Great little history book. Very informative, while not being "dry" or too heavy on facts without context. I think this would be a great book for introductory history classes (8-10 year old) and a good starting point for anyone else (adults included!).

The Story of Sojourner Truth, a book in the Biography for Young RStars. series, , written by Anita Crawford Clark and published by Castillo Publishing, an imprint of Scholastic is a book designed for children aged six through nine. It is very well written and beautifully illustrated, and provides a succinct and easy to understand story of this great woman's life. The book also includes probing questions for the young reader to think about, such as how it feels to speak before a group. While not a criticism, I think the age group might be nine to twelve, that is just my opinion as I thought it might be a difficult read for children six through eight. I must share that I'm a senior citizen, and not familiar t with the reading skills of today's elementary student. I believe that The Story of Sojourner Truth is a wonderful book, would be a great addition to any young reader's library and commend all involved with this book and series. Thanks to NetGalley and Castillo Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this book. Five stars.

This is a well-written, historically accurate biography for young readers. In today's climate of whitewashing the atrocities of slavery, it was refreshing to see the author write plainly in an age-appropriate way about the tragedies that Sojourner's family endured, including the separation of the children from their parents. Themes of courage, faith, and perseverance were woven throughout in this inspirational story of one of America's bold African American history.

This was my first book in this series, but I would give my students more books from this series in the future. The format has nicely sized typography broken up by illustrations, fact boxes, and other images that keep young readers from feeling overwhelmed with the text. The storyline is easy to follow and has plenty of opportunity for review in a fun way. I was especially impressed by the fact that the author kept in the facts about Sojourner Truth's relationship with God that had guided her journey and fueled her work.

*Review copy courtesy of Netgalley

• This is the perfect book to introduce young readers to Sojourner Truth.

• The book is 64 pages long and includes short chapters with simple language (age appropriate for 6- to 9-year-olds) to ensure the information is understood.  

• The biography includes her entire life – from her childhood as a slave, to her adult life as a champion for equal rights and justice for black people. I’ve known about Sojourner Truth’s Underground Railroad since I was a child. And the book does include that part of her life. But I also learned some new things about her – like the fact that she was the first black woman to bring a court case against a white man and win.

• I appreciated that the author included information about her strong Christian faith and how her faith gave her courage and informed her actions, including changing her named from Isabella Baumfree to Sojourner Truth. Faith moves mountains – and Sojourner Truth is a fantastic example of that.

• The illustrations enhance the information and there are real photos of Truth, along with a quiz to test what you’ve learned, in the back of the book.

• This book is a must in classroom and home libraries. Everyone should know about this courageous and amazing woman.

Thank you @NetGalley and Callisto Publishing, Callisto Kids for an eARC of this book, which I have read and reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

Everything about his book is amazing. The story is told wonderfully, I enjoyed the think pieces, the timelines, and the quiz at the end of the book. I learned a lot about Sojourner Truth and we all need to be reminded of how horrible those times were. The book is wonderfully written this book is a must-add to any classroom.

Wow! What a. thorough and accessible biography for young readers. I think this will be a wonderful addition to classroom use allowing students to learn, discuss, and extend their thinking.
I appreciate the way author Anita Crawford Clark presented the information with timelines, myth vs fact, and other scaffolds giving students and teachers different entry points to the information.
I also think this important information needs to be part of every school curriculum and this book and series will help make that possible.

These biographies are my new favorite informational texts for my classroom library. The Story of Sojourner Truth, much like its counterparts, is a simple chapter book that will appeal to second through fifth-grade readers. This book would also serve as an excellent research resource for students.

The chapters are short but thorough. The text features (table of contents, glossary, captions, etc.) make it accessible to young readers. There is also a quiz in the back that readers can use to monitor their learning and understanding.

The Story of Sojourner Truth by Anita Crawford Clark gives young readers a glimpse into the life of a humanitarian and justice seeker. Her story can be difficult to read, but Clark presents the information so that readers understand how hard she worked to seek fair treatment for people of color.

Thank you to NetGalley and Callisto Publishing for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Sojourner Truth, born Isabella Baumfree, was an important human rights advocate. After receiving her freedom, she successfully sued a white man to return her son from slavery in Alabama. Then she spent the rest of her life advocating for the end to slavery and freedom for all people.
This book is written for children ages six to nine, but as an adult, I found it interesting too. The short chapters kept my attention. And "Jump Into the Think Tank" questions did make me think - these questions ensure Sojourner continues to make an impact today. Also, the illustrations are colorful and demonstrate various scenes from Sojourner's life and brought her story to life. I appreciated the glossary and bibliography at the end, too.

