Show Way

Written by Jacqueline Woodson · Illustrated by Hudson Talbott

Generations of women pass down secret quilt maps guiding slaves to freedom, weaving a legacy of resilience and hope.

4.3 Goodreads · 3,506 ratings

48 pages· AD720L

$17.99Save 7%

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Bookroo's summary

Soonie's great-grandma, sold into slavery at seven, creates quilts with secret paths to freedom. These Show Ways become a legacy, guiding generations through slavery, segregation, and the fight for literacy. As Soonie, born free, teaches her daughter to sew and read, the quilts symbolize resilience and hope. How will this tradition shape their future?

From the publisher

Soonie’s great-grandma was just seven years old when she was sold to a big plantation without her ma and pa, and with only some fabric and needles to call her own. She pieced together bright patches with names like North Star and Crossroads, patches with secret meanings made into quilts called Show Ways – maps for slaves to follow to freedom. When she grew up and had a little girl, she passed on this knowledge. And generations later, Soonie – who was born free – taught her own daughter how to sew beautiful quilts to be sold at market and how to read.

From slavery to freedom, through segregation, freedom marches and the fight for literacy, the tradition they called Show Way has been passed down by the women in Jacqueline Woodson’s family as a way to remember the past and celebrate the possibilities of the future. Beautifully rendered in Hudson Talbott’s luminous art, this moving, lyrical account pays tribute to women whose strength and knowledge illuminate their daughters’ lives.