Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Show Way
    Show Way
    Show Way
    Audiobook12 minutes

    Show Way

    Written by Jacqueline Woodson

    Narrated by Jacqueline Woodson

    4.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Quilt making has been passed down through eight generations of Soonie’s family. Messages were carefully stitched into each quilt, called a Show Way, mapping the family’s journey from slavery to the present day.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherWeston Woods
    Release dateJan 1, 2012
    ISBN9780545836418
    Show Way

    More audiobooks from Jacqueline Woodson

    Related to Show Way

    Related audiobooks

    Children's Historical For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    Related categories

    Reviews for Show Way

    4.5/5

    59 ratings52 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      Jacqueline Woodson paints the tale of how quilting "show ways" has been passed down through generations of black women, ever since the slave trade began in the United States. A "show way" is essentially a coded map that tells how to get to the underground railroad and escape to the north. Show Way is the story to use to introduce the concept of the Underground Railroad to young children and paint an important picture of why this was vital to American history.
    • 5/5
      One of the few picture books included in the Newbery pantheon, SHOW WAY is a lyrical journey through the maternal family tree of author Jacqueline Woodson. Although not written in verse, the text of SHOW WAY has a rhythm that would lend itself to reading aloud. And the story honestly but not too graphically depicts the tragedies and triumphs of the civil rights struggle of African-Americans. Quilts or show ways are the thread tying this story together and, as might be imagined, the illustrations are just as powerful as the text; the words and images are joined together to form a stronger whole.
    • 5/5
      This wonderful picture book tells the story of Jacqueline woodson's family and their envolement in slavery and the underground rail road. It begins with one young girl and her great-grand mother and goes on for four more generations.
    • 5/5
      This books is abut the history of African American slaves and the importance of a quilt to their past and future freedom. The illustrustations were dark and warm and cohesive with the texts. This story would be great for history in diversity and mulitcultural differences.
    • 3/5
      Show way written by Jacqueline Woodson and illustrated by Hudson Talbott tells a historical family story of an African American family starting with the protagonist Soonie great- grandmother being sold into slavery at nine years old. Her grandmother begins to patch quilts of the Northstar and Crossroads with secret messages to help show slaves to their freedom. This tradition is passed down the family with her grandmother and mother both making their own show ways. Then Sonie who is born free use her show way to write and make a difference during the civil right movements. The theme of this picture book is slavery, traditions, family and civil rights.
    • 4/5
      Jacqueline Woodson tells the story of the underground railroad through her own family's history. I enjoyed many of her books and found this one to be extremely interesting because she was able to gather all this information through all the women in her family.
    • 5/5
      I loved this story. Watching hope spread through the generations with the Show Way patches was moving. As a quilter, the illustrations were just as meaningful to the story. Each page was a mosaic of inspiration. Curricular connections in social studies and language arts can be made with third and fourth grade as they create their own Show Way. The class can make a quilt that expresses their individual histories.
    • 5/5
      The tradition of hanging quilts to show slaves the way to freedom. Beautiful picture book.
    • 5/5
      Show Way by Jacqueline Woodson (2005) is about several generations of African American women starting from the times of slavery in American. In this story each generation passes on stories of the generation before them and the skill of sewing quilts. These stories are passed on to show children where they came from and express hope for a better future. Show Way is a quality picture book because it teaches children about our history and other cultures in an authentic way. Pictures are created within the quilt and many pages have both day and night incorporated into them.I would use this in a classroom to integrate social studies and language arts. I would gather similar books that authentically depict this time period. After students have herd and read several of these books I would have them create a story that takes place during the time of slavery.
    • 3/5
      "Show Ways", or quilts, once served as secret maps for freedom-seeking slaves. This is the story of seven generations of girls and women who were quilters and artists and freedom fighters.
    • 3/5
      Although I did enjoy the story of the book, I felt that I was a little hard to read, especially for the younger children who might be reading by themselves. The plot was very good and had a lot of twists and turns to get the reader involved like moving from one generation of the family to the next, and explaining what they had to deal with at the time in history. This is the reason I really enjoyed the book, however the way that the information was given and the language that was sometimes used throughout could be confusing to a children reading it with out any help or explanation. For example, some sentences were not structured how many children speak like saying "raised most the slave children on that land" did not really flow with the previous sentences and words such as jumped broom, many children wouldn't know what this meant and the illustrations did not help very much. One a few pages, real quotes and real pictures were used which I loved and I though that this brought something special to the story. Learning about history through one families ancestral experiences was a really interesting way to learn about the importance of family and knowing about the past. Overall, I loved this book and the amount of information it was able to pack into a short picture book but I do wish the sentences structure and the language was slightly more child friendly.
