A thought-provoking portrait of celebrated human-rights activist
Frederick Douglass by the acclaimed author of To Dare Mighty Things and
Martin's Big Words.
Frederick Douglass was born a slave. He was taken from his mother as a
baby, and separated from his grandparents when he was six. He suffered
hunger and abuse, but miraculously, he learned how to read. Frederick
read newspapers left in the street, and secretly collected spellings
from neighborhood children. Words, he knew, would set him free. When
Frederick was twenty, he escaped to the North, where he spread his
abolitionist beliefs through newspaper articles, autobiographies, and
speeches. He believed that all people-regardless of color or gender-were
entitled to equal rights. It is Douglass's words, as well as his life,
that still provide hope and inspiration across generations.
In this installment of the critically acclaimed Big Words series, Doreen
Rappaport captures Frederick's journey from boy to man, from slavery to
freedom, by weaving Frederick's powerful words with her own. London
Ladd's strong and evocative illustrations combine with the text to
create a moving portrait of an extraordinary life.