Aunt Harriet's Underground Railroad in the Sky by Faith Ringgold (Historical Fiction)

Faith Ringgold's story, Aunt Harriet's Underground Railroad in the Sky, begins with Cassie and her little brother Be Be, who are flying amongst the stars and discover a train in the sky. Before she can stop her little brother, Be Be jumps on the train, which was already carrying hundreds of other men, women, and children. As Cassie begins to cry, the conductor, Harriet Tubman, comforts her and explains that she helped African Americans to freedom through the Underground Railroad. To help Cassie understand the significance of the Underground Railroad, Harriet describes the history of slavery and the obstacles slaves faced, such as the law that African Americans could not read or write. Harriet also explains to Cassie that the train follows the same route of the Underground Railroad ever one hundred years and tells Cassie to follow her little brother to freedom and to listen for instructions from "Aunt Harriet." Each time she followed Aunt Harriet's instructions, Cassie was able to travel the Underground Railroad to various safe houses (i.e. a white farmer's attic, a blind railroad agent, an undertaker). At the end of the story, Cassie finally catches up with Be Be in Canada where they are both free.


In my classroom, I would ensure that the students' knew that the Underground Railroad were safe houses, which were places slaves who were escaping to the North for their freedom could hide. Also, I would be concerned that the story would confuse the students into believing that the Underground Railroad is actually a train and a railroad. However, I would use the book to discuss the slavery, the history of Harriet Tubman, and Underground Railroad with my students. Also, I would have the students write a story about if they were traveling with Harriet Tubman on the Underground Railroad and explain obstacles that they would face together on the trip to freedom.