The Story of Sojourner Truth is aimed at young readers and teaches about the abolitionist’s life from birth to her legacy after her death. Born as Isabella Baumfree into slavery, Sojourner Truth’s life was full of difficulties but her faith in God helped her to help others. This book chronicles her life in a way that helps young readers understand slavery and the fight for equal rights. I would caution that this book might be too heavy for sensitive readers and readers younger than third grade. There are some heavy topics including implied rape. I, personally, would recommend this for at least fifth grade for independent reading. It is a good book with good information but a bit heavy for the audience it’s geared toward.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book for my honest opinion.

This well-done chapter book tells the biography of a very important woman of our past in a way that has clear meaning for people today. The language is simple, and well suited to elementary school children, young deaf readers, and those in an ESL program. The important reasons which bring her to mind whenever slavery and abolition are being discussed are further clarified by the small quiz, glossary, bibliography, and the repeated admonishments to THINK.
The illustrations by Sawyer Cloud and Simone Douglas are simple, imaginative, clear, and colorful.
Well suited for reading WITH someone of any age including ESL, and great for gifting to anyone, but especially to a school or teacher or your public library!
I requested and received a free temporary e-book on Adobe Digital Editions from Callisto Publishing/Callisto Kids via NetGalley. Thank you!

The Story of Sojourner Truth by Anita Crawford Clark details the life of an important figure in American History. Sojourner Truth was a humanitarian who fought for justice and worked hard for the fair treatment of people of color. Sojourner Truth gave a voice to those that didn't have one.

Sojourner Truth's story is an important one and I love that there are authors such as Anita Crawford Clark who can tell her story in a way that is appropriate for our young learners. As a second grade teacher, I am always on the lookout for books that my students can see themselves in or are a reflection of the diversity in my class. We do biographies and write about important people in history and this is a book I will be adding to my classroom collection. We do a writing unit on biographies and Sojourner Truth would be a great addition to that unit.

This book has short chapters for our early readers and a quiz/discussion questions in the back with real pictures which I felt was important for students to see. It also has a glossary to help with important and difficult vocabulary.

Sojourner Truth's life and legacy is a difficult one to read about but is so important for students to learn about and learn from. Her legacy is important and I hope our young learners see her as a role model and her influence on them can continue as they grow as individuals.

I want students ,especially the girls to see that their voice matters no matter the color of their skin or their gender and they can make a difference in the world.

Thank you to Anita Crawford Clark and NetGalley. I voluntarily read this book and gave an honest review.

This chapter book biography tells a powerful true story for kids, introducing Sojourner Truth and explaining her life and times. There's a lot of great information in this book, and it impressed me to see how well the author wove in essential historical context for Truth's experiences in slavery, as a free woman, and as an abolitionist, women's rights activist, and humanitarian. This book covers an impressive amount of information in a brief page count, and it's really good.

I also appreciate the way that this book represents Sojourner Truth's faith. Many contemporary biography series for kids try to downplay people's religious commitments in order to avoid topics that people might see as controversial, but this biography fully represents and honors the important role that Truth's Christian beliefs played in her life. This is a major theme throughout the book, and I am glad that the author who wrote this understood Truth's faith and emphasized it appropriately.

Like other books in this series, this one includes illustrations, comprehension and critical thinking questions, close-up illustrated maps, a glossary, and other helpful features that will further engage kids. However, although this book is marketed for early elementary students, younger kids will need assistance because of the complex ideas and vocabulary throughout the book.

This will be far above most first or second graders' reading levels, and also includes heavy topics that some kids that age may not be ready for. The author does a great job explaining what slavery was like and exploring its many harmful effects through Sojourner Truth's life story, but this may be too much at once for some sensitive children.

Also, parents will want to know that in a section on Truth's family life, the author briefly refers to children she had prior to her marriage. The author explains that her enslaver is presumed to be the father, but says nothing more about this. Children may just gloss over this and move on, or they may have complex questions. It's not something I would have chosen to introduce to this age group, especially without a clear explanation that Sojourner Truth would not have had a choice in this matter.

Because of this book's reading level and the heavy topics involved, I would encourage parents to read this aloud to or alongside younger kids. This book is also worth reading for older readers outside of the targeted age range. It's very informative and inspiring, and although the added material is aimed towards young children, the biography itself does not feel overly juvenile. This is a powerful book about an amazing woman, and I would recommend it.

This biography series for children, 6-9 years, brings a trailblazing woman - Sojourner Truth – who turned her hard experience into positive action. Born as enslaved, she spoke out against slavery as a free person, and her fight for women’s rights sparked the actions of other women.

