Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
HarperCollins (1983), Edition: Illustrated, 62 pages
Description
When he is sent home alone for misbehaving in church, Tommy discovers that his house is a station on the underground railroad.
User reviews
LibraryThing member vlreed02
This book is of a boy who upon being in trouble at church and avoiding home because he was in trouble discovers slaves in his barn. He is freightened at first but his father, an abolitionist, explains the situation to him. The slaves then tell him about the underground railroad. He ends up helping
I like this book. I believe I read this as a young child for black history month and it fascinated me. It showed me the history of slavery rather than just giving me facts about slavery
In my class this would be a social studies aide and reading aide. I would do read aloud with it as well as letting students read from the book and talk to them about the lives of slaves.
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his father transport them to the next stop of the railroad. He even lies to the search part they run into so that the stack of hay the slaves were hiding in on his wagon would not be searched. I like this book. I believe I read this as a young child for black history month and it fascinated me. It showed me the history of slavery rather than just giving me facts about slavery
In my class this would be a social studies aide and reading aide. I would do read aloud with it as well as letting students read from the book and talk to them about the lives of slaves.
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LibraryThing member kdelker
The Drinking Gourd is a book about the Underground Railroad. Young Thomas finds himself in trouble in church when he catches a goose with an apple on a fishing line. When he is sent home he discovers some runaway slaves hiding in his barn. His father takes Thomas with them as he takes the slaves to
Good story. Sometimes you have to go against what people say is good to do what you know is right.
We can play a game like hide and seek to see how hard it might be to get from one place to the other without being discovered. We could talk about how important everyone is and how we should treat each other with respect. We could each make a picture representation of the “Drinking Gourd” to remind us of this story.
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the next stop on their journey to freedom. The slaves are following “the Drinking Gourd” or the Big Dipper to Canada. Good story. Sometimes you have to go against what people say is good to do what you know is right.
We can play a game like hide and seek to see how hard it might be to get from one place to the other without being discovered. We could talk about how important everyone is and how we should treat each other with respect. We could each make a picture representation of the “Drinking Gourd” to remind us of this story.
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LibraryThing member khallbee
Sometime during the first half of the 19th century, a little boy named Tommy meets a family of escaped slaves traveling on the Underground Railroad and helps them to escape a group of US Marshalls. This chapter book, published in 1970, tells an inspiring story of a troublemaking boy who redeems
Monjo works up to this ethical question by painting a picture of an era much different from our own. Children sit in church for hours, segregated by sex and separated from their parents. Corporal punishment is accepted as part of daily life. To many kids this will be a completely unfamiliar world where the unnamed father's speech on human dignity is the only point of commonality with modern thought. The line-heavy illustrations are typical of the 70s but not ridiculously dated. Recommended for grades 3-5.
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himself through a selfless act. The African-American slaves in the story, while depicted sympathetically, still suffer from the stereotypes of the time when the book was written. Referred to as “Negroes” in the story, they speak in a uneducated southern patois that today might be considered borderline racist. Tommy’s father, a noble abolitionist, introduces a moral quandary that many elementary school children might struggle to understand. “I believe in obeying the law,” he says, “but you and I broke the law tonight...I can’t obey that law... It’s wrong!” Monjo works up to this ethical question by painting a picture of an era much different from our own. Children sit in church for hours, segregated by sex and separated from their parents. Corporal punishment is accepted as part of daily life. To many kids this will be a completely unfamiliar world where the unnamed father's speech on human dignity is the only point of commonality with modern thought. The line-heavy illustrations are typical of the 70s but not ridiculously dated. Recommended for grades 3-5.
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LibraryThing member HilarySI624
In F. N. Monjo's The Drinking Gourd, Tommy Fuller's misbehavior in church leads him to discover that his home is a stop on and his father is a conductor of the Underground Railroad. This short chapter book is divided into six chapters, each of which is capable of standing by itself thematically.
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Several chapters serve almost exclusively as a means of imparting historical information about the Underground Railroad to the reader, with the characters merely providing exposition. However, the first and fourth chapters provide surprisingly engaging story-telling. Tommy's fast-thinking and impish nature first land him in hot water and then help him sidetrack a search party. With more historical background given in the author's note, this book is an excellent educational resource with enough human interest to keep children engaged. It would be a good addition to grade school lbiraries, middle school libraries with a population of readers with low reading levels. It would not hurt a public library's collection either. Show Less
LibraryThing member wichitafriendsschool
The stars of the Big Dipper have led a runaway slave family to Deacon Fuller's house, a stop on the Underground Railroad. Will Tommy Fuller be able to hide the runaways from a search party—or will the secret passengers be discovered and their hope for freedom destroyed?
LibraryThing member hopeevey
I found this at the Wake Co. library's book sale. I'll have to see if I can find some more in this series for my nephew. It's a simple early-reader about the underground railroad.
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1970
Physical description
9 inches
ISBN
9780064440424