    • 4/5
      Beautiful illustrations tell the story of how the author's family used to make quilts to assist those escaping to freedom.
    • 4/5
      In this masterfully told story, the reader is brought along on a journey through history by way a family tree beginning with a many times great-grandmother. Quilting is not a hobby in this book, it's a means of knowing one's history as well as comfort on the path that lies ahead.
    • 5/5
      This was a very profound picture book that I really, really liked. It tells the family history of the author and reaches back across eight generations, up till the author's baby girl. It starts with Soonie's great-grandma being sold from Virginia to a plantation in South Carolina and tells the tale of her quilt-making and the secret paths to freedom she sews into her quilts. The history of slavery and oppression is viewed through the eyes of a single family through the generations.This book has a lot of deeper meanings and references within it that would fit easily in a high school social studies unit. I think I would use this book in elementary school as an aid in understanding what it meant to be a slave and to not have control over most aspects of your life. I might also use it to encourage students to examine their own family histories and to try to trace them back as far as they can. Although this picture book is listed at a 3rd grade reading level, I think it could be read at almost any level because of the detailed pictures that emphasize the story. At a middle or high school level, critical analysis of the illustrator's choice of colors and photo collage could reveal deeper understanding of the book's themes.
    • 5/5
      Woodson never ceases to amaze me. I loved her picture book “Show Way”. Woodson writes the story in a dialect in which I imagined myself listening to a story being told by a grandmotherly woman as I sat at her feet. The text of the book was written in a way that it read like a dialogue not a written text. A few excerpts from the book that represent this style are:“Beautiful girl-child learned to sew.”“History went and lost her name…”The illustrations added to the text in a powerful way. The pages were illustrated in a way that looks like a quilt. Mixed in with the illustrators art were pictures representing the times of the story. The quilts in the story were depicted as roads, which I saw as the roads paved by Soonie’s ancestors. The message of this book is to tell the history of African-American women over the past 150 years. It is a story of love, family, determination, and perseverance.
    • 5/5
      A wonderfully written story of Woodson's family and the impact of slavery that resulted in strength and power.Written in dialect, the author's framework is rhythmically unique. At the age of seven, great grandmother is sold in auction. Framing quilts that showed the way in prints and paths, this is a history of freedom.The words and the illustrations together create a powerful and wonderful story of resiliency.Five Stars. Highly recommended.
    • 5/5
      Jacqueline Woodson first came onto my radar from someone (I can't remember who) here on LT. I loved [Brown Girl Dreaming] and today, I picked up another by her from my library: [Show Way]. This is a gorgeous children's picture book, with exquisite and powerful illustrations by Hudson Talbott. Woodson traces her own roots through the strength of her matriarchal lineage, using the image and theme of quilting, from the times of slavery up through to modern days and up to herself and her own daughter. The text is lyrical and the images are truly stunning. The illustrations alone show and tell a lot more history than the words reveal but they are woven together seamlessly. This could easily be a stand-alone beautiful storybook but, as a former teacher, I can't help but see this book as an excellent door to learning about history, social struggles and family structures, especially during the times of slavery. I loved this book.
    • 5/5
      What is there that is better than a book that tells you of your ancestry. I love how this book tells you a story about Woodson's family line. It wraps you in with the great thoughts of hiding maps away in blankets, and yet still tells you a bit of history. I would use this book for so many different things in school, history, the underground railroad, or even just to show children a creative way to tell about their family lines and traditions. Great story! Makes me wish I could sew secrets in quilts!
    • 4/5
      Such a wonderful book! I loved it up, so, loved this book up.
    • 5/5
