Freedom Ship

Doreen Rappaport's "Freedom Ship" tells the true, suspenseful story of Samuel and his family, who were born into slavery during the American Civil War. In 1862, they, along with other enslaved people, bravely board the Confederate gunboat Planter, captained by the remarkable Robert Smalls, and navigate it to the Union fleet in a desperate bid for freedom. This chapter book vividly portrays the immense risks and courage involved in their escape, highlighting a pivotal moment in history and the fight for liberty. It's an excellent resource for discussing themes of freedom, bravery, and justice with children aged 4-11.

Samual and his family are born slaves. Every day they look beyond the harbor filled with Confederate ships, to the Atlantic Ocean, where the Union ships are--and potentially, their freedom. If only they could get to those ships somehow....Then, on May13, 1862, Samuel and his family risk it all to be free. /DIV DIVBased on a true story, Doreen Rappaport weaves a riveting tale of a boy and his family aboard the gunboat Planter. Captained by Robert Smalls and loaded with fellow slaves, the ship flees to the Union fleet to gain freedom from slavery and deliver much-needed ammunition to the Union Navy. Rappaport's suspenseful account, illustrated with the moody paintings of Curtis James, creates a vivid and relatable picture of this little-known tale of the civil war.