of slavery and make the individual characters even more distinct. This exquisitely crafted book resonates well beyond its few pages.”
Connections
This story would be a great book to read at the beginning of a study on Harriet Tubman. After reading this story, students will be eager to find out what happens to Harriet Tubman. Other stories that can be paired with this book include:
Weatherford, Carole Boston. 2006. MOSES: WHEN HARRIET TUBMAN LED HER PEOPLE TO FREEDOM. ISBN 0786851759
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