      The book starts with Soonie's great grandmother being sold into slavery. She creates quilts with a secret meaning of a map to freedom. Soonie's great grandmother has a daughter and passes this quilt making onto her daughter. The cycle continues for generations, when Soonie is born free. Soonie and her mother continue to make quilts with these hidden messages. Generations pass and the women in this family continue to make these quilts and work for freedom and equality of African Americans. The tradition of "show ways" and working for equality is the theme of this book. I loved this book because it told a beautiful story that was almost more like poetry. The lines are pleasing to the ear and send out a great message. I would use this book as a mentor text for third to fifth grade. I would read the book to my students and then discuss the meaningful message that is passed down from generation to generation and is still present. I would have them think of values that their family holds and where they got these values from. I would then have them write a story in a similar style to Woodson. This book is listed at DRA level 28 for third-fifth graders. I believe that the context of this book is fine for younger grades, but the language and hidden messages may be hard for them to understand.
    • 5/5
      The book as real and based on a true story. It included real events in history. It would prolly be read during black history month. I would be good for women and girls to read.
    • 3/5
      Confusing yet sweet story of several generations of women who quilt, and who are either slaves or descendants of slaves. Show way quilts are one of the motifs, the quilts that mapped the way out of slavery for escapees, but for me at least, there was way too much unstated. The book's designed to be read aloud to the very young, and the lovely illustrations make it a pleasure to look at. I think if I were planning to read it to a group of preschoolers, I'd have to flesh out my knowledge, both of show way quilts and of the Underground Railroad. Newbery Honor book.
    • 5/5
      Woodson writes Show Way to tell the story of a salve who quits once she is separated from her family. Quilting gets passed down from generation to generation as each new girl is born into the family. The quilts tell stories and some help other slaves escape to slavery. By the end of the book, it is revealed that this is the story of Woodson's family. I really enjoyed this book. I especially liked how the illustrations were made to look like a quilt. Woodson's ancestors have a great story, which she told wonderfully.
    • 5/5
      Students often tell me that, “History bores me.” Perhaps some of the reason for this statement is the inability to knit a connection between historical events and personal history. Jacqueline Woodson’s Show Way weaves together both personal history and historical events seamlessly. From the quilted front cover with its “Show Way” title and shining light with stitched in images on muslin, to the quilted back cover; we journey with Woodson’s family as if we were on an underground railroad or at a segregated school. The language of the story perfectly matches our rich oral tradition using Woodson’s family as the fabric for warming our hearts. We are wrapped in an embrace that protects us from slave catchers, whips, and dogs to the point that the most abiding memory is one of feeling loved, “Loved that baby up so. Yes, she loved that baby up.” Teachers will use this book to discuss freedom quilts, flights to freedom, and the careful use of word and symbol to convey distinctly different meanings. Careful inspection of these pages will reveal Harriet Tubman, Langston Hughes, Sojourner Truth, Martin Luther King, and many more, including a very realistic illustration of Woodson and her daughter Toshi. I hope this book finds a home in both elementary and middle school classrooms. This book is certain to win many awards come January 2006. Show Way is another exemplary example of broom jumping words and illustrations, which is to say that the words wed perfectly with the illustrations.
    • 5/5
      A heart warming book about generations of slaves, brought together by quilting. The quilt that was passed down showed the way to freedom using the moon, the stars and the road. Finally the salves are freed and we meet the narrator that is a descendant of the slaves before her time. The narrator still sowed stars, moons, and roads in a quilt, keeping the tradition alive and also wrote down the stories of her elders to tell to her daughter one day.
    • 4/5
      Follows a quilt through its many generations of women from the same family. A really great book to use during African American History month, talks about the underground railroad all the way up to the civil rights movement. Could be used with 4th grade or 5th grade students.
    • 2/5
      OK. Although I liked the basic story line, I disliked the choppy poetry. Some of it didn't even seem to be clear. My favorite page was the one with the incline and all the people walking uphill with the quotes under the hill.
    • 4/5
      Very powerful and moving historical based story about seven generations of girls and women who were quilters and artists and freedom fighters.These quilts once served as secret maps for freedom-seeking slaves.
    • 4/5
      This book depicts the history of a "show way" which is a quilt made with hidden messages displayed on it. This book is pretty depressing and haunting because of how real this tale might have been. This book reflects on the lives of slaves when slavery was legal and there were people trying to escape. I love how the pictures work wit the story. There are wonderful collages made of shapes that really allow me to become in the mindset this book wants to portray. I love how this books strings so much timeline into one book. It starts with the story of the grandmother and goes 4 generations down. The big picture of this book is to show the rich history behind finding freedom for slaves.
    • 5/5
      I loved this. The illustrations add so much more that young readers may miss, but may be explained, or not. The story is poignant and could relate to some kids' heritage. It highlights the importance of strength through love of family.