She was born as Isabella Baumfree around 1797, in New York. Belle as many other enslaved people was sold a few times and experienced mistreatment. What helped her through those hard times were the lessons her mother gave her, to ask God for guidance. When New York State established emancipation law in 1827, Belle became a free woman, and found her calling in sharing God’s word. She began teaching and preaching in New York poorest neighborhoods. Her preaching spread to Northeast, where she spoke out against slavery. She met some abolitionist leaders, with whom she didn’t always agree, but they respected each other. She continued her work until the very end of her life, which also included fight for women’s rights.

This story of Sojourner Truth brings powerful lessons for young minds. It shows challenges that life brings along the way and it’s about how one handles them. It shows that those challenges didn’t stop Sojourner from achieving great things. It shows how empowering it is to believe in something to guide one in hard times. It shows how important it is to respect another person even if you disagree. Thus, you can still achieve great things for humanity together.

This chapter book is presented in a simple and explanatory form. A word that would need explaining is defined within the story, as this biography series is meant to be read by young readers on their own. It is well-done, however, I’d say that the chapters could be even shorter and when it comes to age, it’s fit more for the 9 year olds rather than 6.

(I can’t comment on illustrations and additional material such as questions along the story as the digital format I received was weirdly scattered with illustrations chopped up into some squares, not making one full picture).

Outstanding book and illustrations. Though this book was written for children, as an adult I found it helpful and educational. There’s several helpful features throughout the book to enable the reader retain what is being read. At the end is a brief quiz to reinforce what has been learned. A nice glossary at the end, too. I learned quite a bit and am impressed with how her faith from a young age helped throughout this difficult life. Great resource book. Highly recommend.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This book may be wonderful but the formatting of this ARC was pretty terrible and it’s hard to say. Good simple story of this brave and determined woman’s life.

I received this book from the publisher via net galley in exchange for an honest review.

I've read a couple of books about Sojourner Truth but this is my favorite by far. It goes into a lot of detail about her extraordinary life and I loved the illustrations, maps, timeline and myth vs. fact sections! Very informative and well done!

The Story of Sojourner Truth by Anita Crawford Clark details the life of one of America's greatest champions of human rights.

Born into slavery as Isabella Baumfree and later changing her name, Sojourner ultimately overcame tremendous obstacles to fight for women's rights, even meeting several Presidents along the way.

The story of Sojourner Truth is a fascinating one, and the included discussion prompts are a wonderful springboard for further investigation. While I would highly recommend this for classrooms, I feel that it might be more beneficial for slightly older students, perhaps 10-14 year olds.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Callisto Publishing for an ARC.

This book provides an excellent educational account about details Sojourner Truth’s life that most children age 5 and older can understand. I liked that she included though provoking questions in some of the chapters as well as visual timeline of details about this heroine accomplishments.

An excellent intro to not just Sojourner Truth but the topic of slavery with children. A chapter book, it uses simple language and short chapters, which even this adult appreciated, to tell her story. It's a story well worth telling and knowing. Sold for $100 and a flock of sheep at about 11 years old, Isabella Baumfree, Sojourner's given name, faced many obstacles along the way. I'll leave those for the reader to discover and only mention that while she ultimately met Presidents Lincoln and Grant, sadly, her own children were eventually sold away from her, too. I was particularly moved to see the connect between Sojourner Truth and Rosa Park. Whereas Sojourner was ordered off a streetcar and refused to move, we all know Rosa Parks' refusal to move on a bus was a catalyst for the Civil Rights movement. In other words, there is much, much to take in here, including Truth's push for women's rights.

I liked the setup of the material. The chapters were short and relatively easy reading for early elementary children. That said, they were interesting and didn't talk down to the reader, holding this old lady's interest throughout. The illustrations were simple but didn't shy away from difficult scenes. There are also sidebars throughout, usually posing a question or bit of additional information. I liked that some showed the timeline of history alongside her story, so to speak, as well as finding the questions pertinent and interesting. There's even a fun quiz at the end, multiple choice, as well as a nicely put together glossary and bibliography.

Bottom line, an excellent book that should rate a spot on library or teacher bookshelves. Does it give us every single fact about Truth's life? Of course not. This is a book for children but my hunch is many adults can learn a thing or two by reading it, too. Sojourner Truth's legacy is discussed and it's an impressive, important one. Thanks #NetGalley and #CalllistoPublishing - #Callisto Kids for allowing me this sneak peek at her story. I was impressed and that's coming from a former history teacher.